Guys. GUYS. This book.
Seriously, this fucking book.
One of my beta readers mentioned that the first half of The Ancillary reminded them of The Martian. So I requested it for my birthday from my wife, and being the fellow book-lover that she is, she obliged. I opened the book while we were sitting in the Richmond airport, getting ready to fly to Las Vegas for vacation.
I didn't put the book down until we landed in Vegas. Then I read more in the cab ride to the hotel. I grudgingly put it down while we went to eat and gamble... but I woke up the next morning at 6:00am and finished it while drinking my morning coffee.
Yeah, that's how good this book was.
The Martian, by Andy Weir, is the story of Mark Watney, a botanist stranded on Mars after his crewmates mistakenly leave him for dead. He's forced to use what little resources are at his command to survive until they return, several years later.
The book is a combination of Kerbal Space Program (the game), Robinson Crusoe, and Apollo 13. Problems, hastily-made solutions, and then new problems. Mark is an extremely likeable character, with a dry, sarcastic humor that thrives in his particular crisis. You love this guy from page one, rooting for him to survive each new hurdle.
The second half of the book probably isn't as good as the first, but that's a minor complaint. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Read this book. Seriously.