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A review by willowbiblio
The Martian by Andy Weir
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
"But really, they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it's true."
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I really liked the movie version of this, but man did the book fall flat for me. It's very rare that that happens. I really had no desire to read this. Mark Watney's inner dialogue was so juvenile that it felt more like reading a 12 year old's diary than a grown man. That disconnect from narrative voice to plot/narrator was nearly impossible for me to ignore and made this such a painful read.
I get that Weir is a science person and his thing is leaning into that. Unfortunately, it got so in-depth that it was just dry; I found myself skimming several pages at a time to just get through it. The amount of times Wier put Watney in a "oh shit I might die if I don't come up with a wacky solution" predicament was way too high. Eventually it stopped having the emotional impact I think Weir was seeking to create. It started to feel a bit melodramatic and overblown.
I also felt like the crew and NASA POVs could have used more page time. Both were subpar but still a welcome relief from the monotony of Watney's entries.
I know a lot of people love this book but I really just couldn't get past the tone and Weir's kind of middle-school voice and humor for his adult characters. Matt Damon and the production company/writers turned this into something much greater than the original media.
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I really liked the movie version of this, but man did the book fall flat for me. It's very rare that that happens. I really had no desire to read this. Mark Watney's inner dialogue was so juvenile that it felt more like reading a 12 year old's diary than a grown man. That disconnect from narrative voice to plot/narrator was nearly impossible for me to ignore and made this such a painful read.
I get that Weir is a science person and his thing is leaning into that. Unfortunately, it got so in-depth that it was just dry; I found myself skimming several pages at a time to just get through it. The amount of times Wier put Watney in a "oh shit I might die if I don't come up with a wacky solution" predicament was way too high. Eventually it stopped having the emotional impact I think Weir was seeking to create. It started to feel a bit melodramatic and overblown.
I also felt like the crew and NASA POVs could have used more page time. Both were subpar but still a welcome relief from the monotony of Watney's entries.
I know a lot of people love this book but I really just couldn't get past the tone and Weir's kind of middle-school voice and humor for his adult characters. Matt Damon and the production company/writers turned this into something much greater than the original media.