The Martian, by Andy Weir, is the best standalone novel I’ve listened to so far this year.  Here’s the one-sentence summary: A MacGyver-like  astronaut stranded alone on Mars has to figure out how to survive until rescue can come.

I first heard of the novel from Daniel Burton’s stellar review at Attack of the Books, and was so intrigued I bought it immediately.  The story is so gripping, I stayed up way past my bedtime listening.  If you want to read a more thorough review, read Daniel’s.  (The one thing I’ll add to his review is that I’m not sure if the novel is eligible for a Hugo next because the audio publication and a self-published version appeared before 2014.  But if it is eligible, I’ll probably be nominating it.)

The book is available in print and ebook from Amazon, and in audio from Audible (click the banner below).