Yun's Reviews > The Martian
The Martian
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![30181442](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p2/30181442.jpg)
A celebration of scientific ingenuity and man's unfailing spirit to survive, The Martian left me astounded and exhilarated. It made me laugh, think, and hope, and along the way, it captured my imagination and my heart.
Due to a freak accident, astronaut Mark Watney is in a bit of a jam. His crewmates have blasted off from Mars and left him behind, thinking he is dead. Now he has no way to contact anyone and his supplies are fast dwindling. To survive, he must reach into the depths of his scientific knowledge and creativity and good humor, and put all that to good use if he is to make it off the planet alive.
I'm like the very last person to read this book, and I honestly have no idea why I waited so long. Maybe I thought since I've seen the movie already (like a dozen times!), that I wouldn't be surprised by the book. Or maybe I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my sky-high expectations. But I'm so glad I finally stopped procrastinating and read it. Because this story could not be more made for me if it tried.
Right from the first page, it was utterly riveting and unputdownable. It felt so real that it seemed like I was actually reading the mission logs of an astronaut. I kept forgetting that we hadn't really sent a man to Mars yet and that this is just a story.
The science in here is a large part of what made it feel so authentic and fascinating. It's based on real science, not the handwavy stuff that a lot of sci-fi books resort to. But you don't have to understand every single thing in order to follow and enjoy the story. In fact, there were a few times I just move on when I wasn't 100% clear on a technical detail, and it didn't take anything away. It helped that I had watched the movie before reading the book, so it was much easier to visualize what was going on.
Usually when you think of disaster stories and fights for survival, it ends up being a dark and brooding read. But that's not this book at all. I loved its optimism and humor and charm. It was lighthearted and fun even though it was tackling some serious problems. It not only showcased what one person's perseverance can accomplish, but also what the world can do if it came together. It made me feel happy and inspired to immerse myself in this imaginary and cooperative world, if only for a few hours.
This story isn't perfect. You can tell it's Weir's first book, and so it does have a few quirks. At times, the humor is a bit too potty-mouthed and the technical and scientific information can be a bit too enthusiastically detailed. But I found the overall story so amazing that these small flaws are easily overlooked.
This is my favorite type of book. I love reading about space exploration and science, courage and hard work, and overcoming great odds to achieve the impossible, all with a sense of humor. Its message of resilience and optimism through the hardest of times pays homage to the best in humanity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
Project Hail Mary
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.
Due to a freak accident, astronaut Mark Watney is in a bit of a jam. His crewmates have blasted off from Mars and left him behind, thinking he is dead. Now he has no way to contact anyone and his supplies are fast dwindling. To survive, he must reach into the depths of his scientific knowledge and creativity and good humor, and put all that to good use if he is to make it off the planet alive.
I'm like the very last person to read this book, and I honestly have no idea why I waited so long. Maybe I thought since I've seen the movie already (like a dozen times!), that I wouldn't be surprised by the book. Or maybe I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my sky-high expectations. But I'm so glad I finally stopped procrastinating and read it. Because this story could not be more made for me if it tried.
Right from the first page, it was utterly riveting and unputdownable. It felt so real that it seemed like I was actually reading the mission logs of an astronaut. I kept forgetting that we hadn't really sent a man to Mars yet and that this is just a story.
The science in here is a large part of what made it feel so authentic and fascinating. It's based on real science, not the handwavy stuff that a lot of sci-fi books resort to. But you don't have to understand every single thing in order to follow and enjoy the story. In fact, there were a few times I just move on when I wasn't 100% clear on a technical detail, and it didn't take anything away. It helped that I had watched the movie before reading the book, so it was much easier to visualize what was going on.
Usually when you think of disaster stories and fights for survival, it ends up being a dark and brooding read. But that's not this book at all. I loved its optimism and humor and charm. It was lighthearted and fun even though it was tackling some serious problems. It not only showcased what one person's perseverance can accomplish, but also what the world can do if it came together. It made me feel happy and inspired to immerse myself in this imaginary and cooperative world, if only for a few hours.
This story isn't perfect. You can tell it's Weir's first book, and so it does have a few quirks. At times, the humor is a bit too potty-mouthed and the technical and scientific information can be a bit too enthusiastically detailed. But I found the overall story so amazing that these small flaws are easily overlooked.
This is my favorite type of book. I love reading about space exploration and science, courage and hard work, and overcoming great odds to achieve the impossible, all with a sense of humor. Its message of resilience and optimism through the hardest of times pays homage to the best in humanity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
Project Hail Mary
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.
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Reading Progress
August 28, 2021
–
Started Reading
August 28, 2021
– Shelved
September 1, 2021
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 51-100 of 203 (203 new)
message 51:
by
Martine
(new)
Sep 02, 2021 01:09PM
![Martine](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1665450134p1/42222724.jpg)
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![Dan Lutts](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1621435772p1/17449398.jpg)
![Dorie - Cats&Books :)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1550077760p1/16912659.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Martine! Yay! When you get to it, I hope you love it too! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Carmen! So glad we both loved this one! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Dan! If you end up reading it, I hope you very much enjoy it! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Dorie! I loved PHM... probably in my top 5 all-time favorite books! It really was epic! I loved this one, but not quite as much as PHM. :)
![JanB](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1527313486p1/260116.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Jan! I'm glad you thoroughly enjoyed this one too, and that the audio narration added a lot to it! Since I watched the movie first, I just imagined Matt Damon's voice saying everything lol! 😅
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Jayme! It really was! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Nilton! Glad you enjoyed both too! :)
![Kat](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1720224311p1/105191338.jpg)
![Melissa ~ Bantering Books](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1669137927p1/33853154.jpg)
![len ❀](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1721527923p1/51318038.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Kat! I too am glad it lived up to expectations and more, especially since I loved the book! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Melissa! It's a great feeling when we completely connect with a book! I'm glad you felt the same about The Glass Hotel! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks so much, Elena! For shame indeed! 😂 We all have piles of books and movies we need to get to, so I totally understand! If you ever get to this, I hope you have lots of fun with it! But the movie is just as wonderful (and faster), so that's a totally reasonable shortcut! 💖
![Ian M. Pyatt](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1719363437p1/97524228.jpg)
![BookishCorgi](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1721696851p1/139721101.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Ian! What a great memory from your childhood and your 10th birthday! I can only imagine what a momentous occasion it was. I'd love to see manned space exploration again one day, and Mars definitely seems like the next target. :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, BookishCorgi! So happy that we both loved the book and the movie! It really is something special! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Nataliya! Haha yes, count me in! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Peachy! Yay hope you enjoy both the movie and the book! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Rebecca! So happy that we both loved this! 💖
![Silvia C.](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1623781713p1/82312876.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Silvia! Yay so happy that this book was still a winner for both of us even though we'd seen the movie first! :)
![Kathryn in FL](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1532581021p1/75183808.jpg)
![Lily](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1486506108p1/53413960.jpg)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Angela! Always fun to get that unicorn 5-star read! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Kathryn! So glad you loved both too! It really was something special! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, A! Glad you enjoyed the science in here too, and the movie! :)
![Yun](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1679228223p1/30181442.jpg)
Thanks, Marialyce! Glad we both had fun with this one! :)