The Martian, by Andy Weir

It's highly likely that you have read this book and/or seen the film (Award winning Comedy film, The Martian) but I'm going to write it up anyway.

Mark Watney is an astronaut and a member of the crew of the Ares 3, a manned mission to Mars in a future near enough to be indistinguishable from the present, but distant enough for Mars missions to be kind of old hat. This Mars mission *is* Historic, but not because it's pioneering. About a week into the mission while out in a storm that's worsening by the hour, Commander Lewis makes the decision to abort. The wind is high and fast enough to compromise the return craft, so it's back to the MAV for everyone and an early 8 month return to Earth. In an intense, confusing, deadly instant, Mark Watney is hit by flying debris and flung into the fug- visibility is close to zero and his suit is recording no signs of life- Mark is dead- the first person to die on Mars.

This is where the book starts; with a battered, patched up and barely functional Mark Watney surveying his options. He's injured. Has limited food supplies. He's alone on Mars. He's pretty much dead.

The rest of the novel comprises of first person logs by Mark as day by day (or Sol by Sol) he battles against the odds and the never ending hostility of Mars to survive. Luckily as a botanist, engineer and all-round McGyer style scientist, he manages to overcome the most obstacles: growing food, creating water, making contact with Earth in miraculous feats of engineering and pluck. Reading this, I couldn't help but Imagine how I would handle the same circumstances- probably just de-suit and walk out of the airlock to certain, swift death. So I had to very much admire Mark's insane resourcefulness, determination and refusal to die, despite the explosions, depressurisation, flippings, tumblings and starvings that Mars threw at him.

This is one of the few occasions ever where I'm glad to have seen the film before reading the book as so much of the science went over my head. It was also handy to have pre-imagined faces to attach to all the names at NASA- characters that have some pretty amazing dialogue but as characters are kind of interchangeable. Having Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Chiwetel Ejiofor's famous faces pre-loaded into my head really helped.

Though the NASA guys and the other astronauts are important supporting characters, we find out very little about them- it's very much the Mark Watney show. There's no big emotional reunion with Earth-bound family, no weepy fiancee on the news, desperately waiting for an update on their space stranded betrothed- which I found really refreshing. It wasn't a particularly emotional story, not a vast personal journey- just a really resourceful guy with a sense of humour as dry as his planet, trying not to die or drive himself insane with loneliness, bad 70s TV and disco music and barely managing.

It's pacy and funny and full of action- even if there's never really any suspense (even if you haven't seen the film, it's pretty obvious that Mark isn't going to die- even if he wanted to he probably can't even). It's basically Robinson Crusoe in Space, but funnier. And with more science. I'm pretty sure most of the world have read this- but if you haven't, it's definitely worth giving it a go. It's one of the most universally appealing stories I've read or seen in ages. The film is a really stellar adaptation of the source material, and the book just provides more of the same. More Mark, More Mars, more laughs.

The Lie Tree, by Frances Hardinge

I love Frances Hardinge. One of the reasons that I'm very wary of books set in the Victorian era is down to 1) my deep love for the Victorian era and 2) for about 4 years, I only read Victorian literature and any attempts to replicate the insanely rich tone and feel of that time often seem half-arsed and irritatingly patchy. Hardinge nails it from the first page. She obviously has a real and magical affinity for the period- her novels immerse you in the 19th century so thoroughly and yet so subtly that I genuinely think she's some kind of time traveller, because she makes me feel like one so successfully. The novel is filled with vivid Victorian flavour; post-mortem photography, craniology, ratting, the flamboyance of full mourning...

In a world where Origin of Species has uprooted the religious roots of the known, as Creation crumbles to Evolution and the human race starts to question its place in the world, Hardinge forces the reader to think about women's role in society, about nature and nurture and about the poisonous power of lies.

