The Martian by Andy Weir

Self-published digitially in 2011; published by Crown on February 11, 2014

The Martian is written in a lively voice that I can easily imagine belonging to a frustrated engineer. It isn't an eloquent voice but it isn't meant to be. Mark Watney has a right to feel frustrated as he narrates his story, having been (understandably) left for dead on the surface of Mars by a crew escaping from a hellacious sandstorm. The base in which the crew planned to live is intact but the communications dish Watney needs to contact Earth is destroyed in the storm. Another crew is scheduled to land (although far from his current location) in four years. Watney has enough food to survive for about a year. Seems like the poor guy should starve to death if he doesn't choose a more peaceful death by morphine, but Watney turns out to be a resourceful scientist who doesn't easily give up on life.

New characters are eventually introduced as the action shifts to Earth and to NASA, which eventually notices that the Rover left behind on Mars seems to have moved. The parts of the story that take place on Earth are surprisingly strong in their own way, and a sharp contrast to the individualistic story that Watney tells. Like the rest of the novel, the Earthbound story seems realistic, from the distress that people feel about Watney to the distress they feel at managing a public relations nightmare.

On one level, The Martian is a survival story, sort of an updated Robinson Crusoe on Mars without the monkey. But it's also a pure science fiction story, with a refreshing emphasis on science. There are no zombies here. At the same time, explaining the science doesn't bog down the story, as science-heavy sf too often does. This is fundamentally a story about people and crisis management. Andy Weir put an enormous amount of thought into The Martian, from commemorative stamps honoring Watney that need to be recalled to overtime funding for NASA scientists who work desperately to save his life.

The Martian strikes me as a novel that should have broad appeal. Fans of geek-speak who think science and technical innovation are the most important aspects of sf will find loads to enjoy. Readers who think sf needs to have human interest to differentiate it from a technical manual will find it here in plentiful supply. Readers who only want to spend time with likable characters will love Watney (he's a funny guy). Even readers who like action-filled plots should be happy. The action doesn't consist of battles with aliens using laser swords but the struggle for survival creates a fair amount of tension and keeps the story moving at a good pace. Readers who crave zombies will be disappointed but I suspect most sf fans will be as happy with The Martian as I was.

The Martian ends with a discussion of human nature. Humans can be truly awful to each other, but most of us have an instinctive desire to help one another, even to help complete strangers when lives are at risk, and to risk our own lives to do it. Through Mark Watney, Weir reminds us of our better natures. According to Watney, people who care about other human beings "massively outnumber" people who don't. I think that's probably true. It's a great reminder, movingly illustrated in an emotionally enriching story. I suspect The Martian is destined to be regarded as a classic work of sf. That's pretty remarkable for a book that was originally self-published.

RECOMMENDED

The Obedient Assassin by John P. Davidson

Published by Delphinium Books on January 7, 2014

The Obedient Assassin is a fictional account of Leonid Trotsky's assassination in Mexico in 1940. Stalin (at least according to the novel) was concerned that Trotsky had divided revolutionary sympathies in Spain and that he might do the same in the coming war with Germany. John Davidson's novel follows the assassin, a lieutenant in the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War named Ramón Mercader, from his receipt of Stalin's orders to infiltrate Trotsky's organization in Paris to the aftermath of Trotsky's death. Stalin's orders are relayed through Mercader's mother, Caridad, who proved her loyalty to the Party when she did not resist the execution of Mercader's brother. Mercader hates his mother for letting his brother die but he nonetheless follows Stalin's directive.

To get close to Trotsky, Mercader must get close to Sylvia Ageloff, an American who has access to Trotsky and supports his Fourth Directive. Posing as a Belgian, Mercader arranges to meet Sylvia in Paris and eventually marries her. He later joins Sylvia in New York and Mexico, playing the dual role of husband and spy.

