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mattze's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books that I have read for a while. A good plot combined with a sympathic main character made me look forward to the next chapters. I enjoyed reading the book until the last page.
crickedcactus's review against another edition
5.0
This was suuuch a good book,it had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. I laughed,I gasped,I cried. Go read it now if you haven't yet
aceinit's review against another edition
5.0
This is the most fun, enjoyable, and ultimately wholesome thing I've read in ages.
anaismt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
erileyu's review against another edition
Preface: I’m very bad at science and I have no idea how much suspension of disbelief this book required so take my review with a grain of salt.
Even though climate change and space travel are two of my most primal fears and media related to it is too anxiety inducing for me to justify consuming, this was undeniably hopeful and weirdly cozy? I loved the optimistic and cooperative attitude of the main characters and found it a refreshing take on what would in other forms of media be a horror scenario full of suspicion and tension. Instead, we experience the wonders of science and space through the perspective of cross-species mega-nerds. It can be summed up with a short sentence from the last chapter when Grace was speculating about whether or not humans cooperated during their nightmarish apocalypse scenario.
“I bet they did work together.”
Which is a lovely and simple summary of Andy Weir’s view of humanity, supported by his breadth of knowledge about human history.
I also loved this particular interaction where a hermaphroditic engineer with overwhelming maternal energy and an almost implausible instinct to befriend potentially dangerous alien life calls himself a “scary space monster.”
He bounces and skitters down his tube to the lab. "Why humans need water so much, question? Inefficient life-forms!"
I chug a full liter bag of water l'd left in the control room. I wipe my mouth and let the bag float off. I push off the wall to float down the tunnel to the lab.
"Eridians need water, too, you know."
“We keep inside. Closed system. Some inefficiencies inside, but we get all water we need from food. Humans leak! Gross."
I laugh as I float into the lab where Rocky is waiting. "On Earth, we have a scary, deadly creature called a spider. You look like one of those. Just so you know."
"Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob." He points to the breeder tanks. "Check tanks!"
(I wonder when the translation for the word ‘blob’ came up)
Also, in the beginning we think that Rocky wants to observe Grace sleep because he doesn’t want to miss a potentially interesting scientific discovery. But we soon find out that Rocky just wants to extend a pretty intimate cultural gesture to a life form he just met, just because sleeping is vulnerable and he knows what it’s like to sleep alone in space. Which implies that empathy is evolutionarily relevant enough not only to have evolved twice, separately, but to have evolved especially strong in its most intelligent members of the species. I think that’s very cute.
Even though climate change and space travel are two of my most primal fears and media related to it is too anxiety inducing for me to justify consuming, this was undeniably hopeful and weirdly cozy? I loved the optimistic and cooperative attitude of the main characters and found it a refreshing take on what would in other forms of media be a horror scenario full of suspicion and tension. Instead, we experience the wonders of science and space through the perspective of cross-species mega-nerds. It can be summed up with a short sentence from the last chapter when Grace was speculating about whether or not humans cooperated during their nightmarish apocalypse scenario.
“I bet they did work together.”
Which is a lovely and simple summary of Andy Weir’s view of humanity, supported by his breadth of knowledge about human history.
I also loved this particular interaction where a hermaphroditic engineer with overwhelming maternal energy and an almost implausible instinct to befriend potentially dangerous alien life calls himself a “scary space monster.”
He bounces and skitters down his tube to the lab. "Why humans need water so much, question? Inefficient life-forms!"
I chug a full liter bag of water l'd left in the control room. I wipe my mouth and let the bag float off. I push off the wall to float down the tunnel to the lab.
"Eridians need water, too, you know."
“We keep inside. Closed system. Some inefficiencies inside, but we get all water we need from food. Humans leak! Gross."
I laugh as I float into the lab where Rocky is waiting. "On Earth, we have a scary, deadly creature called a spider. You look like one of those. Just so you know."
"Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob." He points to the breeder tanks. "Check tanks!"
