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A review by andra_mihaela_s
Marțianul by Andy Weir
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
From me, The Martian gets 3.5 stars!
This is a famous standalone sci-fi book by the acclaimed Andy Weir in which we follow Mark Watney as he struggles to survive on Mars after being left there by the Ares 3 crew.
I'm sure that everyone and their mother knows the plot of this book and / or have watched the movie.( I didn't)
CW: starvation, constant talk of iminent death by various means, extreme isolation, the vastness of the universe ( for those like me who absolutely fear deep space)
I was deeply disappointed in this book🥲..it's not a bad one by any means or poorly written...it just kept me at a distance from our protagonist. Mark is really unlikable for me...and judging by the way he's written in comparison to other characters...that's what the author went for.
This simple matter of not caring about the MC, let the atmosphere of Mars and the stakes to be really meh for me. 😕Thank God for the balance offered by the people on earth / the Ares 3 crew. 😅
My favorite character was Venkat Kapoor..the responsible for the mission...he really felt invested, frustrated, angry and always worried about Mark and the fate of this mission...from the way in which he is portrayed...I feel the author wanted to highlight him as a potential second MC...don't know if this is only in my head...but that's what I believe .🤷♀️..I really enjoyed seeing him interact with everyone ( especially with Mindy) and I was really frustrated with Mark when he decided to do things 'his own way'. ( I know it makes sense when he proves capable to survive but I don't think all that sass and complaining of perfectly reasonable suggestions was necessary 👀)
Next we have Mitch...the guy responsible for the crew...he didn't impress me much but he was clearly defined and sometimes I even agreed with him.
From the crew...maybe Lewis?...🤷♀️...and only because the book tricked me into believing she and Mark would have a special connection with all that talk of her TV show and music tastes...to all be in vain when we find out a pretty important thing about her...😤...
Plot : I don't think this was bad by any means...as I said...I deeply enjoyed what happened with the people on earth and the crew!🧐 my issue was Mark's narrative. He has hurdles to surpass and stuff to figure out but most of them are resolved after only a night's rest 🤯🫠...I'm sorry what?😕...my friend..I know you are one of the few people chosen for this very difficult mission...but I cannot understand how he knows everything and how on earth he's sooo lucky to always get away with basically no consequences ( I'm deeply upset that the long-awaited big thing of this book..the journey to Ares 4 site...and that storm...were so easy...😅 I mean...what happened to giant storms covering the whole planet?? Or things like....actually losing acces or sustaining damage to things during a journey like that???🤯). I feel that if the author decided earlier to not give sooo much thought about everything.. This glaring issue of mine would not have existed 🤷♀️... And don't get me started on Mark being in outer space after sustaining 12G and basically waltzing out of the VAM like that...
Anyway....overall I think this must work better as a movie where the actor can portray Mark as a more approachable person. The final part with all the convenient stuff, our MC and the fact that for a book on Mars I wanted to see the people on earth...I feel 3.5 ⭐ is adequate.
This is a famous standalone sci-fi book by the acclaimed Andy Weir in which we follow Mark Watney as he struggles to survive on Mars after being left there by the Ares 3 crew.
I'm sure that everyone and their mother knows the plot of this book and / or have watched the movie.( I didn't)
CW: starvation, constant talk of iminent death by various means, extreme isolation, the vastness of the universe ( for those like me who absolutely fear deep space)
I was deeply disappointed in this book🥲..it's not a bad one by any means or poorly written...it just kept me at a distance from our protagonist. Mark is really unlikable for me...and judging by the way he's written in comparison to other characters...that's what the author went for.
This simple matter of not caring about the MC, let the atmosphere of Mars and the stakes to be really meh for me. 😕Thank God for the balance offered by the people on earth / the Ares 3 crew. 😅
My favorite character was Venkat Kapoor..the responsible for the mission...he really felt invested, frustrated, angry and always worried about Mark and the fate of this mission...from the way in which he is portrayed...I feel the author wanted to highlight him as a potential second MC...don't know if this is only in my head...but that's what I believe .🤷♀️..I really enjoyed seeing him interact with everyone ( especially with Mindy) and I was really frustrated with Mark when he decided to do things 'his own way'. ( I know it makes sense when he proves capable to survive but I don't think all that sass and complaining of perfectly reasonable suggestions was necessary 👀)
Next we have Mitch...the guy responsible for the crew...he didn't impress me much but he was clearly defined and sometimes I even agreed with him.
From the crew...maybe Lewis?...🤷♀️...and only because the book tricked me into believing she and Mark would have a special connection with all that talk of her TV show and music tastes...to all be in vain when we find out a pretty important thing about her...😤...
Plot : I don't think this was bad by any means...as I said...I deeply enjoyed what happened with the people on earth and the crew!🧐 my issue was Mark's narrative. He has hurdles to surpass and stuff to figure out but most of them are resolved after only a night's rest 🤯🫠...I'm sorry what?😕...my friend..I know you are one of the few people chosen for this very difficult mission...but I cannot understand how he knows everything and how on earth he's sooo lucky to always get away with basically no consequences ( I'm deeply upset that the long-awaited big thing of this book..the journey to Ares 4 site...and that storm...were so easy...😅 I mean...what happened to giant storms covering the whole planet?? Or things like....actually losing acces or sustaining damage to things during a journey like that???🤯). I feel that if the author decided earlier to not give sooo much thought about everything.. This glaring issue of mine would not have existed 🤷♀️... And don't get me started on Mark being in outer space after sustaining 12G and basically waltzing out of the VAM like that...
Anyway....overall I think this must work better as a movie where the actor can portray Mark as a more approachable person. The final part with all the convenient stuff, our MC and the fact that for a book on Mars I wanted to see the people on earth...I feel 3.5 ⭐ is adequate.