How many words are in The Martian?

by Andy Weir · 2011 · Science Fiction

104,588
Word count
7 hr 19 min
Reading time
419
Est. pages
2011
Published

The Martian by Andy Weir is approximately 104,588 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 7 hr 19 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 2011, it sits in the Science Fiction category.

Typical science fiction novels run 90,000125,000 words, with a sweet spot around 100,000–115,000. At 104,588 words, The Martian sits comfortably within the standard range for the genre.

Source: Reedsy word count database; Crown Publishing edition · referenceVerified 2026-06-19

Science Fiction novels of similar length

TitleAuthorWord count
Ender's GameOrson Scott Card100,609
1984George Orwell88,942
The Left Hand of DarknessUrsula K. Le Guin85,592
NeuromancerWilliam Gibson79,000
FrankensteinMary Shelley74,861
Ready Player OneErnest Cline136,505