THE MARTIAN / Andy Weir / 367 Pages

Astronaut Mark Watney, specialist in biology and mechanical engineering for the Ares 3 mission, is stranded on Mars. He has no communications equipment and very little food. His crew were forced to evacuate due to a sand storm and believe him dead. Back on Earth, he is being mourned as a hero.

But Mark is not dead and determined to find a way to survive, communicate, and ultimately, to get back home! He logs his efforts, both successes and failures with snarky humor for any future Mars explorers ... just in case he doesn't make it.

A fast-paced, cinematic, adventure, THE MARTIAN will have readers rooting for this wise-cracking, futuristic Robinson Crusoe.(Advance Reading Copy; publication: February 2014)