Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh, I loved this so so much! I mean, it's science but fun science, with a terribly 'regular'/common guy/human crossover between Jack O'Neill's terrible humor and MacGyver's extra smart common sense.
The book felt a bit condescending at the beginning, because the author needs to explain a lot of science stuff and sometimes it feels like it's obvious stuff that everyone knows so it feels like the author is kind of mocking you, but obviously you can't be sure that everyone actually knows all the basics (like, what if it's a kid reading?).
But even the moment of info dumps are turned with humor and sometimes even ridicule
(Quotes:
"I used a sophisticated method to remove sections of plastic (hammer), then carefully removed the solid foam insulation (hammer again)."
"Each crewman had their own laptop. So I have six at my disposal. Rather, I had six. I now have five. I thought a laptop would be fine outside. It’s just electronics, right? It’ll keep warm enough to operate in the short term, and it doesn’t need air for anything. It died instantly. The screen went black before I was out of the airlock. Turns out the “L” in “LCD” stands for “Liquid.” I guess it either froze or boiled off. Maybe I’ll post a consumer review. “Brought product to surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/ 10.” "
"I unraveled Martinez’s bed and took the string outside, then taped it to the trailer hull along the path I planned to cut. Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped."
Seriously, I re-read some bit while getting those highlights (I've made so many of them. And the status updates. Way too much stuff I loved/needed to save) I'd made in my Kindle file and here I am again, snickering like a moron in front of my screen xD )
And for a story which is about a guy lost all by itself on a far away planet, the level of angst is surprisingly low, which is a very nice change. Loved the humor and the stupid references and comparisons ♥
The Martian is a riveting story of survival, the power of hope, and the indomitable potential of the human spirit. Andy Weir invests a lot in bringing scientific realism and authenticity to the plot and storytelling. The writing style combines astronaut-style mission logs from the main protagonist’s point of view, paired with third-person narrators back on Earth and the crew on the Aries 3 as they tackle the enormous task of mounting a rescue mission on the Red Planet.
It’s light-hearted and charming, using ingenious humour that brings relief to the deadly aspects of battle survival, thanks to the personality of the protagonist, Mark Watney. His superpower is his personality – he’s cheery, optimistic, and blessed with a good sense of humour. Every time Mars knocks him down, he comes back fighting with brains, science, and humour. He’s a masterpiece of hope and resilience who tangos with death, never giving up in the battle to get home.
I’ve laughed, cried, and giggled uncontrollably through this captivating book. I’m glad to finally know what Mark Watney typed to upset the President, NASA, and the world that is left to the imagination in the movie. I don’t usually read such hard-core SCI-FI novels – I’m usually devouring alien romances by Ruby Dixon – I’ll be adding more Andy Weir to my TBR in the future.
It’s light-hearted and charming, using ingenious humour that brings relief to the deadly aspects of battle survival, thanks to the personality of the protagonist, Mark Watney. His superpower is his personality – he’s cheery, optimistic, and blessed with a good sense of humour. Every time Mars knocks him down, he comes back fighting with brains, science, and humour. He’s a masterpiece of hope and resilience who tangos with death, never giving up in the battle to get home.
I’ve laughed, cried, and giggled uncontrollably through this captivating book. I’m glad to finally know what Mark Watney typed to upset the President, NASA, and the world that is left to the imagination in the movie. I don’t usually read such hard-core SCI-FI novels – I’m usually devouring alien romances by Ruby Dixon – I’ll be adding more Andy Weir to my TBR in the future.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Still not the biggest fan of the writing style of Weir, but this was still a enjoyable story.
AWESOME! A different take on science writing for sure, as it's mostly a smart-ass botanist's diary. But absolutely exciting, completely hilarious, and chock full of nerdery and science.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated