The Martian

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The Martian is Andy Weir’s best-known novel. It was published in 2011 on his website and later became a New York Times Bestseller.

Key Facts about The Martian 

• Title: The Martian
• When/where written: Published online originally, then in print.
• Published: 2011
• Literary Period: Contemporary American Literature
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Point-of-View: First and third person
• Setting: Mars, Earth, the Hermes, the year2035
• Climax: Watney is launched from Mars into space.
• Antagonist: Mars/Space

Andy Weir and The Martian

Weir published The Martian in 2011. It first appeared on his website as a serialized, online novel. But, as its popularity grew, he made it available as a kindle book for 99 cents. It was later picked up by a literary agent and sold to Crown Publishing Group. The print version appeared at #12 on The New York Times bestseller list. It was described by critics as one of the best science fiction novels of recent years and was adapted into a film in 2015 starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.

The novel was inspired by Weir’s lifelong interest in science fiction and his upbringing. His father worked as a physicist and his mother as an electrical engineer, likely fueling his interest in science. His first passion was computer programming, something he pursued while working at the Sandia National Laboratories.

Weir has described the extensive research he did while writing the novel. He was determined that it was going to be as realistic as possible. This meant learning about orbital mechanics, NASA itself, botany, space travel, and the history of space travel, as well as any other rules that governed what the ship could and couldn’t do as well as what Watney could expect on Mars.

Books Related to The Martian 

The Martian is one of the most important science fiction books of the 21st century and was inspired by the long legacy of novels that came before it. This includes the works of authors like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey was published in 1968 and later developed into an extremely influential film. The book follows the character of David Bowman and traces the history of the human race from the first time that aliens influenced humanity’s ancestors.

Asimov’s novels, like The Foundation series, are based in space and are deeply researched and complex. Other stories include I, Robot, and The End of Eternity. Readers may also draw comparisons between Weir’s book and the influence of Robert Heinlein’s A Stranger in a Strange Land. In the latter, a young man is left on Mars as a baby, raised by Martians, and brought back to Earth. He’s shocked by the differences between the two cultures, just as those on Earth are amazed by how he grew up.

Other related novels include Dune by Frank Herbert, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and Weir’s own Artemis and Project Hail Mary. 

The Lasting Impact of The Martian