I can't think of many things that are sadder (well, not important things) than reading a book for book club, and then finding out that you are the only one to read it. I truly enjoyed this book, and I was super excited to discuss it with my fellow bibliophiles. Nope. I gave them a quick rundown of the book (which is never easy, which is why you HAVE TO READ IT). Then we all went on our way after eating the egg white frittatas with siracha sauce. So, bear with me as I let out my pent up need to discuss the book.
I loved it. There were some very confusing parts with all the different people, unique settings, and complex story line, but that's what made it so good. I vehemently dislike the "Such and such" book meets "Such and such" book. So I will reword it as saying that it was a fantastic melting pot of Hunger Games, Red Queen, and the episode of Star Gate Season 4, episode 10, "Beneath the Surface". Don't mock until you've seen it. Anyway, the character development of Darrow is, in my opinion, really amazing. He goes from a proud Hell Diver, to a broken hearted widower, to a revengeful Red, and finally, he becomes angry and confused. I'll admit, I tried to keep track of all the characters, but in the end, I just let the story take me to where I needed to go and just went with it. Seemed to work ok. I was intrigued the entire way through the book, even to the end.
If I had the time, I would or will read the rest, as it definitely didn't finish the final ending. But I was content with the story and highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Andy Weir (although there wasn't as much humor as Mr. Weir tends to put in his books).