I don’t often have the time to read a book in one sitting, but being home with a cold yesterday I managed to read The Martian by Andy Weir. I was hooked after the first few pages in the morning and finished the book on the same day in the evening.

Of course now I have to watch the movie starring Matt Damon, but today I also did some research on the book and the author.

YouTube: Adam Savage Interviews ‘The Martian’ Author Andy Weir – The Talking Room (55 minutes).

The New York Times: ‘The Martian’ by Andy Weir.

“‘‘The Martian’’ is the most prescient science fiction movie I have seen in some years. I don’t say this lightly. And as is the case with many in my field, my own awakening to the very existence of science was spurred by science fiction — a 1953 film called ‘‘Spaceways,” which I saw at a very young age, living on a U.S. military base near St. John’s, Newfoundland in Canada.”

Sylvester “Jim” Gates is a physics and mathematics professor and director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland. He serves on President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

NPR All Things Considered: Sandstorms, Explosions, Potatoes, Oh My: ‘Martian’ Takes Its Science Seriously.

“The Martian is the brainchild of author Andy Weir, who wrote the blockbuster novel that inspired the film. As Weir tells it, he’d always longed for some science fiction with greater emphasis on the science.”

The author, Andy Weir, has done two Reddit Ask Me Anythings: 3 February, 2014 and 28 January, 2015.