The Martian Book Reviews

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Flawed but Excellent. “The Martian” is the inspiration for one of the finest science fiction movies—indeed, one of my favorite films—of all time. If you enjoy the movie, the novel will not disappoint. But the screenplay is a superb adaptation, the rare example of a film that improves upon its source material. The movie is more tightly written, with more robust and plausible human characters and (in my opinion) more coherently sequenced storytelling. However, know that it manages to be this by being smart about how it adapts and lightly augments the source material—many passages of dialogue are directly lifted nearly verbatim, with just enough buttressing context or polishes for clarity to make them soar. Not for nothing is it one of the few space movies famously nitpicky astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson wholeheartedly recommends. As for the book itself—well, the writing here is no masterpiece of prose, but you shouldn’t buy it for the writing. Buy it for the incomprehensible effort Weir put into setting up science puzzles for himself, and working them out through his characters with painstaking accuracy within an accessible story driven narrative. It’s a feat, one that more than deserves all the praise it has merited. That said, this novel began life as a self published passion project eBook, and it shows: the science is near impeccable, the ingenuity palpable. But the characters are one-note and the dialogue can be so faux-naturalistic it comes all the way back around the other way to stilted. We have the director of NASA, who is *fastidious*. Better show him straightening papers or adjusting his tie eight or nine times to be sure the reader picks up on how he’s a real person with a whole plot-superfluous character trait: fastidiousness. Meanwhile NASA’s PR chief is *vulgar-mouthed.* It’s incongruous, get it?! How realistic, that a decorous and dour public spokesperson would speak more freely behind closed doors. So, nearly every other word out of the character’s mouth is punctuated with colorful expletives. Our protagonist, meanwhile, could likewise stand to be a bit more broadly drawn. His imperiling situations are many and varied, but one could easily swap in any of Mark Watney’s wryly good-natured spieling in response to any of them and not notice the slightest tonal shift. His character would certainly have grown and changed through the trauma and hardship and jubilation of his months stranded. And while I respect the author’s stated desire not to focus too prominently on the psychological element of the survival story at the expense of the science, there is no perceptible difference in the voice of Watney the freshly castaway and the man we see at the end of his journey. It’s telling that the best, most engrossing writing in the book is within the sample chapter of Weir’s follow up novel, Artemis. He seems to have benefited from both experience and the stewardship of editors (now that he is no longer self published), which should not be interpreted as a slight—the very best fiction writing from our most seasoned authors has been edited within an inch of its life by outside eyes, and they’ll all happily acknowledge this. I immediately bought “Artemis.” Preliminary take: less captivating speculative-science content, but much stronger writing overall. By all means, buy and read The Martian. You’ll devour this absolutely unique survival story, and for all I’ve critiqued it, the iffy writing is minimally distracting from what makes this novel shine. For my part, I happily consider it an elaborate rough treatment for what became one of the best space films ever made. And as an obsessed fan of the movie, the originating material is delightful to peruse—complete with “deleted scenes!”

Best book in a long time. I love the story, the science and the characters.

Sientific and I couldn't put it down. This was one of the best books I've ever read it had a good plot drama and science which mad it a very good book 5 stars

Yy. Jjiii

Absolutely great. I couldn’t stop reading the last couple of chapters. It was intense and Watney was hilarious

The Martian. Great story line, really bad (unnecessary) language.

Amazing. A hilarious and dramatic story, it got me hooked from the first page

The Martian. Outstanding read. Most enjoyable..

Fantastic. Sure... it may be idealistic or heavy in its optimism but just as Mark Watney cannot be kept down, neither can the book itself. I have read it several times and each time reveals something new. Those hoping for a gripping battle between man and aliens should obviously look elsewhere, but those who enjoy humor and man’s will to persevere against all odds will be in for a fantastic read. Andy Weir has been praised across the scientific community for his astounding accuracy but I’d have to call more attention to his ability to develop such an interesting protagonist. Some portions are highly technical but, in my opinion at least, this only adds to the immersion into Mark Watney’s genius. I have begun my journey once again with Mark and I know it won’t be the last.

