Markus's Reviews > The Martian
The Martian
by
by
![26681101](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p2/26681101.jpg)
Okay.
Now, you might think that's supposed to be the beginning of a long tirade about some pointless topic pulled out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, it's a description of the book.
But since I don't want to disappoint you, I'll go on to write a long tirade about some pointless topic pulled out of nowhere!
I finally finished this. More or less, anyway. I don't know if I was paying much attention by the end. But I'm glad I completed it. Because I thought it was okay. It was not a waste of my time. In any case, my goal was to read it before the movie. I didn't make it. I just watched the movie, and it was good. Really.
I said long ago that this sounded like a concept much better suited for a movie than a book. As far as I can see, I was right.
The book has strong positives and strong negatives, often connected. The protagonist, for instance. Mark Watney is a great guy. I like him. He's a fluent speaker of sarcasm and a recovered Dungeons & Dragons addict. He's nerdy, funny, confident and charismatic. And I couldn't care less about his fate. I sympathise with him, but he stirred absolutely no emotions in me aside from the occasional laugh at some witty remark.
Also, the writing style. The idea of presenting the story through recorded log entries is absolutely fantastic! And boring as hell... Even though I really liked Watney, his sarcasm and his science skills, I took a deep breath of relief when the book finally, finally switched to the POV of the guys at NASA.
And as far as quality goes, I'll have to place myself with the guys in the middle. Maybe this comes from having read so many different reviews beforehand? In any case, to all you people who thought this book was amazing: I can see why. To all you people who thought this book was horrible: I can see why.
Now, I'm not about to start criticising people's individual opinions here, but as far as I can see... If you loved this, you chose to overlook its negative qualities. If you hated this, you chose to overlook its positive qualities.
I actually liked it well enough. Which is just me saying I thought it was okay, but now using different words. To get more emphasis on it, you see. It's rather well-written. It's rather boring. It's rather funny. It's rather overdone. It's rather...
You might say "No Markus, this book was perfect." Or perhaps "No Markus, this book was disastrous." And that would be fine. Opinions are cool. But this is what I see when I look at the book.
It's first and foremost a feelgood story. And it works, it really does. But to me, this just seems like one of those funny, easy little books you read in between better novels. You can relax and enjoy it, but it's not a masterpiece.
The Martian is not a bad book. But in my opinion, it is very, very far from the highest reaches of science fiction.
Now, you might think that's supposed to be the beginning of a long tirade about some pointless topic pulled out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, it's a description of the book.
But since I don't want to disappoint you, I'll go on to write a long tirade about some pointless topic pulled out of nowhere!
I finally finished this. More or less, anyway. I don't know if I was paying much attention by the end. But I'm glad I completed it. Because I thought it was okay. It was not a waste of my time. In any case, my goal was to read it before the movie. I didn't make it. I just watched the movie, and it was good. Really.
I said long ago that this sounded like a concept much better suited for a movie than a book. As far as I can see, I was right.
The book has strong positives and strong negatives, often connected. The protagonist, for instance. Mark Watney is a great guy. I like him. He's a fluent speaker of sarcasm and a recovered Dungeons & Dragons addict. He's nerdy, funny, confident and charismatic. And I couldn't care less about his fate. I sympathise with him, but he stirred absolutely no emotions in me aside from the occasional laugh at some witty remark.
Also, the writing style. The idea of presenting the story through recorded log entries is absolutely fantastic! And boring as hell... Even though I really liked Watney, his sarcasm and his science skills, I took a deep breath of relief when the book finally, finally switched to the POV of the guys at NASA.
And as far as quality goes, I'll have to place myself with the guys in the middle. Maybe this comes from having read so many different reviews beforehand? In any case, to all you people who thought this book was amazing: I can see why. To all you people who thought this book was horrible: I can see why.
Now, I'm not about to start criticising people's individual opinions here, but as far as I can see... If you loved this, you chose to overlook its negative qualities. If you hated this, you chose to overlook its positive qualities.
I actually liked it well enough. Which is just me saying I thought it was okay, but now using different words. To get more emphasis on it, you see. It's rather well-written. It's rather boring. It's rather funny. It's rather overdone. It's rather...
You might say "No Markus, this book was perfect." Or perhaps "No Markus, this book was disastrous." And that would be fine. Opinions are cool. But this is what I see when I look at the book.
It's first and foremost a feelgood story. And it works, it really does. But to me, this just seems like one of those funny, easy little books you read in between better novels. You can relax and enjoy it, but it's not a masterpiece.
The Martian is not a bad book. But in my opinion, it is very, very far from the highest reaches of science fiction.
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Reading Progress
July 3, 2014
– Shelved
October 2, 2015
–
Started Reading
October 6, 2015
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 62 (62 new)
message 1:
by
Ashley Marie
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Aug 19, 2015 10:50AM
![Ashley Marie](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1705462872p1/29787548.jpg)
reply
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![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I'll check it out, thanks. It's been a while since my last audiobook.
![TS Chan](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1543800303p1/30279227.jpg)
^^^What Ashley said!
