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quadrille 's review for:
The Martian
by Andy Weir
So I have this thing about hyped books. I end up with an innate reluctance to read them, because I have a grumpy hipster instinct in my head going "well I won't like it as much as everyone else did!" -- I'm fully aware how dumb this kneejerk reaction is, which is why I always go read the thing anyway and predictably end up loving it. Yet I also have this thing about reading books before I watch their movie adaptations, which is what finally tipped my decision to read The Martian.
I still went in relatively blind, though, so I think that lack of expectation served me well: I had no idea what to expect beyond math and potatoes. So I was more than okay with the fact that the book's focus/priority isn't on gritty psychological study, nor intricate plot, nor a plethora of interpersonal relationships. Instead, it's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, pragmatic survival, adventure, human ingenuity, science, math, a love letter to NASA, and a clear-cut line from A-Z: survive, get rescued. It's all about how Mark Watney gets there, the various disasters that get thrown in his path, and how he (and Earth) surmount them.
I'm amazed at the science that went into this book -- I have no clue how accurate it is, but hey, it seems legit! Plus I pretty much love NASA and everything to do with astronauts, resourceful and noble and self-sacrificing as they are (they are the best of us, I'm seriously goggle-eyed at them sometimes #hadfieldstan).
Some of the complaints I'd heard about this book was that it was too dry and had too much math, etc. But I barely even noticed, because it was described in a relatable, approachable manner, and Watney's voice was so warm and funny and likeable that I just enjoyed reading his task log of what he was up to. His humour and attitude were the main of what propelled me along. And whenever the calculations got going, I could easily skim. I found it a really fast, fun, streamlined read, with not a lot of depth; it's even cheesy-dramatic at times, so all-in-all it felt really commercial and obviously meant to be a movie. Which meant it was tons of fun!
And even despite that lack of depth (in which it was definitely hard sci fi, all about the science and logistics), something about it still synced right up for me. I got verklempt and teary so many times, mostly at anything to do with the crew; you barely know anything about them, they're little more than cardboard cut-outs, and yet they were also the emotional heart of the book and made me cry in public spaces. THEY WERE THE BEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM. O, my heart.
The people back on Earth were also great; one of my favourite asides was the scene with the Chinese space agency. That dramatic tension between Earth vs. Mars, and even between Watney's day-to-day log entries (often played up for comedic effect), increases the enjoyment factor as well.
It's weird though, because I can't even describe why this book worked so well for me. Was the prose beautiful? Nah. Were the characterisations deep? Nah.
But something just gets me about human sacrifice and altruism. Despite the dire circumstances, it's an innately hopeful & optimistic book.
Plus, I just love reading the details of survival. This was like Don't Starve: Mars Edition (DS is one of my favourite games), plus I grew up on books like My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, and Hatchet, and played an ancient survival computer game in the 90s in which you play a caveman and have to craft your own hatchet and survive... which really just presaged games like Rust and ARK. So I find the notion of space survival even more interesting.
Totally going to go see the movie in 3D IMAX now.
Also, this is the third Mars-set book I've read this year (others being Red Rising and A Princess of Mars); THIS IS THE YEAR OF MARS, Y'ALL.
A few favourite quotes below, although I stopped transcribing my highlighted quotes after a while because it's such a pain to type up:
I still went in relatively blind, though, so I think that lack of expectation served me well: I had no idea what to expect beyond math and potatoes. So I was more than okay with the fact that the book's focus/priority isn't on gritty psychological study, nor intricate plot, nor a plethora of interpersonal relationships. Instead, it's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, pragmatic survival, adventure, human ingenuity, science, math, a love letter to NASA, and a clear-cut line from A-Z: survive, get rescued. It's all about how Mark Watney gets there, the various disasters that get thrown in his path, and how he (and Earth) surmount them.
I'm amazed at the science that went into this book -- I have no clue how accurate it is, but hey, it seems legit! Plus I pretty much love NASA and everything to do with astronauts, resourceful and noble and self-sacrificing as they are (they are the best of us, I'm seriously goggle-eyed at them sometimes #hadfieldstan).
Some of the complaints I'd heard about this book was that it was too dry and had too much math, etc. But I barely even noticed, because it was described in a relatable, approachable manner, and Watney's voice was so warm and funny and likeable that I just enjoyed reading his task log of what he was up to. His humour and attitude were the main of what propelled me along. And whenever the calculations got going, I could easily skim. I found it a really fast, fun, streamlined read, with not a lot of depth; it's even cheesy-dramatic at times, so all-in-all it felt really commercial and obviously meant to be a movie. Which meant it was tons of fun!
And even despite that lack of depth (in which it was definitely hard sci fi, all about the science and logistics), something about it still synced right up for me. I got verklempt and teary so many times, mostly at anything to do with the crew; you barely know anything about them, they're little more than cardboard cut-outs, and yet they were also the emotional heart of the book and made me cry in public spaces. THEY WERE THE BEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM.
