paperback, 560 pages
Published Feb. 17, 2015 by Large Print Press.
The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It was his debut novel under his own name. It was originally self-published in 2011; Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-released it in 2014. The story follows an American astronaut, Mark Watney, as he becomes stranded alone on Mars in 2035 and must improvise in order to survive. The Martian, a film adaptation directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, was released in October 2015.
The verdict is in: the book is a better movie than the movie.
The movie looks great, but the problem with movies is that it stars famous people and not the best-fit actors, and then there's that part at the end. They changed the ending. WTF.
Good overall. Dialog not so realistic, though.
Absolutely delighted with this book. An easy, compelling read chock full of science, excitement and did I mention science? A thrilling adventure that makes you want to support travel to the stars.
Finishing this book was a struggle. I had watched the movie first, as I had heard from multiple people that they would recommend that. Unfortunately this made the book a difficult read because there were no surprises anymore. Although the book made me appreciate the movie even more, so that's a plus. I think my recommendation is to only watch the movie and don't bother with the book. Unless, of course, you're really into the detailed science-wankery, then the book is for you. Me, I enjoyed it for a while but it got old and started to smell. Watching Whatney "science the shit out of this", by the way, a great line the movie added, fitting his character, was a gimmick and not something that could carry an entire book. Another problem I had with the book was that Whatney didn't feel like a human being. He was more like …
Finishing this book was a struggle. I had watched the movie first, as I had heard from multiple people that they would recommend that. Unfortunately this made the book a difficult read because there were no surprises anymore. Although the book made me appreciate the movie even more, so that's a plus. I think my recommendation is to only watch the movie and don't bother with the book. Unless, of course, you're really into the detailed science-wankery, then the book is for you. Me, I enjoyed it for a while but it got old and started to smell. Watching Whatney "science the shit out of this", by the way, a great line the movie added, fitting his character, was a gimmick and not something that could carry an entire book. Another problem I had with the book was that Whatney didn't feel like a human being. He was more like a plot device so the author could throw around a lot of science. I guess that's another reason why I liked the movie better. Seeing him helped to convince me that he's human.
Dunque, di cosa parla "L'uomo di Marte"? Beh, a dispetto del titolo e dei temi trattati, il tema centrale di questo romanzo è il potere dell'ottimismo e della forza di volontà. Non è un tema molto originale a pensarci bene, anzi direi che si tratta di un tema estremamente abusato. Innumerevoli personaggi che riscoprono il valore dell'ottimismo e la forza di volontà dopo un periodo difficile causato dalla perdita di una persona cara, dell'amore, del lavoro o di un animale domestico; bleah, tutta roba terribilmente umana. L'uomo di Marte prende questo stesso tema e lo porta ad un livello molto superiore, interplanetario direi.
La trama in breve: Mark Watney è stato uno dei primi astronauti a mettere piede su Marte. Ma il suo momento di gloria è durato troppo poco. Un'improvvisa tempesta lo ha quasi ucciso e i suoi compagni di spedizione, credendolo morto, sono fuggiti e hanno fatto ritorno …
Dunque, di cosa parla "L'uomo di Marte"? Beh, a dispetto del titolo e dei temi trattati, il tema centrale di questo romanzo è il potere dell'ottimismo e della forza di volontà. Non è un tema molto originale a pensarci bene, anzi direi che si tratta di un tema estremamente abusato. Innumerevoli personaggi che riscoprono il valore dell'ottimismo e la forza di volontà dopo un periodo difficile causato dalla perdita di una persona cara, dell'amore, del lavoro o di un animale domestico; bleah, tutta roba terribilmente umana. L'uomo di Marte prende questo stesso tema e lo porta ad un livello molto superiore, interplanetario direi.
La trama in breve: Mark Watney è stato uno dei primi astronauti a mettere piede su Marte. Ma il suo momento di gloria è durato troppo poco. Un'improvvisa tempesta lo ha quasi ucciso e i suoi compagni di spedizione, credendolo morto, sono fuggiti e hanno fatto ritorno sulla terra. Il nostro protagonista si trova quindi solo, senza la possibilità di comunicare con la terra e in un pianeta che cerca in ogni modo di ucciderlo. Tutto ciò che succederà in seguito è avvincente e scientificamente plausibile: coltivare patate su Marte vi sembra impossibile? Beh, non lo è se riuscite a procurarvi abbastanza acqua e dei batteri con cui rivitalizzare il terreno, per l'acqua basta scindere l'idrazina in... beh vi siete fatti un'idea.
Fra poco uscirà pure il film, purtroppo diretto da un ex genio che avrebbe dovuto smettere di fare film molto tempo fa, il materiale di partenza è ottimo comunque.
This book kept me company in Ecuador. I saw the movie on the plane ride over and loved it. I loved reading the book just as much. I found a paperback version on a shelf of an American-owned and run cafe called Surf Shak. The movie is very close to the book and the writing is great fun to read.
