Mike Nemeth asked Andy Weir:

Andy, your book stuck with me, mainly for its stark realism. This is not John Carter's Mars. You appear to have inside information. I'm wondering after seeing the NBC News story on Alyssa Carlson, the 13-year-old who wants to go to the red planet, do you think she'll make it? That would be another 10-13 years from now.

Andy Weir I haven't seen that news story. But I seriously doubt there'll be any manned Mars missions in so short a time.

I really enjoyed the fact that this science fiction story was so believable and did not need aliens or super-futuristic technology as a part of the tale. It reminded me a bit of Apollo 13; someone trying to survive an accident in space. What made you decide to leave out the common sci-fi motifs of aliens, etc. and write about something so realistic?

Nick Flack asked Andy Weir:

Hollis Thompson asked Andy Weir:

61,385 followers

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.