The Lie Tree deals with the impossibility of being a teenage girl (not a smooth ride at the best of times) with a fierce need to learn and scientific ambitions in Victorian society. As a female, 14 year old Faith Sunderly is expected to be good, be humble, be unassuming, until she can be married and become someone else's responsibility. The book begins with Faith and her family; the beautiful, delicate mother Myrtle, renowned Natural Scientist father the Rev Erasmus Sunderly, hanger-on Uncle Miles and younger brother Howard on a drizzly ferry from Kent to a remote island- ostensibly so Miles and Erasmus can lend Scientific weight and respectability to an archaeological dig in process on the island. Faith, however, has her suspicions. A deep curiosity, nimble fingers and a liar's tongue has furnished her with enough information to know that her family are fleeing scientific scandal and that there is more to her family's flight than meets the eye.

Faith is devoted to her father- she dreams of following in his footsteps to become a Natural Scientist. She has convinced herself that the two share a deep bond, that she is his protegee, that he is proud of her. She is forced to reconsider, hearing such encouraging lessons as; “Listen, Faith. A girl cannot be brave, or clever, or skilled as a boy can. If she is not good, she is nothing. Do you understand?”from her beloved patriarch. When Faith's father is found dead the morning after she assists him with hiding a mysterious and valuable specimen in a nearby seacave, the magistrate writes it off as suicide. Unconvinced, Faith vows to find her father's killer, to continue his scientific research and to study the specimen that she believes led him to his death- the tree in the cave. According to his diaries, the tree feeds on lies and reveals home truths, but Faith does not believe that a rational, scientific man like her father could believe such superstitious nonsense. She sets about studying it in detail.

The rest of the novel follows Faith's journey to the truth via a selection of lies; some small, some gigantic that spread like wildfire across the island. She learns the power and the consequences of lies and the impact that it can have on those around her. She's a likeable character, despite the ease with which she lies, and she shows a huge amount of pluck and determination, of scientific dedication and commitment. She is willing to sacrifice her reputation for the truth, to betray her family's trust and position in pursuit of her aims. She is forced to use the intelligence that nobody would ever believe her capable of to outsmart the men of science that lock the doors of knowledge in her face. 

There are elements of the whodunnit, the traditional murder mystery combined with fantastical creation myths and apparently magical powers, and some disastrous secrets that Faith uncovers that make her rethink her opinion of her father and hero, all delivered in a masterful narrative that feels beautifully intricate and well crafted. I love FH's prose too- I love how she uses language, I love the richness of the world she creates and the beating hearts of her characters,. There's so much wit and warmth in her words, so much enthusiasm and eccentricity and heart. She is truly exceptional.

The Lie Tree has won pretty much every prize going this year, and it's a favourite for the Carnegie in June. It would be a deserving winner.

Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton

I read this probably about 15 years ago, and what with the release of Jurassic World and the new re-issue of the book, I thought it was high time for a re-read. Disclaimer: I've always loved dinosaurs- I begged to be allowed to see the original JP in 1993, but was 5 years old. So that didn't happen. Anyway. Lots of love for dinosaurs (and also for the birds that they became, incidentally).

The premise of the book is very similar to the film. Identical, really, as far as sticking to the source material goes in film adaptations, Jurassic Park was pretty much on the money. Eccentric billionaire John Hammond, away from the prying eyes of authority and regulation and scientific ethics, develops a state-of-the-art theme park. Filled with dinosaur attractions cloned from DNA discovered in fossilised tree sap, it's the only park of its kind in the world. In order to appease his financiers and gather support from the research community for his project, he invites an assortment of experts to visit the part to cast their opinion. These are renowned but introverted palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant, his palaeobotany student Dr Ellie Sattler, sass-master Chaotician Dr Ian Malcolm, lawyer Gennaro and, unbeknown to the rest of the group, his grandchildren Tim and Lex. So far, so familiar.

