This book was more of The Martian, if you didn't like that you won't like this. Still the same enjoyably nerdy sci-fi mixed with simplistic characters and humour.

I have to talk about the ending though. I love when I get the feeling an ending might reflect more of the authors own psyche than they may have intended. In this case, I think Andy Weir doesn't know he wrote a profoundly human tragedy.


SPOILERS BELOW


The ending has Grace living on an alien planet after apparently growing as a person by giving up his life to save someone, showing that he has learned the value of friendship and connection. Sure he is suffering physically from the high gravity and he only has a small barren dome to call home, but he is happy.

Sure, yes, on a superficial level that all seems to work.

But scratch a tiny bit deeper and that's not the ending at all, the ending of the book is really Grace so scared of human connection he is happy to slowly kill himself over many years on a barren alien planet - his only company another species - if it means he never has to interact with anyone except through thick glass. He never has to risk being known, or understood, he's safe from judgement or danger. Safe from anyone questioning him and his beliefs.

And the best part is, the whole situation is framed in a positive way.

That's a great ending, intentional or not.