Reviews

The Martian by Andy Weir

laurasauras's review against another edition

5.0

The Martian is a very clever, very funny sci-fi drama that tells the story of an astronaut accidentally abandoned on Mars through his sarcastic yet informative log entries and from the perspective of a few key members of mission control back on Earth. Mark was selected to be a part of the queue partly because of his intelligence and capability, but a large part of it is because he is so easy to get along with and has a great sense of humour, even in the face of danger. He's the kind of person that you would choose to be trapped on a spaceship with 5 other people for 100s of days.

I call his humour sarcastic, and it almost certainly is, but it doesn't have the "shut-down" affect most sarcasm does. He cracks a joke, but he keeps working, and it keeps the mood high.

I love sci-fi, and I love when it is intelligent and funny, but this truly stands out as a highlight of the genre. It's believable whilst still being extraordinary and inspiring without being sappy.

nicobulga's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.0

paulinedoan's review against another edition

so much math, so little fucks given

maniikoi's review against another edition

5.0

Simply put, this book was AMAZING! The blurb caught my attention, and I'm so glad that it did! I have always been fascinated by space, and the story of Mark Watney being stranded on Mars after his crew thought him dead was riveting. I couldn't put this book down!

mathematicalcoffee's review against another edition

5.0

Audiobook. Great, as always. The narrator does a great job

puff_'s review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

joepie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 Damn. Echt een van mn favoriete boeken. Wilde m niet wegleggen en wilde niet dat het boek eindigde :'(. Ook in 3 dagen uitgelezen lol 

chsahit's review against another edition

4.0

Could not put this book down! I think I liked book-Mark-Watney slightly more than I liked movie-Matt-Damon. The NASA side of the story also had a lot more breathing room in the book as compared to the movie. As is the case with the other Andy Weir book I've read, my eyes do tend to glaze over whenever we get into the math of rationing supplies/resources - but there's still plenty of entertainment value and interesting technical nuggets when I did feel like biting into them. I don't think I can recall a man vs nature conflict I've read that was as well executed as this one in a long time.

(I will give the movie kudos for letting us see Watney back on earth, it felt like the book ended kind of abruptly)

leggup's review against another edition

4.0

A very suspenseful story with a highly likable protagonist. The only reason I took away a star is that it got a little to... "let me prove I have an engineering background." I started skimming on a few of the more math-driven paragraphs because I didn't really need to work it out WITH the protagonist (or NASA).

There were also a few god-devices because our science really isn't close to being able to complete such a mission. Example- radiation bag. That made me chuckle a little. Also the dust storm annoyed me immensely. There's really no residue left over? The solar panels would have had some, at least.

The ending paragraphs were very clearly written in a pre-COVID world.

staceyjl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0