It's weird reading a single book and seeing which bits were used as set pieces in various films. Raptors in the kitchen, JPI. Compy beach attack on a child, used in JPII. Pterosaur aviary attack, JPIII. Tyrannosaur Jeep buffet, JPI. Compys nibble a guy to death, JPII. All this damned source material in one book! I just love it. Thoroughly enjoyed this re-read and was virtually punching the air at certain points, humming the theme tune to myself.

As ever, the novel gives us a better and more thorough insight into the minds of the characters. Alan Grant is much more of a competent action man than the film gives him credit for and is by far the character followed the most throughout the narrative. We see him steering his child charges through Jurassic Park, torn between getting as much distance between them and the pointy teeth as possible, and hanging around to capitalise on the once in a lifetime opportunity to study the animals and prove his hypothesis right or wrong once and for all. I liked that he and Ellie aren't an item in the novel- always this need for Hollywood to romanticise even the most unromantic scenarios (ie dino rampage). The reader gets a better understanding of InGen creator John Hammond too- in the film he realises fairly early on that his park is a dangerous island of death and has no problem admitting that, eventually. Book Hammond is much more of a lunatic, in absolute denial until his dying breath about the threat that his life's work poses. Right through he's convinced a few tweaks and a bit more fence and everything will be business as usual, no matter what catastrophe is playing out in front of his eyes.

It might not be prose of the highest quality, but it's an incredibly enjoyable read, full of action, peril and toothsome creatures. Though the sections on the nature of chaos (as in the maths thing, not dino-based chaos) swooshed right over my head, I loved Ian Malcolm getting all technical with Hammond, him kind of relishing the told-you-so moments but wishing he was wrong at the same time. I love how drily sarcastic he is. What a dude. The Rex of the novel is so much more persistent and intelligent than its film relative, tracking and pursuing, not just popping up at the end to dish out justice to the raptors at the end.

It doesn't matter that 60% of the characters end up dead. I would totally go to that park.

Shackleton's Journey, by William Grill

I'm going to start this off by demanding more non fiction narratives. Non fiction narratives that are beautifully and whimsically illustrated. Why is this not a thing? I was so pleased to see a non fiction book with such style and character, and I can only hope it's the start of a new trend in children's publishing. (See also My Uncle's Dunkirk and Charlie's War for excellent NF with lovely illustrations)

Firstly, the book itself is a beautiful thing. A sizeable hardback with a lovely cloth spine, illustrated with cracked ice. Everything is white and blue and immediately it's conjuring dramatic seascapes encrusted with ice and frost. That cover too- is it a compass? Is it a circle-of-life type thing? Is it a game? A roulette wheel of chance? It doesn't really matter of course, but look at it! It's pure joy.

The book tells the real-life story of Ernest Shackleton and his brigade of badasses and their successful failure to cross the Antarctic Continent for the first time. Successful because nobody died. A failure because they never actually completed the mission. But mission accomplished or not, the expedition's men carved themselves out a place in history for managing to survive for 8 months on nothing but salvaged rations and their own wits, out in the frozen wasteland of Antarctica 500 miles from civilisation in steadily worsening conditions and with rapidly deteriorating odds. It's a massive testament to the strength of the human spirit, the bonds of friendship and the fraternity of scientific and geographic discovery.

It lists the crew, the cargo, the supplies, the dogs they took, the anatomy of the ship, the skills and experience of everyone on board. The book goes into minute detail about the preparation and financing of the trip, its scientific and exploration objectives and its schedule. It reads like a story, with action and suspense and the overcoming of difficulties and obstacles, solutions and triumphs, but the truth of it is never lessened. The story takes on this extra gravitas because of this.

I absolutely loved the style of Grill's illustration- informal little doodles that convey as much character and individuality to each man and dog as it's possible to get. Just a additional few scribbles and it's easy to tell the cook from the photographer and the carpenters from the navigators. It's brilliant that the other men on the expedition get to have their own moments of recognition and their own characters and unique little props. The dogs too are individually named and depicted. There's a real sense of thoroughness to this book that is just wonderful.

