The Martian

Robinson Crusoe for the twenty-first century.

Andy Weir introduces the reader to one of the most compelling stories of the year. Astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead by his crewmates when they are forced to cut short their Mars mission.  Originally self-published and free on the net, this tale of the resilience of the human spirit is married perfectly to a realistic picture of space travel.  The characters range from fellow astronauts, scientists and engineers, to the staff at NASA. The world collectively holds its breath, as does the reader, as Watney and his colleagues fight the clock to save his life. It's edge of your seat reading, right up to the end.