The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir Conversation StartersA Brief Look Inside: ANDY WEIR'S THE MARTIAN begins when astronaut Mark Watney finds himself stranded on Mars after an accident with an antenna caused his fellow crew to believe he had died, and they left Mars not knowing that he was still alive. The accident caused his bio-monitor computer to break, and he is left with only The Hab, hydrazine, a generator, and potatoes to keep him alive. Watney, described as a 'competent man,' is not the ty