Grill, W. (2014) Shackleton's Journey. London, Flying Eye Books

Just look at the intensity of that weather. It's incredible what can be done with just blue, white and black. The illustrations do such a brilliant, brilliant job of depicting the isolation of the crew during this expedition. The vastness of Antarctica seems so abstract, but the neverending ice floes, the sky and the sea and ice that go on and on forever really help the reader to understand the situation and the location that Shackleton and his crew survived.

Grill, W. (2014) Shackleton's Journey. London, Flying Eye Book

I genuinely feel like I learned something from this book- I definitely have a better understanding of why Shackleton is like the patron saint of triple-hard adventure sorts. His determination and his belief in what he was doing was very inspiring and motivating. The illustrations are just joyous. It makes me happy just looking at them and I've been flicking through the book since I received it, just to revisit some of the best bits. An absolute gem. Loved it.

Itch, by Simon Mayo

I'm quite annoyed with Simon Mayo. Not only is he a successful and much loved broadcaster, has pretty good taste in music and keeps Mark Kermode from ranting himself to death...he's also an excellent writer and storyteller. How annoying is that?

Simon's debut novel, Itch is the story of 14 year old Itchingham Lofte, periodic table enthusiast and element hunter. Meaning he collects all the elements and stores them in a shoebox in his room. Yep, even the slightly radioactive and/or explosive ones. Cursed with a daft name and an overactive thirst for understanding, he inadvertently explodes himself unconscious, burns off his eyebrows and poisons his entire class within the first few chapters. He's absolutely marvellous.

When Itch is given a mysterious, colour-changing rock by his element dealer friend Cake, Itch's child-hating Chemistry teacher, the mysterious (and apparently psychotic) Dr Flowerdew is suddenly very interested in geology. Is it something completely new that no scientist has ever seen? If so, it could prove to be a new power source, changing life as we know it...every government, scientist and Energy Company is desperate for the rock's secrets. Naturally, there are some less than savoury characters too that will stop at nothing to get their hands on this power also, potentially endangering the whole world. Itch and his cousin Jack (no strong feelings for elements in any way) must use all of their knowledge, their strength and all of Itch's bag of chemistry tricks to keep themselves, their family and the world safe from the destructive power of Itch's little rock.

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough, it's fast paced, entertaining, has some really lovable characters and is actually quite educational. I'm not into chemistry. Not even slightly. Any progress down the "Elemental" thought track inevitably ends up with "WE'RE ALL JUST INSIGNIFICANT SPACE DUST ON AN IMPOSSIBLE LUMP OF ROCK THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED!!". But I found myself genuinely nodding along (almost understanding) the passion and the awe that Itch feels for his unusual hobby. It is pretty incredible when you think about it- it's the ingredients of the Universe in that backpack.

Itch is such a brilliant character. He's believable, endearingly accident prone, smart, understands his own flaws, loyal. He's a joy to read about and by the end he feels like an actual real-life friend. His sister Chloe and cousin Jack are well written too- their dialogue is realistic, they're funny, intelligent, resourceful and in it to the end no matter what. It doesn't matter that they're girls either, which is refreshing. The three have a nice dynamic and complement each other well as characters. The use of modern technology throughout- Facebook chat, email and texting, for example, gave it extra appeal and authenticity but it is not over done, and the plot didn't depend on these technologies to save the day and to get out of sticky situations, as can often happen.

It's an ideal book for crime fans, mystery fans, kids that like funny books- but it could also prove to be a gateway read for those who struggle to get into fiction. Itch isn't a big reader either- he understands, that's why he hates English and History, too much writing. But the science, the geekery and the sheer fun in this novel might just tempt them to try it. It's a perfect opportunity to send a love of science in a new direction. The book has a genuinely broad appeal and it's bound to be a modern Young Adult classic- I can't think of anybody who could ever dislike it.