Spoiler
Lewis' guilt and levelheadedness! The Hermes mutiny! Beck and Johanssen! Vogel receiving the encrypted Purnell maneuver from his wife, and catching onto it! Martinez and his wife! Watney's 'in case of death' letters to all of them!The people back on Earth were also great; one of my favourite asides was the scene with the Chinese space agency. That dramatic tension between Earth vs. Mars, and even between Watney's day-to-day log entries (often played up for comedic effect), increases the enjoyment factor as well.
It's weird though, because I can't even describe why this book worked so well for me. Was the prose beautiful? Nah. Were the characterisations deep? Nah.
But something just gets me about human sacrifice and altruism. Despite the dire circumstances, it's an innately hopeful & optimistic book.
Plus, I just love reading the details of survival. This was like Don't Starve: Mars Edition (DS is one of my favourite games), plus I grew up on books like My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, and Hatchet, and played an ancient survival computer game in the 90s in which you play a caveman and have to craft your own hatchet and survive... which really just presaged games like Rust and ARK. So I find the notion of space survival even more interesting.
Totally going to go see the movie in 3D IMAX now.
Also, this is the third Mars-set book I've read this year (others being Red Rising and A Princess of Mars); THIS IS THE YEAR OF MARS, Y'ALL.
A few favourite quotes below, although I stopped transcribing my highlighted quotes after a while because it's such a pain to type up:
Spoiler
That's real progress. I'd still be in danger of starvation, but it gets me in the range of survival. I might be able to make it by nearly starving but not quite dying. I could reduce my caloric use by minimizing manual labor. I could set the temperature of the Hab higher than normal, meaning my body would expend less energy keeping its temperance. I could cut off an arm and eat it, gaining me valuable calories and reducing my overall caloric need.
No, not really.
***
I'm going to be setting a fire. In the Hab. On purpose.
If you asked every engineer at NASA what the worst scenario for the Hab was, they'd all answer "fire." If you asked them what the result would be, they'd answer "death by fire."
***
Man I'm tired. Been up all night, and it's time to sleep. But I'll drift off to dreamland in the best mood I've been in since Sol 6.
Things are finally going my way. In fact, they're going great! I have a chance to live after all!
LOG ENTRY: SOL 37
I am fucked, and I'm gonna die!
***
"We can rescue him with Ares 4. It's very risky. We ran the idea by the Ares 4 crew. Not only are they willing to do it, but now they're really pushing hard for it."
"Naturally," Teddy said. "Astronauts are inherently insane. And really noble. What's the idea?"
***
Teddy swiveled his chair and looked out the window to the sky beyond. Night was edging in. "What must it be like?" he pondered. "He's stuck out there. He thinks he's totally alone and that we all gave up on him. What kind of effect does that have on a man's psychology?"
He turned back to Venkat. "I wonder what he's thinking right now."
LOG ENTRY: SOL 61
How come Aquaman can control whales? They're mammals! Makes no sense.
***
I used a sophisticated method to remove sections of plastic (hammer), then carefully removed the solid foam insulation (hammer again).
***
I wasn't expecting to be first at anything. I was the fifth crewman out of the MDV when we landed, making me the seventeenth person to set foot on Mars. The egress order had been determined years earlier. A month before launch, we all got tattoos of our "Mars numbers." Johanssen almost refused to get her "15" because she was afraid it would hurt. Here's a woman who had survived the centrifuge, the vomit comet, hard-landing drills and 10k runs. A woman who fixed a simulated MDV computer failure while being spun around upside-down. But she was afraid of a tattoo needle.
Man, I miss those guys.
***
The whole time I was recovering Pathfinder, I imagined what this moment would be like. I figured I'd jump up and down a bit, cheer, maybe flip off the ground (because this whole damn planet is my enemy), but that's not what happened. When I got back to the Hab and took off the EVA suit, I sat down in the dirt and cried. Bawled like a little kid for several minutes. I finally settled down to mild sniffling and then felt a deep calm.
It was a good calm.
***
Normally, an incident-free launch would be cause for celebration. This one earned only silence broken by Johanssen's gentle sobbing.
***
"If we do this," Vogel said, "it would be over one thousand days of space. This is enough space for a life. I do not need to return."
"Sounds like Vogel's in," Martinez grinned. "Me, too, obviously."
***
"All right," Lewis said. "Looks like we can do it. But I don't want peer pressure forcing anyone into it. We'll wait for twenty-four hours. During that time, anyone can change their mind. Just talk to me in private or send me an e-mail. I'll call it off and never tell anyone who it was."
Lewis stayed behind as the rest filed out. Watching them leave, she saw they were smiling. All four of them. For the first time since leaving Mars, they were back to their old selves. She knew right then no one's mind would change.
They were going back to Mars.