The Obedient Assassin is of historical more than literary interest. I'm not an historian so I can't comment upon the novel's historical accuracy, other than to note that certain events depicted in the book actually occurred and that several persons who plotted Trotsky's assassination turn up as characters (facts I gleaned from Wikipedia). Mercader often seems to be going through the motions -- "I'm doing this because the history texts say I did this" -- while the novel rarely penetrates beneath the obvious in its attempt to reveal his feelings and motivations. Its portrayal of Mercader's feelings for Sylvia -- along the lines of "I'm supposed to be using her but I've fallen in love with her" -- is trite.

I appreciated the attempt to paint Mercader as a man riddled with doubt and divided loyalties, but Davidson didn't make me feel his passion for the Spanish Civil War or the tension that should precede a political assassination. Mercader's fear and frustration near the end of the novel seem real but the description of the assassination is mechanical and the final chapters are melodramatic. While The Obedient Assassin gets off to a promising start, it loses energy that it never recaptures. It often comes across as the outline rather than the execution of a good novel.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Graveyard of Memories by Barry Eisler

Published by Thomas & Mercer on February 11, 2014

John Rain thinks back to 1972 when, at the age of twenty, he was a bagman for the CIA in Tokyo (a city Barry Eisler paints in vivid colors). Rain's violent reaction to violent circumstances places his life in danger and the only way to remedy his plight (and to earn the continued backing of his CIA handler) is to carry out a difficult assassination of a prominent Japanese politician. Hence begins Rain's life as a professional killer.

It's interesting to contrast the younger Rain, reckless and arrogant, with the mindful man that he becomes later in life (as chronicled in earlier novels in the John Rain series). The younger Rain, if not quite dismissive of morality, is still working out his own code of honor. He is just starting to learn the value of ancient Japanese rituals. He's also starting to learn the tradecraft that will keep him alive in a dangerous profession. He has not yet "come to grips with that ever-present weight" that becomes more burdensome with age (particularly if you spend a lot of your time killing people).

True to form, Eisler makes John Rain a likable guy, which is why readers buy John Rain books even though his profession is less than admirable. It's a neat trick to turn a killer into a sympathetic character. In Graveyard of Memories, Eisler builds empathy for Rain by making him awkward and shy and improbably sensitive in his interaction with a young woman in a wheelchair to whom he is attracted. This is an odd love story, but it works.

As is typical of a Rain novel, the plot is intricate without becoming convoluted. Rain suspects he is being manipulated and possibly double-crossed, but he isn't sure who is pulling the strings. The story eventually focuses on his effort to answer that question. Toward the end, Eisler deftly ties the plot into real-world corporate and CIA scandals. But it isn't so much the plot that drew me into this novel as the characterization of John Rain. It was a refreshing change from the norm to read about a thriller character who realizes that he needs to become wiser. I've enjoyed other Rain novels but this one is my new favorite, simply because it adds new and credible dimensions to a complex character.

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Bubble by Anders de la Motte

Published in Sweden in 2012; published in translation by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on February 4, 2014

"We create our own realities," Tage tells Rebecca, "small spheres where we imagine we control what happens." Living inside a bubble has been an ongoing theme of the Game trilogy. The final novel makes the point explicitly: "In actual fact the feeling of control is just an illusion, and those spheres are nothing more than bubbles." But all bubbles eventually burst, along with the illusions they contain.

Having escaped it for a time in Buzz, HP is back in the Game. As you would expect in the last novel of a thriller/conspiracy trilogy, the purpose of the Game is finally revealed. The reveal is not shocking or even particularly surprising, but it is more plausible than most conspiracies in thriller fiction. Of course, some of the characters the reader meets in the first two novels play different roles than they first appeared to play, but -- like the conspiracy -- those revelations won't cause most readers to gasp with surprise.

The novels turn out to have a serious point, which has something to do with how easily governments can be persuaded to act against the interests of individuals and in favor of corporate interests when paid noisemakers make disturbing noises about national security and terrorist threats. It's a familiar point but Bubble gives it an interesting twist involving cybersecurity. On a level that's probably more fun, the novels are about how easily individuals can be manipulated, particularly insecure individuals who crave attention and fame, or at least acceptance.