Monster Odyssey: Eye of Neptune, by Jon Mayhew

Prince Dakkar, an heir to the Indian throne in an alternative 19th Century, is sent to England by his father to learn how to be a fearsome ruler and leader of people. His mentor and host, Count Oginski, a brilliant but unconventional inventor and engineer is determined that the Prince will not escape from him, as he has from every other school he has ever attended, gradually earning the Prince's trust over a period of years.

However, Dakkar is not the only person that is interested in the genius designs of his mysterious memento. When Oginski is kidnapped in the night and their housekeeper murdered, Dakkar vows to rescue to only friend he has ever had.  Commandeering his latest invention, a submersible clockwork sea-craft, Dakkar takes to the sea.  Braving gigantic sea squids, pirates, the formidable British Navy, sharks, giant, genetically modified monsters and the feisty temper of his discovered-along-the-way friend and accomplice Georgia.  Together, Dakkar and Georgia take on everything the ocean and its various inhabitants have to throw at them using the handy arsenal in their prototype submarine in their quest to rescue their brilliant mentors from the most dangerous man on land or sea.

I thought one of the particular strengths of this novel was the characterisation, which is really well developed and easy to relate to- both characters are convinced it's their mission and the other is the sidekick, which works well, both Dakkar and Georgia are not afraid to put themselves in danger and get their hands dirty- together they make quite an effective team.  They both learn a lot from each other and form a genuine bond that (thankfully) is never undermined by any sort of romantic element.    Dakkar, entitled and a bit egotistical learns the value of friendship and humility, as well as learning how to understand people and power, not just seizing it.

A really good, engaging and wonderfully old fashioned swashbuckling adventure story that is quite obviously inspired a good deal by Jules Verne.  Sea monsters, pirates, sword fights, explosions, unsavoury rogues and double (even triple) crossing.  The Eye of Neptune has an understandable, episodic narrative that sees Dakkar and Georgia stumbling pretty much from one deadly peril to another- it's definitely a page turner right up until the final showdown in an underground volcano with an evil megalomaniac intent on ruling the seas and lands of the world.

Whilst the book was enjoyable and fun, featured a really strong female character and had positive messages about doing the right thing, bravery and democracy, I can't help but have doubts about how popular it would prove with its target audience.  Though personally I found it charmingly old fashioned, I'm not sure if that would be a bit of a put-off to today's 11 year olds as the pirates or steampunk (or a combination of the two) isn't any kind of trend at the moment that I've noticed.  I hope I'm wrong though.

Zombies and Forces in Motion, by Mark Weakland

Another brilliant series from the Graphic Library Collection- I can't recommend these enough.

This series uses various monsters and phenomena to explain scientific theories, the full list is pretty impressive;

• Aliens and Energy
• Bigfoot and Adaptation
• Frankenstein's Monster and Scientific Methods
• Ghosts and Atoms
• Mummies and Sound
• Vampires and Cells
• Vampires and Light
• Werewolves and States of Matter
• Zombies and Electricity
• Zombies and Forces and Motion

Note they have correctly gone for "Frankenstein's Monster" instead of Frankenstein.  19th Century lit pet peeve right there.

There is no excuse for not revising when it's explained like this!  Hopefully I'll be able to buy the rest of the series this year, because these really are brilliant.  This particular edition uses a zombie attack to demonstrate the effect of various forces and how they might be utilised on the undead.  Having a thorough knowledge of the function and application of the forces of gravity, the first law of motion and resistance are going to be nothing but helpful in the event of a zombie invasion. 

Dangle them off planes, shoot them out of cannons, slide them around in the back of a pick-up truck. As long as you're remembering why and how these poor Zombies are being flung around in such hilarious ways, then it's all good.

It's like if Bill Nye the Science Guy got put in charge of directing an episode of the Walking Dead. Awesome, right?