Stranded on Mars by a dust storm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind; astronaut Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways. A first novelSix days ago; astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now; hes sure hell be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead; Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that hes alive-and even if he could get word out; his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are; though; he wont have time to starve to death. the damaged machinery; unforgiving environment; or plain-old human error are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isnt ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity; his engineering skills-and a relentless; dogged refusal to quit-he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?