The Martian was written by Andy Weir. Originally self-published in 2011, The Martian was purchased by Crown Publishing in 2014 and released as a book. Since then, The Martian has become one of the most popular science fiction books in recent years. In 2016, Weir won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at the Hugo Awards for The Martian; in 2015, the novel was turned into a critically and financially successful film from director Ridley Scott.
An example of "hard science fiction" (a sub-genre of science fiction in which scientific accuracy and logic are as faithful to scientific fact as possible), The Martian includes many instances of the protagonist running through...