книжка цікаво починається, фінал трохи пріснуватий. фільм емоційніший, варто дивитися.
Programmers should write more books.
How did this novel keep my attention the way it did? I don't know. In fact, I started this novel with some trepidation because I am not a math and science geek. This story is one tough problem solving task after another, and it's all over my head. And yet--Mark Watney, in his humor-spiked journal, kept me rapt. Perhaps it reminded me of Sherlock Holmes's deductions. Those are a bit easier to follow, but often contain a scientific element. I doubt Arthur Conan Doyle wrote as many deductions or solved as many problems in all his books combined as Andy Weir wrote for this one spare story!
I am so glad that I had not heard how this story ends before finishing it! Boy, was I on the edge of my seat....
Highly recommended!
Andy Weir got two things right in this book: 1) the importance of scientific and technical accuracy (or at least plausibility) to the plot; and 2) the well-managed suspense throughout the story.
The book is worth reading for those two reasons. I gave it a four-star rating with great hesitation, because beyond that, this is a pretty flat book.
It amazes me how it is possible for an author to strand a man alone on a distant, alien planet and be so completely uninterested in both the internal existential terror that this man ought to feel as well as the external appearance and environment of the desert-planet of Mars.
Instead, Mark Watney, the main character, is an annoying smart-ass with a sense of humour that tires you after the first few sentences.
Apart from a few token sentences towards the end, Watney has no real emotions, no fear. He has …
Andy Weir got two things right in this book: 1) the importance of scientific and technical accuracy (or at least plausibility) to the plot; and 2) the well-managed suspense throughout the story.
The book is worth reading for those two reasons. I gave it a four-star rating with great hesitation, because beyond that, this is a pretty flat book.
It amazes me how it is possible for an author to strand a man alone on a distant, alien planet and be so completely uninterested in both the internal existential terror that this man ought to feel as well as the external appearance and environment of the desert-planet of Mars.
Instead, Mark Watney, the main character, is an annoying smart-ass with a sense of humour that tires you after the first few sentences.
Apart from a few token sentences towards the end, Watney has no real emotions, no fear. He has the ironic, sarcastic detachment to his plight of an american sit-com character. The author may well have intended this (there is an aside from a psychologist of how Watney's psychological make-up and sense of humour is why he makes a great astronaut) but it feels like a waste of a great premise for human drama.
Mars, also, is a cardboard character. There are barely any descriptions of the terrain, of the sky, of the environment. Watney might as well be stranded in a vast parking lot. Again, a waste of a great premise.
In short, an enjoyable book - but not a particularly great one.
This is one of the best books I've read. The subject is fascinating, the characters are engaging - particularly Mark Watney. I had to regularly remind myself that this was not a retelling of actual events and that these people are fictional.
I won't lie, I did tend to zone out a touch during some of the longer scientific passages but they only made the story feel more real. I can only imagine the insane amount of research that went into this book.
In addition to the fantastic writing, the extremely engaging story, and the great character portrayals, the narrator did a stellar job of bringing it all together.
xkcd.com/1536/
My sort of thing.
NASA fanfic
It really is a shame that such a good concept is bogged down by some of the saddest dialogue that I've seen in some time from a bestseller.
Weir knows his science, but he sure as hell doesn't seem to understand how people interact. Every conversation in this book feels like a tea party between HAL models. Watney in particular seems to have a mentality that revolves between genius and fourteen year old redditor.
Maybe I'm just a big killjoy prude, but I feel like there is so much potential wasted here. Weir had a perfect opportunity to examine the consequences of Watney's isolation, and all of that is squandered for the sake of an absurdly happy-go-lucky attitude that never, ever lets up. It's great to have a plucky character, but Watney's insane optimism never gets tested. It never gets used as a character flaw, so he ends up being …
It really is a shame that such a good concept is bogged down by some of the saddest dialogue that I've seen in some time from a bestseller.
Weir knows his science, but he sure as hell doesn't seem to understand how people interact. Every conversation in this book feels like a tea party between HAL models. Watney in particular seems to have a mentality that revolves between genius and fourteen year old redditor.
Maybe I'm just a big killjoy prude, but I feel like there is so much potential wasted here. Weir had a perfect opportunity to examine the consequences of Watney's isolation, and all of that is squandered for the sake of an absurdly happy-go-lucky attitude that never, ever lets up. It's great to have a plucky character, but Watney's insane optimism never gets tested. It never gets used as a character flaw, so he ends up being uninteresting.
The science is cool, but it gets tiresome by the middle of the book. When that's the strongest element that the writing has to work with, it makes me feel like I'm reading a textbook instead of a novel.
Characters aren't very well developed; even the main character is rather one-dimensional. But the book is not really about the characters, so much as it is about science and problem-solving and creativity; and interpreted as a love letter to science and engineering, it's very moving.
There's a huge segment in the last third of the book which is entirely absent from the film, and it was perhaps the most thrilling part of the book. Worth reading just for that.