THE BEST FRICKIN BOOK EVER🤩🤩🤩. okay first of all i only read the sample cuz im poor i get it but even the sample was enough to make me this happy i cant wait to buy the full 📚 book!!

Amazing book!. One of the best books I've ever read!

Best sci-fi. This is the best sci-fi I've ever read

Science + Survival Thriller. Great book for the adventurous space nerds out there! Fantastic dry humor and McGuyver cleverness.

Read it three times. This is such a good book, I've read it three times already. The first time I read it was about a month before the movie came out. Movie was good, but of course....."the book is so much better". Andy Weir gets a lot of things right about being on Mars. The book flows along perfectly and the back and forth of NASA and Watney logs keep both ends of the ordeal in sync. Looking forward to another great sci-fi from Andy Weir.

A Classic…. Book is more entertaining than the movie

So good. My niece read this and recommended it and I LOVED it! Lots of NASA, space and science stuff I was not familiar with but you know enough And have explanations of everything that you know what is going on. Super intense but such a quick read because you can't put it down! So much better than the movie but both book and movie are great and entertaining!

All time Favorite. Mark Watney is the most likeable character I’ve ever experienced. 10/10 recommend for anyone!

Exciting from start to finish. This is easily the most exciting book I have ever read. Very detailed but doesn’t get lost in the weeds. All the science and math is done in a fun and approachable way. And Mark is hilarious.

Novice Reader here. Definitely kept my attention, artist can eloquently describe very intricate story details whilst providing an aura of imaginative headspace.

Great movie better book. I watched the movie and then watched the book I know that is a sin but the movie was great and the book was even better

Instant classic. The exceptional nature of this book can't be understated. With this single novel, Andy Weir became one of the great science fiction writers. Even if he never writes again, he has that achievement on the board. Suffice it to say, I love this book. The science and the excitement play off each other brilliantly. Fantastic.

Great!. This book is great!

It is not working. I bot the book, and it only is showing 55 pages when in the book is actually 800 something pages! Fix it

Awsome. Awsome theme and situation

The Martian. Well written. Accurate details of science engineering I found it a great education for me. Really picked up the 10 pages for an excellent finish. Definitely 5 stars from me.

Great!. Definitely an interesting and riveting read. Talk about survival mode!

So good. I have and will reread this book for many years to come.

Awesome and so much better than the movie!. I watched the movie when it first came out and loved it, but the book was incredible!

Enjoyed very much. This is my kind of story book.

Gripping and Compelling. From the start the author pulls you into this world. The voice actor creates the character of Mark so well you can not help but root for him. Wonderful book and wonderful performance.

Incredible!. For those people who say it's boring, forget them. They don't like the scientific detail. This was a MAGNIFICENT book. I don't think I've ever read anything like it. The only thing that I didn't get was the swearing, there was a lot of it altogether.

Changed my life. I saw the movie earlier this year, and it was the best movie ever. My one goal for the next month was to get and read the book. And I did. Read it in a day. It was a little lacking in character development, but after about a hundred reads, watches, and listens, I was able to piece together a profile for almost every character. My favorite book ever. I see the world different now and face challenges with a smile. Thank you Mark Watney I love you.

Amazing. The book kept dragging me and dagging me to just keep reading.

Great Book!!. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of space craze. 👍🏻👍🏻

21st century Hard-core Si-Fi. This is the book that can represent 21st century Si-Fi. It is great and hard on science. A book you shouldn’t miss if you want Si-Fi sometimes.

My favorite book.. This to me is the greatest book I’ve ever read. Everything about is genius.

A must read!. I read this book sandwiched between two viewings of the movie and man, was or worth it. Each chapter was incredibly well written, and I particularly enjoyed his ‘origin story’-esque letter at the end. Bravo!

