The Martian

I am absolutely flabbergasted by the rave reviews of this book. By page 3, I knew it was a stinker, and yet I stuck through it to the boring end. I wanted to be able to say definitively that I did not like it. I didn't like the flat characters, the weak dialogue, the lame attempts at humor, and the utter lack of suspense. I could have enjoyed the science (because Lawd knows, there was MORE than enough of it - wrong or right), but I couldn't stand the scientist. Watney is a complete tool. Most of the book reads like one long drawn out monologue by Bill Nye as channeled by a cocky teenager who says "Yay!" a lot. Sound fun? Well, it isn't. What a letdown. I would rather read Phil Plait. Of course, he liked The Martian, too. Sigh.