Viewing the trilogy as a whole (and I think that's necessary because neither of the final two work well as a stand-alone), while there is nothing outstanding about the plot or Anders de la Motte's writing style, the story is entertaining, it moves quickly, the action scenes are plausible, and the novels include enough humor to make clear that we're not supposed to take the global conspiracy theme too seriously. That's a plus, since most conspiracy thrillers have become so over-the-top that they are unintentionally comedic. The characters -- particularly HP and to a lesser extent his sister -- are sympathetic and HP experiences some redemptive emotional growth as the novels progress. All of that was enough to make me feel that the novels were worth reading.

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The Sun and Other Stars by Brigid Pasulka

Published by Simon & Schuster on February 4, 2014

I'm a sucker for books that make me laugh out loud and then leave me sighing with appreciation for their subtle and touching moments. I am definitely not a sucker for love stories, but every now and then I'm totally entranced by one that is honest and original. I'm also a sucker for books that make me feel something I don't ordinarily feel. This one made me feel the joy of calcio (the Italian name for soccer), at least as it is played by aging but passionate fans who have a few weeks of glory kicking a ball around with a couple of authentic stars. But calcio is merely a backdrop to an engaging novel that is both a coming-of-age story and a father-son family drama, with a couple of love stories thrown in to sweeten the plot.

The less favored of two sons but the only one still living, Etto works in the family butcher shop, where he believes he is treated more as a slave than a son (the difference, if the is one, between slavery and family is one of the novel's themes). Etto's brother Luca is buried in an empty school's untended calcio field where Etto's father insisted he be interred. Etto's American mother died under circumstances that continue to anger him. Feeling alone in the world at twenty-two, confiding his thoughts only to his brother's headstone, Etto is stuck in San Benedetto, waiting for his life to "keep piling up" until he is "an old, bitter man." His life in the butcher shop has been planned out for him by his father and grandfather, and while others tell him he should be comforted by a life that is unburdened by hard decisions, Etto isn't so sure. He feels he is living with his face pressed to the glass, watching other people live real lives. Even worse, he feels increasingly estranged from his father, who is himself becoming "an old, bitter man," at least in his interaction with Etto.

Etto has few social skills, particularly with women, and few opportunities to polish them. He is therefore unprepared to respond (and so responds poorly) to the mild flirtation of a young woman named Zhuki who is spending three weeks in San Benedetto with her brother, a famous Ukranian soccer player named Yuri who now plays for an Italian team but might be corrupt. Etto would like to compete for Zhuki's attention but he is competing against athletes who have abs like tortoise shells. Etto has little competence on the calcio field. Having inherited his mother's love of art, he is better with a brush than he is with a soccer ball. Etto works out his frustration by recreating a version of the Sistine Chapel ceiling on the ceiling of the closed school, substituting people he knows for biblical figures (sometimes in unflattering ways). Still, Yuri insists that all problems can be fixed on a soccer field. That is the power of calcio.

Etto is a bit like the Italian Holden Caulfield, unimpressed with the phoniness of other people's lives but not sure what to do with his own. Like all good coming-of-age novels, The Sun and Other Stars is about self-awareness and making choices and the possibility of change -- not just changing where you live and what you do, but who you are and how you behave. There is more than a little wisdom to be mined from this novel, some of it coming from unlikely sources. The greatest lesson is: the power of calico is the power of hope.

Brigid Paasulka writes with zest and flair, bringing to life a memorable town populated with likable characters. I love the description of what occurs "whenever two or more are gathered in San Benedetto -- moving mouths and flying hands pulling air into air, crafting grand plans from nothing and into nothing." The Sun and Other Stars pushed all my emotional and literary buttons without being overtly manipulative. That earns it a strong recommendation.

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