Orbit, by John J. Nance?
I read it last year, when it was just an ebook, before he got it picked up by a publisher. It was a definite page turner hard science fiction, with snarky humor thrown in.
Good read.
I just finished. What a great book. I like the reaction of the main character. I thought that was very realistic–“I’m fucked. I don’t have a choice, how can I fix it. What a pain in the ass that was, but I made it.” I Don’t usually get emotionally attached to a book character, but I couldn’t help share his emotional rollercoaster.
Is this the same Andy Weir who used to do “Casey and Andy”?
Great book! I’d have read it in one session, but I had to work the next day so got some sleep.
I have a few technical nits to pick, just for the fun of it. Should I do that here or another thread? It’d be a pain to discuss everything in spoilers.
(Most of these “nits” are more like questions than criticisms. As in “What would 120MPH wind feel like in 1% atmosphere?”)
Thanks for the recommendation. I just finished it, and thought it was quite good. Now I’ve got to find the other stuff he’s written.
I think here is fine, go for it
He’s written a couple of webcomics that you might like to check out.
Casey and Andy, loosely based on himself and his real life best friend.
Cheshire Crossing, a crossover between several famous classic works.
Here’s one thing that’s got me puzzled: The whole story depends on a storm that threatened the astronauts’ camp. But, if the air pressure on Mars is so low, how strong can the winds be?
Weir mentioned in a podcast that the storm is the one science fudge he did intentionally. He had a scenario for a technical glitch, but because the story was essentially “man vs. nature” the storm was thematically better.
I got the audio book of this last time this thread was bumped up, and really loved it. It hovered right on the edge of being overly ridiculous (what, yet ANOTHER disaster so incredibly life-threatening that there’s no way he could possibly survive??), but I enjoyed seeing him systematically work through each one in turn, bit by bit.
Storms don’t get that fast on Mars. I looked it up because it seemed wrong to me.
Pretty much the same here. I’m a software engineer, and it seemed to scratch right where the problem-solving part of my brain itches. Turns out Weir is in software as well.
That’s what I liked about it (and Gould’s latest Jumper novel “Exo”) - they reminded me of old sci-fi I’ve read where the adventure was in problem solving rather than killing aliens (more prevalent post Star Wars, imo). A really old favorite of mine is “Two Men and a Mirror” with two guys trapped on a nearly friction-less surface.
That was my first question!
Good answer. 
Thanks!
Well, Viking measured 60 MPH, so 100 MPH isn’t too far out of the question. But I doubt that would have much force. Of course, there is a V^2 term (or a V^3 term for power – right?) but still, I’d guess that a 100 MPH wind with a 1% atmosphere would balance out to around the equivalent of a 10 MPH wind here on Earth. (Folks who can actually do the math, please fight my ignorance!)
Now, if the air is full of dust, that might increase the effect a bit. But still I wouldn’t expect it to be so severe. In any case, Weir acknowledges that, and it makes for a good story.
Unfortunately I can no longer remember my other questions. I guess I’ll just have to read it again!
I think that’s more of a “geek vs pop” distinction than a “then vs now” one. Buck Rogers was more of the alien shooting, wasn’t it?
I really like the ones where we get both aspects combined, like Alien and The Thing.
But this sure was a great book. I’d have read it in one sitting, except I had to go to work!
What I don’t get is: why didn’t he just build a Potato-Plants-Surviv-O-Mat?
Ridley Scott is adapting it into a movie, with Matt Damon as the protagonist, and a bunch of other good actors and actresses. I think there’s some potential.
Will Matt Damon be in blackface, or did they whitewash the part? (I’m actually kidding here. Yes, the protagonist is black in the book, but I don’t require that to be unchanged in an adaptation.)