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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
What fun! I now completely understand the hype about this a decade ago. The beginning and the end were my favorites; the middle, during which contact was lost, dragged a bit.
Even knowing the ending didn't make it boring at any point, was really entertaining and a great read.
There were only a few wonky sentences at times (translators have a bad day too I guess) and a few word choices I hate that I encounter in other books as well though, so I'm not specifically holding it against this one.
There were only a few wonky sentences at times (translators have a bad day too I guess) and a few word choices I hate that I encounter in other books as well though, so I'm not specifically holding it against this one.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have seen the movie more times than I can count (it's not a favourite movie per se, but it is one of many I like to stick on in the background when doing something else, like knitting) and I wasn't really planning on reading the book, because the movie is what, two hours long? and it's fine as is. I decided to read it anyway because it showed up as an option in the goodreads centennial challenge this month and it was available to me and there was nothing else on the list I wanted to read I hadn't already read, and I'm a completionist, etc. etc.
anyway. I read the book. I liked it - I already liked the movie and knew it was very close to the book in spirit, so I thought I probably would like it. It was very science heavy, but I don't mind science heavy. I've read and watched enough space stuff (documentaries and so on) that I wasn't thrown off by the science stuff, and to the best of my knowledge it's fairly accurate too. (except the bit about Mars storms. Mars doesn't have enough atmosphere for a storm to do the kind of damage as happened on Sol 6, but I'll allow it, for creative license.)
some of the humour came across a bit...juvenile and crass to me, and there were a few instances of humour and character descriptions I'd describe as 'annoying straight guy' - toeing the line between sexist and frat boy. for instance the introduction of Mindy Park, who as the only character up to that point got a physical description *and* was portrayed as weirdly timid and insecure. (good to see her self confidence grow over the course of the book, even though her appearances were few.) towards the end of the book I was dreading the "epilogue", the bit in the movie where Mark Watney is back on earth doing lectures, because I hate that part of the movie - it's tonally off and feels oddly tacked on - so I was very relieved to find that wasn't in the book at all. the book ends with Mark back on Hermes. I did otherwise feel that the movie did improve on the pacing of the book a bit. that whole bit with the rovers tipping over going down the Schiaparelli crater wasn't really necessary, though I also can't say I really minded it. just, at that point, I was starting to get tired of all the ways in which things were going wrong (and how often).
on the whole the book was engaging and I couldn't put it down (didn't really want to put it down). It does read as a debut novel - I can see the rough edges and future potential. I am planning on reading Andy Weir's other books - Project Hail Mary has been on my TBR for what feels like ages - so I'm glad I did end up reading this as I suspect his subsequent books are probably going to read a bit better than this one did.
anyway. I read the book. I liked it - I already liked the movie and knew it was very close to the book in spirit, so I thought I probably would like it. It was very science heavy, but I don't mind science heavy. I've read and watched enough space stuff (documentaries and so on) that I wasn't thrown off by the science stuff, and to the best of my knowledge it's fairly accurate too. (except the bit about Mars storms. Mars doesn't have enough atmosphere for a storm to do the kind of damage as happened on Sol 6, but I'll allow it, for creative license.)
some of the humour came across a bit...juvenile and crass to me, and there were a few instances of humour and character descriptions I'd describe as 'annoying straight guy' - toeing the line between sexist and frat boy. for instance the introduction of Mindy Park, who as the only character up to that point got a physical description *and* was portrayed as weirdly timid and insecure. (good to see her self confidence grow over the course of the book, even though her appearances were few.) towards the end of the book I was dreading the "epilogue", the bit in the movie where Mark Watney is back on earth doing lectures, because I hate that part of the movie - it's tonally off and feels oddly tacked on - so I was very relieved to find that wasn't in the book at all. the book ends with Mark back on Hermes. I did otherwise feel that the movie did improve on the pacing of the book a bit. that whole bit with the rovers tipping over going down the Schiaparelli crater wasn't really necessary, though I also can't say I really minded it. just, at that point, I was starting to get tired of all the ways in which things were going wrong (and how often).
on the whole the book was engaging and I couldn't put it down (didn't really want to put it down). It does read as a debut novel - I can see the rough edges and future potential. I am planning on reading Andy Weir's other books - Project Hail Mary has been on my TBR for what feels like ages - so I'm glad I did end up reading this as I suspect his subsequent books are probably going to read a bit better than this one did.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Ok, I've seen the movie a long time ago, and I'd heard the book was good. And I was not disappointed! This was really good! I liked the pace of the book, it was easy enough to follow along. If things got too technical, or I forgot a term introduced earlier on, it didn't matter and I was able to keep up. The book follows a few different POVs and the author seemed to know when it was a good time to switch up the POVs. It was also rather lighthearted for the type of book this is and the things the characters go through. I read a lot of dark themed or toned books, so it wouldn't have been a problem for me if it had also been a little depressing at times, but I loved the lighthearted tone of this book and I think the author dit it well. Bonus - it was actually funny. I'm usually disappointed with books that are marketed or recommended as funny. I even DNF'ed a few because the humor felt contrived and forced. But this felt naturally done, and I found myself laughing while reading a few times.
It was also greatly refreshing to read a book where romance and sexuality don't play a part for once (there is a mention or two of characters liking each other but it's so far in the background, you can ignore it if you are like me and are absolutely tired of trying to find books without any romance that also aren't marketed/tagged as lgbtq+ just to have something ace friendly. Like, sometimes it's fine and what I'm looking for, but sometimes I don't want to care about a character's sexuality or their interest in people, it wasn't even relevant, why is it there, why does it always have to matter, it didn't really even fit in whatever is going on in this book, why, why, why!....anyway rant over!) For once I wasn't looking for a book without romance, and actually found one by surprise that's actually ace-friendly without necessarily having ace characters or forcing it, and is also amazing regardless of a reader's personal preference in this. Win-win.
5 stars, because I have very few, if any, criticisms. I would absolutely recommend this to pretty much everyone, and I'm sure I will re-read this in the future.
It was also greatly refreshing to read a book where romance and sexuality don't play a part for once (there is a mention or two of characters liking each other but it's so far in the background, you can ignore it if you are like me and are absolutely tired of trying to find books without any romance that also aren't marketed/tagged as lgbtq+ just to have something ace friendly. Like, sometimes it's fine and what I'm looking for, but sometimes I don't want to care about a character's sexuality or their interest in people, it wasn't even relevant, why is it there, why does it always have to matter, it didn't really even fit in whatever is going on in this book, why, why, why!....anyway rant over!) For once I wasn't looking for a book without romance, and actually found one by surprise that's actually ace-friendly without necessarily having ace characters or forcing it, and is also amazing regardless of a reader's personal preference in this. Win-win.
5 stars, because I have very few, if any, criticisms. I would absolutely recommend this to pretty much everyone, and I'm sure I will re-read this in the future.
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