The Martian by Andy Weir
(Warning: minor spoilers. The worst spoilers are from about 1/4-1/3 into the book)
The Martian by Andy Weir is a book about an astronaut struggling to survive after being deserted alone on mars. Many may know of the movie The Martian starring Matt Damon, but it was originally a book. In a quick summary: After a big storm, Dr. Mann is presumed to be dead, and is left behind on Mars by his crew. Because of this, he must be very smart with his few supplies and technology in order to survive and get in contact with earth for him to be rescued. On earth, nasa must explain the disaster to the press and public, and rush a mission to mars in a quarter of the time. Combining the unique and interesting style of writing, the surprising scientific accuracy, and the intensity of the situation makes for a thrilling read.
The book is written with two styles: one in journals that the main character writes, (the only way you get to hear from the main character), and normal 3rd person narration on the characters on earth. The journaling aspect makes the book feel much more grounded in reality. I was expecting the journaling to make the book hard to read, but it had the opposite effect and made me buy more into the story. The informality and non-filtered talking to the reader is very different compared to normal books. This style makes the main character appear much more relatable and makes a much different connection to the reader.
One part of the book that is much better and surprising is the scientific depth and accuracy. According to nasa, the book is technically accurate and had lots of research and math put into the book. Even not knowing this, there is never a point where believability breaks. There are quite a bit of scientific explanations in the book that the main character writes, which the author somehow makes interesting. With any book or movie, it is very refreshing to have an actually accurate and factual backing. Reading a book and something very unrealistic happening takes the experience away.
The premise for the novel is in my opinion already very intriguing. The idea of someone being left alone on mars is very thought provoking. There are many things to consider such as food, air, safety, news and press on earth, moral problems on how much nasa should spend to bring him back, etc. The novel has about equal parts Dr. Mann’s (main character’s) journal and people on earth trying to get him back. This style helps keep the reader hooked since the reader wants to know what’s happening on mars when they read about what’s happening on earth, and vice versa. Overall, The Martian is a great read if you have any interest in science. If not, the book is still very good, not too long, and has a very satisfying ending.
Science fiction is an interesting genre, and I would definitely be interested in reading this book in the future. I think the emphasis on scientific accuracy would really make the scenario vivid. The explanation and summary of the story was good and helped me understand the points you talked about in the rest of the blog post.
ReplyDeleteThe use of perspectives and the main character's journal sounds like an intriguing way to tell the story. The scientific accuracy also grounds the story much more, and makes it easier to conceptualize. The idea and story of this book sounds very unique and I would definitely be interested in reading it!
ReplyDeleteI read The Martian a while ago. Books with this much scientific detail often bore me rather than draw me in, but I think The Martian was a rare exception. *spoiler for the book* I remember reading about how Dr. Mann began growing potatoes, and the amount of science and math included made it a lot more interesting. I think, like you said, many books in this genre include hypotheticals like this one, but don't look into how it might actually be solved. The sense of humor portrayed in Mann's journals was also a plus, and overall I enjoyed reading the book and your analysis.
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I remember watching the trailer for The Martian movie a while back, but have not read the book yet. In your review (which makes me want to read the book sooner), I was particularly interested in the author’s use of different writing formats in the novel. I can’t think of another book that has done this. Without reading it myself, I can only imagine that this journal-based and therefore partially disconnected presentation of Dr. Mann’s inner thoughts serves to help emphasize how separated he is from the rest of humanity, stranded on Mars. Looking at the scientific accuracy aspect of the novel, I wonder if this journal format for presenting information from Dr. Mann makes it easier than traditional fictional writing to fit scientific information in. Both the science about subsistence (getting water, growing potatoes on Mars) and the science about space travel (how NASA can get back to Mars quickly and not too expensively) are things I’m curious about, and the book seems like it make these topics even more interesting, because the survival of the protagonist (Dr. Mann) depends on it. I appreciated your use of pictures and text that complemented each other. Nice job on your review.
DeleteI am actually currently reading this book and your blog is a great way to inform those new to the book who have or haven't started it. Every thought and idea shared by Dr. Mann is really interesting and intriguing to me as I like to learn about futuristic life and how we will fight past obstacles along the way. With such scientific descriptions, I almost thought it was a real event, as you mentioned, "there is never a point where believability breaks" which makes this book such an interesting pick for new readers. Great review, and thanks for getting me interested in this topic!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised when I heard this movie was a book as well. I've watched the movie a couple of times, and it seems quite similar. I agree that the story has a lot of accurate technicality added to it which makes it even more exciting to the reader. I also like how you added how thought provoking the plot is. It really makes you think!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not watched the movie, the book is one of my favorite near future sci-fi novels! I love how the summary talks about the feasible technology and real-life problems in this book, making it feel like a nonfictional biography! I look forward to watching the movie, and this review has reminded me to reread this great book!
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