When I was a kid, I alternated between wanting to be a teacher when I grew up, and wanting to be an astronaut. I was never very serious about the astronaut dream – it was just a fantasy. Deep down I knew the extreme unlikeness of realizing it, but it was so much fun to dream about. It would be the ultimate great adventure, and the feeling of looking out of the window back at earth would be incredible. I think many of us had or still have that dream, whether or not we’ve ever professed a desire to be an astronaut.
The Martian by Andy Weir is excellent for so many reasons. It’s a grand fantasy that’s firmly grounded in reality. Everything that happens could theoretically happen, and all the math and science are all accurate. It’s fascinating to read about all the problems that arise and the ingenious ways they are solved or worked around. The novel works so well because Mark Watney is an incredible character. You can’t leave just anyone in Mars and believe that they can survive. But we believe he can, and we root for him intensely.
I’m glad I listened to this one on audiobook. The narrator, R. C. Bray, does an excellent job of performing Mark Watney’s narration. He’s not as great at female voices — most of them came out a little robotic, but I could overlook that for the pleasure of hearing Mark Watney’s story come to life.
Speaking of the story coming to life — it’s not often that I love a book and feel good about the prospect of a movie adaptation. But I knew The Martian would make a great film, and I think Matt Damon was well cast. Graham and I saw the movie on Tuesday for his birthday, and we both really enjoyed it. The book is excellent because of the insight into the problem solving and human ingenuity that is the backbone of space travel. The movie is an excellent adventure story that’s fun to watch – and it’s awesome to see all of the NASA equipment and Mars scenery come to life on screen. They left out a bunch of stuff (you don’t get even a tenth of the interesting details, and they leave out several of the most challenging problems he had to solve), and changed the ending quite a bit to make it more dramatic, but in general it’s a good adaptation. The book shines brighter though, and I highly recommend reading it before you see the movie. Or after, but before is always better.
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Affiliate links to buy The Martian: IndieBound | Amazon
Mars photo by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Wow, poor Graham JUST missed out on being another cool September birthday person. :)
I can’t tell you how happy I am that you felt the same way about this book as I did. And I didn’t dream of being an astronaut. I enjoy some space-related things, but they have never driven me or touched my guts like they do for so many others I know. But I adored this book from the get-go. It was sciencey without being dumbed down, ulcer-inducing, hilarious, and all the things that make my insides jump with joy when I read. I, too, had great feelings about the movie, but haven’t been able to get out and see it yet. I’ve been heartened to see all the good feedback coming from viewers. And to top it all off, Andy Weir is a local author and could not be a nicer fellow. This is a win/win/win/win in my book.
He really did! He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on!
The Martian was SO so good. I’m so glad I read it before seeing the movie – it really made me enjoy it more. The movie is fun, but the book (as usual) is way better. He’s such a wonderful and inspiring success story – I love that he self published it and then found his readership / was discovered – SO cool.
Can’t wait to see this movie! I love all the people in it, and the book was sooo much fun. I also love that Andy Weir started this as a love-project on the internet, and it became this phenomenon. Underdog stories!
Agree completely – LOVE the underdog success story, it’s just so cool. Did you see the movie yet? I hope you enjoy it!
I’m looking forward to this book and movie. I didn’t get to read it first so I think I’ll see the movie and then read. So far, that seems to work best for me. Many people have said that the movie is just as good but the book is funnier.
The great thing about this one is that I think watching the movie first is fine – it won’t spoil the book for you. The book has so much more detail. I agree with what you’ve heard – the book is funnier. It’s also just more interesting… there’s a lot more problem solving that is really fascinating to read. I hope you enjoy both! :D
Yay! I liked the book too and so did my husband. Have not seen the movie yet but looking forward to it. Glad to hear it is good!
The movie is very fun, and I think it’s more enjoyable when you’ve read the book first. The movie isn’t as detailed … it’s nice to have all the background info from the book. I hope you both enjoy it too!
My husband and I both loved the book. We saw the movie the night it opened. I thought it was well done, considering the limitations of a movie. But I didn’t get nearly as much of Mark Watney’s “voice” as a character as I wanted. The book is so much better! :)
Agree – the book is much better! I was happy that the movie was fun to watch, but hope people will read the book too!