The Egg
Andy Weir, science fiction novelist, in a photo he posted to Reddit in 2016 just before hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread.
For as long as he could remember, Andy Weir loved science. His dad was a physicist and his mom was an electrical engineer. Andy studied computer science at the University of California, San Diego.
Andy loved writing too. Especially science fiction. In 2000, when Andy was 28, he wrote a novel called Theft of Pride. But he couldn’t get it published.
That didn’t stop him though. For nine years, he posted short stories on his website. And in 2009, when Andy was 37, he started writing another novel.
This story was about an American astronaut who gets stuck on Mars, and Andy wanted it to be as scientifically accurate as possible. He did extensive research on orbital mechanics, Martian atmosphere, and botany.
He didn’t try to get this one published though. It didn’t happen for his first novel, and that experience was still too raw. In 2011, when Andy was 39, he put it up on his website for free.
And readers liked it.
Some requested he make it available on Amazon Kindle, so it would be easier to read. Andy obliged, and he self-published it. He sold the e-book on Kindle for $0.99.
When his $0.99 self-published e-book made the Kindle bestseller list, a literary agent called Andy and helped him sell the rights to The Martian to Crown Publishing Group. In 2011, when Andy was 43, his first published novel debuted at #12 on the New York Times bestseller list. Then Hollywood called, and Ridley Scott directed the film adaptation starring Matt Damon.
The Martian sold over 3 million copies and grossed over $630M at the box office.
His second novel did well.
But despite the commercial success of The Martian, some say Andy’s greatest piece of writing is a deeper track. A short 2-minute, one thousand word story he posted to his website around the time he started writing The Martian.
A short story that doesn’t reference science at all.
The Egg
by Andy Weir
You were on your way home when you died.
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.
And that’s when you met me.
“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”
“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”
“Yup,” I said.
“I… I died?”
“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”
“More or less,” I said.
“Are you god?” You asked.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”
