# The Martian *A novel by Andy Weir.* > I read Wikipedia's articles on the novel, on Weir and on Tau Ceti, the Open Library record, and the vault notes for the four videos. I did not read the book, so the summary follows the published plot description and I could not verify chapter titles or quote the text. ## 1. Book facts | | | |---|---| | Title | *The Martian* (Crown edition subtitled *A Novel*) | | Author | Andy Weir | | First release | Self-published as a free web serial, then on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents (September 2011 per Wikipedia) | | Publisher / date | Crown, 11 February 2014 (Wikipedia). Open Library also lists Crown, 2014 | | ISBN | 978-0-8041-3902-1 (Wikipedia; Open Library resolves it to a 369-page Crown edition) | | Pages | 369 | | Genre | Science fiction, survival story | | Audiobook | R. C. Bray (Podium Publishing, March 2013; 2014 Audie Award for science fiction); a Wil Wheaton edition from Audible in January 2020 (Wikipedia) | | Film | *The Martian* (2015), directed by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon (Wikipedia) | **Where it came up.** - [It’s Boring, But It’s How You Write a Bestseller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=195s), Alyssa Matesic, [3:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=195s) to [4:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=298s): Weir kept a software career, wrote a rejected first novel, and still worked as an engineer when *The Martian* was in theaters. Vault note: [[Video Summaries/Alyssa Matesic/It’s Boring, But It’s How You Write a Bestseller]]. - [You Sent Me Your Query Letters…They ALL Would Get Rejected](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Vsz09AWdY&t=711s), Alyssa Matesic, 11:51: *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary* named as blockbusters to avoid as comps. Vault note: [[Video Summaries/Alyssa Matesic/You Sent Me Your Query Letters…They ALL Would Get Rejected]]. - [Time Dilation Visualized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FT-oz9aZU4), The Overview Effect: the vault note names *The Martian* only in describing Weir's novels. Vault note: [[Video Summaries/The Overview Effect/Time Dilation Visualized]]. - [The Location of Deep Space Nine and Sci-fi Stars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tso5pSzBRDo), The Overview Effect: *The Martian* is in the list of works discussed. Vault note: [[Video Summaries/The Overview Effect/The Location of Deep Space Nine and Sci-fi Stars]]. - Companion dossiers: [[Book Summaries/Weir, Andy/Artemis - Andy Weir|Artemis]], [[Book Summaries/Weir, Andy/Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir|Project Hail Mary]]. ## 2. Book resources - [Wikipedia: The Martian (Weir novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(Weir_novel)) - [Open Library record (Crown edition)](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL32815550M) - [Wikipedia: Andy Weir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Weir) **Where to get it.** The book is in copyright. Wikipedia says Weir first posted it free on his website, but I did not verify that the serial is still online or legally free today, so I list no free copy. Borrow it from a public library or buy it. I did not verify library availability. ## 3. Author biography Source: Wikipedia, Andy Weir. - American novelist, born 16 June 1972 in Davis, California; grew up in Livermore. His father was a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and his mother an electrical engineer. - Studied computer science at UC San Diego without graduating. Worked as a programmer for companies including AOL, Palm, MobileIron and Blizzard (where he worked on *Warcraft II*). - Wrote the web comic *Casey and Andy* (2001-2008) and published fiction on his website. His first novel attempt, *Theft of Pride*, went unpublished. The 2009 short story "The Egg" was his first widely noticed work. - *The Martian* began as a free web serial, then a 99-cent Kindle edition, then a Crown contract. He received the 2016 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. *Project Hail Mary* was a 2022 Hugo finalist. ## 4. Author interviews and talks - [Andy Weir on David Perell's *How I Write*](https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/andy-weir-project-hail-mary-author-teaches-writing/id1700171470?i=1000792387666), 30 September 2026, about 1 hr 10 min (episode page loads; I read the published description and part of the transcript excerpt shown by search, not the whole interview). Covers how he builds science-fiction premises, plotting and the science. - [Science Friday, "'Project Hail Mary' brings a new kind of alien to the big screen"](https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/project-hail-mary-rocky-the-alien/), 20 March 2026: Weir and astrobiologist Mike Wong on Rocky's biology (page loads; segment transcript not read in full). ## 5. Summary **Premise.** In 2035, a dust storm forces the Ares 3 crew to abandon their Mars mission; astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer, is struck by debris and presumed dead. He survives, alone and without long-range communication, and sets out to stay alive by solving each problem in turn, his philosophy of "work the problem" (Wikipedia). **Outline from the published plot summary (no chapter list verified)** 1. Watney is stranded on sol 6, grows potatoes in the Hab and makes water from hydrazine fuel. 2. NASA sees he is alive in satellite images and works on a rescue. He drives to Schiaparelli crater, where the Ares 4 ascent vehicle waits, and uses the old Pathfinder lander to contact Earth. 3. An airlock failure destroys his crop. A supply probe fails. A deal with the China National Space Administration provides a booster, and astrodynamicist Rich Purnell devises a slingshot trajectory to send the Hermes spacecraft back to Mars. 4. Watney crosses a dust storm and reaches the ascent vehicle, which is stripped down to lift off. The crew improvises a rescue in orbit using a hole blown in the airlock. **Notes on the writing.** Weir researched orbital mechanics, botany and the history of spaceflight to keep the science realistic (Wikipedia). The self-published text differs from the Crown edition: less profanity, corrected errors, and a 263-word epilogue removed (Wikipedia). **Reception.** Publishers Weekly (starred) praised the technical detail and wit; The Wall Street Journal called it "the best pure sci-fi novel in years"; Entertainment Weekly gave it a "B". It debuted on the NYT hardcover list at No. 12 and the paperback spent 76 weeks on the list (Wikipedia). ## 6. Fact-check Overall verdict: **mixed**. The public facts check out, but two personal claims from the Matesic video could not be verified. | Claim (video) | Verdict | Evidence | |---|---|---| | Weir wrote *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary*, both bestsellers adapted to the screen | Supported | Wikipedia: film of *The Martian* (Oct 2015); *Project Hail Mary* film released 20 March 2026 | | His first book was rejected before *The Martian* | Supported | Wikipedia: "failure to publish his first novel attempt, *Theft of Pride*"; rebuffed by literary agents before *The Martian* | | He was a software engineer who got a layoff and AOL stock-option sabbatical to write | Unverified | Wikipedia confirms he worked at AOL and other software companies; I found nothing on stock options or a layoff | | He was still working as an engineer when *The Martian* was in theaters | Unverified | Not found in the sources I opened | | *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary* are blockbusters, so avoid them as comps | Not empirically testable | Opinion; both sold widely per Wikipedia | ## 7. Citations and references - [Wikipedia: The Martian (Weir novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(Weir_novel)); [Wikipedia: Andy Weir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Weir). - [Open Library OL32815550M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL32815550M). - Videos: [It’s Boring, But It’s How You Write a Bestseller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk); [You Sent Me Your Query Letters…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Vsz09AWdY); [Time Dilation Visualized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FT-oz9aZU4); [The Location of Deep Space Nine and Sci-fi Stars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tso5pSzBRDo).