El muy sofachetz. Somoh el guanto mark interestuant!! Muy Mars fow clante

Awesome!!. Awesome book. Ive seen the movie multiple times and it’s amazing and exhilarating

Loved reading this. So I watched the movie before ever hearing about the book, seems to be how things are for me, and I really enjoyed the movie. When I found this I was expecting the movie to have taken liberties and changed things, something’s made sense. Between the two mediums… I found the book funnier. A lot funnier. The sarcasm (and sass?) of Mark is hilarious. I enjoyed the overall pacing of the book, the problem solving for survival, and the humor that was written. Note to self: don’t leave Earth 😂

Fun. A wonderful read. I bought it before a flight and had the most incredible journey of my life!

A true page-turner!. The Martian begins with one of the best and most memorable introductions I have ever read. In my opinion, it is on par with "Call me Ishmael". The book only gets better from there as this Robinson Crusoe survival story takes very few scientific shortcuts, yet this ripping yarn is truly a page-turner in the best sense of the word. I was introduced to this story via the fantastic audiobook, but I also cannot say enough about the motion picture. Obvious language warning, but I would imagine that being stranded all alone on an alien planet might have that effect of almost anyone. Buy this book today. One of the great American Classics!

The Martian. Interesting, quick read, common sense

The Martian. Fantastic, and as usual, it was better than the movie. That’s because one can use their imagination while reading any book that provides entertainment, and I’m NOT referring to trade journals or magazines!

Loved it!!. This was my first sci-fi book but I love survival books. Was a welcome twist for my normal genre.

Ending was Great. Overall the book was good. I got a little bored with a lot of the talk about the main character doing calculations and things like that. I felt like it went too in detail on that sometimes. If I only rated the last quarter of the book, though, it’d be 5 star

The Martian. Best book, totally believable how Mark survives the harsh Martian landscape. Read it twice.

Sensacional, de principio a fin!!!. Estupendo relato de Ciencia Ficción, que me mantuvo pegada al libro, alegrándome cuando Mark encontraba la solución a algo y sufriendo cuando algo salía mal. Es increíble la forma en que se aferra a la vida y acabe adorando su sarcástico buen humor. Este marxiano me atrapó desde que comencé a leerlo. Muy recomendable!

Swag. Very swag

Genre-breaking Sci Fi. I didn’t think I would like hard math and science in such a compelling story! Just read this book!!

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Best read in years!. Compelling! Read cover to cover!

Amazing read never put it down!. I'm not a huge reader and burned through this book in an afternoon. The characters are amazing and the situations really keep you involved. Definetly an amazing book!

Best book in a long time!!. Great page turner and I kinda wished it never ended! Please write more Andy!

Great Book. Great book ,funny and amazing plot!

Great book. Well written

Martian. Great read.

Great book to read. I really enjoyed the movie so decided to read the book to get more of the back story to what the lead character was thinking as he handled each difficult situation and scenario. It's a great quick read, though about half way through I started skipping some of the "sciency" stuff since it started to get boring. There are some tense moments - especially near the end - and some funny ones. Definitely recommended.

Martian. OMG AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Yes it's as good as they say. Couldn't put it down, lost a lot of sleep. Still tottaly satisfied. Mark watney ladies and gentlemen, so good.

Amazing. Couldn't put this book down. Very well done.

The Martian. A well written witty story painting the possible hazards of a Mars expedition. Some may find the technical solutions boring but I found them to be ingenious. Damn funny at times.

What a great adventure!!!. Perfect

The Martian. Andy Weir may be considered the next Douglas Adams. The way Andy engages the reader with humor when the protagonist is in danger is very difficult to do. This is definitely one of my favorite Science Fiction Books of all time.

Absolutely fantastic. Could not put this novel down. Best book I've read in years.

Excellent!. A great read. Couldn't put it down! Highly recommended

Page turner. I stayed up till 4 am reading this book one night... I rarely even read books. Even after a day spent studying and working I couldn't wait to go to bed and read about Mark. Wish the ending had a bit more closure, but it was great nonetheless!!