(I wonder when the translation for the word ‘blob’ came up)
Also, in the beginning we think that Rocky wants to observe Grace sleep because he doesn’t want to miss a potentially interesting scientific discovery. But we soon find out that Rocky just wants to extend a pretty intimate cultural gesture to a life form he just met, just because sleeping is vulnerable and he knows what it’s like to sleep alone in space. Which implies that empathy is evolutionarily relevant enough not only to have evolved twice, separately, but to have evolved especially strong in its most intelligent members of the species. I think that’s very cute.
teganelena13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
grimby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
blogthatbook's review against another edition
5.0
There were tears. Brave manly tears, but still, yeah, tears.
If this book had been described to me in its simplest terms, a science-based project to save our dying sun, I'd have quickly said, 'Hard SciFi? No thanks. That's not for me.' Thank gods I listened to the hype. And thank those same gods for free Kindle samples! I read the first chapter of the sample and was utterly hooked. I was right there with the main character, completely bewildered and desperate to find out more.
The choice to make the lead character, Ryland Grace, a school teacher was sheer genius. Making him the middle man between ordinary intelligence and super intelligence gave the exact amount of scope to believe he could be as afraid and lost as he is, and also able to fathom complex answers when needed the way he does. Grace is one of the most engaging characters I've found in a book for a very long time.
The supporting characters were also a perfect mix, and the exchanges between them were fantastically entertaining, shocking and awkward.
The split narrative storytelling was a joy. Flashbacks occur as Grace's memories return in conjunction with current experiences. This is the only way this book could work and I loved it. The earthside flashbacks build interest and engagement just as much as the outer space story and each narrative had me eager to get back to the other in turn, urging me on through page after wonderful page.
Ok, let's get to it. The science. If you think the science in this story spoils the enjoyment then, I'm sorry, you're wrong. If you have a problem with the scientific conundrums and problems then I would suggest that's because you'd made up your mind to have a problem with it even before you got to it. Instead of skimming over it and grumbling, try actually reading what Weir has taken the time to put on the page for you. It's been written in a way that's pretty easy to understand, and if I can understand this stuff then anyone can, and it enhances the tension of exactly what's happening. So don't winge about it, read it.
Do I have anything negative to say? No, not really. If you really want me to nitpick I could say that Ryland Grace's avoidance of profanity was pretty unbelievable. But in all honesty, I actually found it quite charming. In a world where the profanity count in entertainment is a one-upmanship competition, I applaud anyone who refuses to toe that line.
This is an incredibly entertaining book, you really do need to read it.
If this book had been described to me in its simplest terms, a science-based project to save our dying sun, I'd have quickly said, 'Hard SciFi? No thanks. That's not for me.' Thank gods I listened to the hype. And thank those same gods for free Kindle samples! I read the first chapter of the sample and was utterly hooked. I was right there with the main character, completely bewildered and desperate to find out more.
The choice to make the lead character, Ryland Grace, a school teacher was sheer genius. Making him the middle man between ordinary intelligence and super intelligence gave the exact amount of scope to believe he could be as afraid and lost as he is, and also able to fathom complex answers when needed the way he does. Grace is one of the most engaging characters I've found in a book for a very long time.
The supporting characters were also a perfect mix, and the exchanges between them were fantastically entertaining, shocking and awkward.
The split narrative storytelling was a joy. Flashbacks occur as Grace's memories return in conjunction with current experiences. This is the only way this book could work and I loved it. The earthside flashbacks build interest and engagement just as much as the outer space story and each narrative had me eager to get back to the other in turn, urging me on through page after wonderful page.
Ok, let's get to it. The science. If you think the science in this story spoils the enjoyment then, I'm sorry, you're wrong. If you have a problem with the scientific conundrums and problems then I would suggest that's because you'd made up your mind to have a problem with it even before you got to it. Instead of skimming over it and grumbling, try actually reading what Weir has taken the time to put on the page for you. It's been written in a way that's pretty easy to understand, and if I can understand this stuff then anyone can, and it enhances the tension of exactly what's happening. So don't winge about it, read it.
Do I have anything negative to say? No, not really. If you really want me to nitpick I could say that Ryland Grace's avoidance of profanity was pretty unbelievable. But in all honesty, I actually found it quite charming. In a world where the profanity count in entertainment is a one-upmanship competition, I applaud anyone who refuses to toe that line.
This is an incredibly entertaining book, you really do need to read it.
warmmbunns's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0