Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir: Too much science, not enough fiction.

While it's cool that the scientific elements are pretty accurate to real life, most of the other elements lacked a lot for me. As a predominantly fiction-reader and a person who doesn't know much about science, this book was a bit difficult to connect with and enjoy. I have read other sci-fi books that I liked a lot, but they didn't have a heavy focus on scientific accuracy.

I wouldn't say the technical jargon made the book hard to read, because I found that I didn't need to completely understand the science to follow the plot, but for me, the plot lacked the level of emotion and character development that I hoped for. I also wished there was a bit more of a philosophical element because the plot had plenty of potential for that sort of thing.

Instead of philosophy and character introspection, much of the plot and main character hinges on humor. Unfortunately, the style of humor did not click with me at all. It was a bit of a turn-off. I didn't find the main character very likeable either. To be frank, I found myself not caring about whether or not he survives. I think his survival is the whole point of the book, so that was a big problem for me.

On the bright side, this was mostly fast-paced, so I was able to get through it quickly regardless of how I felt about the plot and characters! I'm not a fan of slow paced books so this is a huge plus for me.

Overall, I'd say this was not for me, but I can see why people like it. I would recommend it to people who are very interested in science and space and people who like dry/sarcastic humor.

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orion_schuldt's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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epeolatrist's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Incredible… I read this for extra credit but I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I am NOT a science person, and not particularly interested in space either, but it wasn’t too complex to understand. It was downright hilarious and an overall incredible story.

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shlymiller's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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carlafiorenzo's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-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? No

4.25

a fantastic book, and a 5/5 for entertainment nd suspense, however, i wish there was more of an ending to this novel to round it out

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minttruffle's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bri__'s review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This was really really good. I loved the writing style, it was really engaging and kept me invested in the story. The layout of the chapters and the difference in perspectives made it feel so much faster and made it more interesting to read. I liked the characters, particularly the main one, Mark. The way he's written just made me want to root for him and his survival. The only reason why this book isn't 5 stars for me is because I found myself realising that I hadn't comprehended anything that I had read when it got really technical, particularly when explaining the mathematics or technology. With that being said, this is definitely a book I would recommend for someone that is into sci-fi, survival, space and STEM. And even if you aren't into these specific things, I would still recommend this book.

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apfelstrudelig's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing tense medium-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

3.75

Fun book! Not a particularly difficult read. Lovely characters. Some tense moments and unexpected turns.

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