Best sci-fi book I've read in years.
583156
This is an amazing book that uses science fiction to get into the grittier, more realistic parts of committed relationships. The people in this book are real, even if they're from the other side of the universe.

Extraordinarily well-written.

Hilarious at points.
3589913
the most captivating book I've read in many years.  If you love sci-fi, this book is difficult to put down...
909615
I read close to a book each day and this is the first book that has made me cry in years. Beautiful in its writing and in the Author's understanding of the parts of us as humans that make us great, even in our insignificance. I read Sci-fi for escapism, not for humanism. This book crosses over both, making it an unexpected find. I recommend the book to sci-fi lovers, and general fiction readers. I'll be on the look out for more books by this author.
89660
I am simply stunned. I bought this book and finished it a day later. I could not put it down. It is seriously one of the best works of science fiction I have read. The narrative is excellent, the characters pretty well developed, and it is highly entertaining. I would highly recommend it to any fan of Sci-Fi. It is firmly in the subgenre of 'military sci-fi' and delivers on that note, but the story itself is almost light-hearted (some very funny moments, to the point where I laughed out loud while reading). Reminds me of  "Starship Troopers," with a dash of "Ender's Game," and the wit of Mark Twain. Top notch all the way.
13047
I have not enjoyed a piece of Science Fiction this much in years. It was exciting from start to finish and I quickly connected to the main protagonist.  I immediately purchased two paper copies to give away as holiday presents.
3588917
This book is far and beyond one of my favorite books of all time. Anyone who enjoys scifi should read this book.
3873705
I am a huge science fiction so of course, I jumped at the chance to read this. Even though I love sci-fi, some of the more sciencey things went over my head. Yes, I'm aware how stupid that sounds. I love sci-fi but don't know much about science, I'm weird, whatever.

The book was fast paced and easy for me to read, even the parts that I didn't understand I found were easy to get through. The characters were great and were really the main reason I kept wanting to read more. There was just something about them that drew me further into the book. I really liked Rae and how he was a cat creature. You don't see many cat creatures in books so that was pretty awesome.

The author has a knack for world building. I could plainly picture everything that I was reading as if I was watching it on tv. Bravo, Mannah Pierce on creating a fantastic sci-fi book that this sci-fi geek loved.
350188
I'm not usually a sci-fi fan but I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I watched the movie soon after and it did not disappoint either.
1456162
Hyperion ranks among the best science fiction books I have ever read.  It is written to be similar to The Canterbury Tales, I suspect, and it does a fantastic job establishing the universe of the book with every story told.  The way it slowly reveals more and more about the situation regarding the Shrike and Hegemony society in general is masterfully written, and the story about Rachels Merlin sickness actually had me in tears.  While some of the more adult parts of the book felt tacked-on and unnecessary, it was an enjoyable book, and I plan on reading the sequel.

I would recommend this to any fan of epic tales and science fiction.
4129243
One of, if not the, best science fiction novels I've read in years. Far surpasses any dystopian fiction published in the last decade--a true tribute to the likes of Asimov, Bradbury, and Herbert.
3726047
Outstanding.........best book I have read in years.
3949803
it doesn't matter if you like sci-fi or not: this book was great and I was sorry it had to end. It was smart, funny, informational, suspenseful, happy, sad, remorseful, good characters, and a good pace. I liked it being short stories with the same backstory- all of it- all of it was good.  I read a lot, and its been while a while since I've read something I enjoyed so much.
Just read this book-you'll be glad you did.
Oh, and I couldn't stop laughing over the conversations with Rocky.
3147553
Great book. Sci fi that kept me entertained for hours! I couldn't put down the book.
2392194
One of the best books I have read in recent years. The story was full of exciting twists and turns and the ending came out of nowhere. I cannot wait to read the second part. I would recommend this book to all SciFi fans.
2793251
Oh, how I loved this book. What makes it even sweeter is that I really expected not to like it at all. Darn you, Andy Weir. Why did you have to go and challenge all of my usual objections to the science fiction genre by turning it completely on its head?

As a rule, I hate Science Fiction. It all seems to be some variation of the "Earth facing imminent destruction from little understood alien forces, random human saves the day, falls in love, the end" theme. Booooorrrring. It's just not my thing.

What's funny is that I like science. OK, I love science. But the science in Science Fiction doesn't seem like science at all. It's more like magic. And in my opinion, if there's going to be magic, there had better be dragons.

I picked this book up because it was on sale, and I had heard a lot of great things about it from friends. I'm not sure why it didn't sit moldering on my TBR pile for years, but a couple of days ago I randomly decided to start reading. I have basically been glued to my kindle ever since. I actually used Whispersync to switch back and forth between the kindle book and the Audiobook from Audible.  I often listen to audiobooks while cleaning, and yesterday I was so addicted to listening to this book, I literally cleaned every nook and cranny of my house. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning listening, despite the fact that I had an important business meeting early this morning.

What makes The Martian different? Weir does a great job of making the reader care about the main character, Mark Watney, which causes lots of tension as events unfold. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, this book is really, really funny. The protagonist is like Stephen Hawking crossed with MacGyver and David Wong.

The audiobook was narrated by R.C. Bray, who did such a good job that I think I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much just reading the e-book copy alone. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year (and maybe last year too), and I can't wait to read it again soon.  Not surprisingly, Weir just won the Goodreads Reader's Choice 2014 award for Science Fiction with this book.  Well deserved.
5657
This book is absolutely fantastic. The science is believable, and the story will have you riding a roller coaster of laughter and tears until the final page. Highly recommend this to any sci-fi fan, or really anyone who enjoys a well written story.
607299
This is the first sci-fi I've read in a long time. The opening sentence drew me in right away into an action-packed dogfight in space. Fight scenes are hard to create, even more so when we are dealing with technology that does not exist yet. I haven't read something this good since Dale Brown's Day of the Cheetah. You can tell the author did a lot of research on aerospace engineering. He was able to weave in the future tech without slapping it right in your face. After the metaphorical dust clouds dissipate, a deeper conspiracy (which must have drawn inspiration from 1984) is uncovered. I already enjoyed the space battles, but this conspiracy is what made me want to read the next books.