Great Book. Loved the storyline, and the ingenious ways he fixed things

Fantastic!. One of the best books I've read in months. Smart, funny and compelling - I hated to see it end.

One of the most interesting book I've read. This book is great, full of jokes and has a compelling story that will keep you entertained from start to finish. I've read it in a day, that's how good it is.

A sweet treat of a read. This was so interesting and suspenseful of a read. Like many others I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day and a half as I put my life on hold. The Mark Watney character was a real favourite of mine with his sarcasm and love of life. A true "never say die" attitude. Congratulations Andy Weir on a great writing job"

Pooping in a dumpster. Pooping in space would rock you could touch it

The Martian. One of the most exciting books I have read in a long time!!!! Wow!! Had me biting my nails!!

For Space Nerds and You Normies. Quick, easy, gripping, science, survival and space travel. Hard to put this one down based on those stats.

Great book. I loved every page and couldn't put it down. Go for it and you will not be disappointed.

The Martian: Review. Heard it was good, and I watched the movie. The storm is not possible since the atmosphere is so thin on Mars, it would have to be 40 times of what earth's would be to be the same. Otherwise sounds like a GREAT book and going to read it soon. Movie was also good too.

Brilliant. Just riveting and plain awesome. Best scifi book I have read, ever.

Funny. One of the few reads that are laugh-out-loud funny. "In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl"

Couldn't stop reading .... What a great book. Easy to read and well written, even the technical/science parts, and characters you are rooting for. Lots of suspense with a dash of humour thrown in. I literally could not stop reading it, even though I cheated and read the last page, so knew what to expect.

Not terrible, not great. Written mostly in a diary format, it's mostly unbelievable. Diary is written not just for a layman, but he was maybe expecting a 6th grader to read it. And the overuse of the word "yay!" bothered me quite a bit. For example; "I was able to connect this to that. Yay!" I didn't think it would work, but it did. Yay!" For a scientist/astronaut, he uses the term "Yay!" a lot... This will be one of those stories where the movie is actually better than the book.

Fantastic!. The best books I've ever read in years. Smart, funny, compelling.

Such a great ride.. I'll admit it. I saw the movie first. Still, I loved this book so much. The intelligence, the humour...the ride. As always, the book has so much more than what a movie can offer, and despite knowing how it would end I was enthralled. After all, like many other enjoyable things in this life...it is not the destination but the journey that is most fun.

The Martian....a fantastic read. One of the best books I've read. It was hard to put down once I started reading it.

Page turner. I enjoyed that. Quick ending but it was about the journey there more than anything.

Top Notch Science Fiction. A quick read full of intense survival with lots of gory, technical details about the perils of space travel.

Awesome!. Once I started I couldn't put the book down! Very smart and funny. Loved it!

Absolutely. Brilliant witty and fun on top of true grit

Wow!. A great and compelling read.

Totally Awesome. This is a great read. It flows very well and keeps the reader interested the whole time. I can't wait to see the movie.

The Martian. Very good! Read like a blog from Mars!

Fascinating page turner. Pretty darn good character sketches especially given the format constraints. Bit of an abrupt ending. I'd cast Hugh Jackman as Mark Watney. Absorbing tale!

Amazing. Had me on the edge of my pages (?). Loved the whole thing !

Amazing. I watched the movie eight years ago and didn’t remember too much from it. I thought it would spoil the book but it did not. The book was so much more detailed and memorable than the movie.

A story about not giving up. This is a story to share. It is about not giving up even when you might think that everything is lost. Enjoy the science, the sadness, the desperation, the humor and the achievement combined inside a great narration. The Martian is about humankind and what define the greatest part of all of us.

Should be mandatory reading to all engineers-to-be!. This is a fun book to read for all ingenious and engineers of this world with its multidisciplinary problem-solving, coupling solo and team work in extreme conditions with hard-nose science to back it. The book could be the basis for a serious game putting learners in such extreme conditions and attempting to survive using their scientific, engineering and technology knowledge.