![Damian Dubois](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1612918420p1/3481936.jpg)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I think the movie is better, so hopefully you'll have a great time :)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Oh yes, I feel so cool right now :D
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Then you think wrong. That's completely irrelevant.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Doesn't matter. If I finish this one and nothing mindblowing happens (can it even do that when I've seen the movie?), it's a three-star at best. I definitely value your opinion, but this is about me personally. Is it possible for me to wring some enjoyment out of this?
![Caro the Helmet Lady](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1714049576p1/7951847.jpg)
I loved it, but I imagine it's not for everyone and I know why someone would stop right there in the middle of the book. It was NOT perfect, but to me it was. :D
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I loved it, but I imagine it's not for everyone and I know why someone would stop right there in the middle o..."
No book is for everyone. And while I thought this was okay, there are tons of people who didn't think it was okay at all. I must say I sympathise with them, though.
![Caro the Helmet Lady](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1714049576p1/7951847.jpg)
Just let it out, what was it that you hated? :)
![Gergana](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1439319393p1/5312798.jpg)
![Asya](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1454612854p1/3328287.jpg)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Hahaha! That's one way of looking at it, yes.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Just let it out, what was it that you hated? :)"
Nothing. At all. But I loved nothing either. Which is why the book is okay.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I wish I hadn't bothered with the book in the first place. I've only ever experienced four cases of the adaptation being better than the original, but this is unfortunately one of them.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Pfft, a sci-fi book full of impossible technology and ridiculous aliens would be much better than this. A realistic, conventional sci-fi novel simply doesn't stand a chance against full-fledged space fantasy. You have a point about putting it on hold, though.
![Caro the Helmet Lady](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1714049576p1/7951847.jpg)
Noooo, I can't believe it! D: Ok, ok, I get it. :)
....nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! X(
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Noooo, I can't believe it! D: Ok, ok, I get it. :)
....nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! X("
Hahaha! If my reaction upsets you this much, I'd advise you to stay far away from some of the top reviews for this book :P
![Caro the Helmet Lady](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1714049576p1/7951847.jpg)
LOL I'll be fine. :P
Jesus with all the mixed reviews I'm curious to see which side I'll land on
![Brightness](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1688656849p1/10764362.jpg)
Honestly, the parts with Mark on Mars with his audio files are the ones I trudge through. It's just very procedural. And because of his flippant personality, I'm never afraid for him when he encounters impending disaster because he never seems afraid. Even though it's a first person narrative, which normally gives us a greater insight into a characters inner feelings, I don't get that from Mark because, like I said, everything he says and does is very procedural. At times, really interesting, but still, hold us back at arms length and talk about potatoes some more.
The parts that I have really connected with are the third person narratives back on earth, or in the Hermes with the rest of the Ares 3 crew.
I'm probably going to copy and paste what I just wrote here in my review, lol.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Totally why I didn't land on either side :)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Glad to hear it. I'm thinking about pushing myself to finish too, and then write a proper review describing why I think both the lovers and haters are wrong (:P), but I'm not sure. I definitely agree with your points here, though.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Thanks, Nicko. I totally need hugs to get through this.
![Adeline](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1337971993p1/4676703.jpg)
![Liz* Fashionably Late](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1385594860p1/8191214.jpg)
I think that there's no reason for you to keep reading this if you've already seen the movie. I mean, there's nothing new or shocking and if you felt it a little boring till now, it'll just be painful! ^^
How was the movie, btw? I'll watch it in a few days.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I think that there's no reason for you to keep reading this if you've already seen the movie. I mean, there's nothing new or shocking and if you f..."
Oh, mine too. But I was given no choice, lol. The movie was better than the book (well, I can only judge by the first half of the book), but still not really good in my eyes. I kept comparing it to Interstellar, and even though I like Ridley Scott more than Christopher Nolan, the Martian is barely worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as that one -.-
![Nelson](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1394771106p1/9557060.jpg)
![Liz* Fashionably Late](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1385594860p1/8191214.jpg)
I was worried about the movie because I'm not a Damon's fan and I wasn't sure they could translate the humor into the big screen.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Based on what I have read, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the input, Nel.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
I was worried about the movie because I'm not a Damon's fan and I wasn't sure they could translate the humor into the big screen."
Oooh, yes. Best sci-fi movie since Return of the Jedi imo. Well, Damon does have certain problems. In some scenes he plays Mark Watney perfectly. In others, he's very... Matt Damon.
![Simon Watts](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1475867527p1/32127980.jpg)
![Cherie](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1322706779p1/6460330.jpg)
![Selina](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1443126880p1/47296384.jpg)
Additionally, that Iron Man bs stunt in the film... it's not in the book. Well, it was mentioned, but they (Captain Lewis and the crew) didn't actually let him shoot into space like a deranged and malnourished Iron Man. I think it was added in as reference to Marvel because Sebastian Stan is in the upcoming Marvel film Civil War.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Exactly. If I had watched the movie first, I'd have no interest in reading the book whatsoever. And probably no reason to.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Straightforward, I like it. However, I am not decided either way and will probably be easy to convince in either direction.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
That's interesting. I appreciate the input, and it actually makes me tempted to continue.
![Richard](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1351707681p1/8386404.jpg)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Heh, I do know.
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
Hahaha, that's a pretty good point! Although Starman fit pretty well too :)
![Markus](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1421952301p1/26681101.jpg)
That's probably a good choice, unfortunately.