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The Martian - I LOVED it!

51 replies

macnab · 02/11/2015 14:19

I know its not new, and I know its not a literary work of art but I just absolutely loved it. I really liked the main character and was rooting for him from the start.

I will now go and watch the film of it to swoon over Matt Damon see how it compares but for anyone who's not yet seen the film and would like an easy but gripping read, I'd thoroughly recommend this book.

OP posts:
mmack · 04/11/2015 18:21

I will experiment on him at Christmas. I'm in favour of him learning facts from sources other than The Simpsons and he's a big fan of bad language. And he's never going to read all the Twilight and City of Bones type of books that his sister owns so he has to find a genre he likes.

GozerTheGozerian · 04/11/2015 18:35

Yesssss I loved it and was totally hooked. I'm getting more and more interested in science as I get older and this fed right into that. Saw film at weekend and really enjoyed that too - obviously they had to cut bits out but they got most of it spot on, including his character I think. Have recommended it to DH

Sansoora · 06/11/2015 14:10

Much to my surprise I loved it. It was very entertaining.

Flumplet · 06/11/2015 15:32

Me too it was great - really enjoyed it and his gawky humour. I would have gotten on great with him on Mars.

BestIsWest · 06/11/2015 15:40

I loved it and the film was good too and I am not a sci-fi person.

The dystopian part of Cloud Atlas was the best part.

ThatsHowYouGetAnts · 08/11/2015 21:24

I'm really nonplussed at the universal love for this book. I mean, I didn't hate it or anything. Just found it really ordinary Confused. And found the main character incredibly irritating, didn't warm to his "voice" at all; like the lone voice of dissent upthread, I could not seem to care much about his fate.

CoteDAzur · 08/11/2015 21:27

ThatsHow - Would you share the names of some of the other books you feel are 'ordinary'? I would really love to read another science-heavy book about solving math & chemistry problems on every page Smile

ThatsHowYouGetAnts · 09/11/2015 00:12

It was more the narrative voice I didn't take to, Cote, rather than the content. I think if I'd cared more about Watney instead of just wanting him to shut the fuck up I'd have been more into the plot. The parts set on earth and on the shuttle with his team running about trying to save him were much better.

I could post a list of books whose characters I disliked, but I don't think that would help you in your search for another science-heavy book about solving math & chemistry problems, as that is rather niche and is not the common denominator in books I didn't get on with Grin

CoteDAzur · 09/11/2015 11:47

"Didn't like the voice" isn't the same thing as "The book was really ordinary", is it?

I really wish The Martian were an ordinary book. That would make it easy to find books like it.

  • I didn't care about his fate
  • Found him irritating
  • Disliked the character
.... these are criticisms about books that I have come across on MN for the first time and have to admit that I don't really understand. "Disliked the character" means you can't read books about people who you wouldn't be friends with, which sounds odd to me. I have read and enjoyed books about psychopaths and serial killers.

And if you don't care about the fate of a man marooned on Mars, I would really like to know which fictional character has such interesting fate that you cared about theirs! Smile

PhyllisDietrichson · 10/11/2015 05:24

Fab book loved it.

madwomanbackintheattic · 10/11/2015 05:36

My 13yo loved it. It was recommended as a YA book by a lovely friend of ours who is a sci-fi fan working in a bookstore. His 12yo sister has just borrowed it.

My 13yo is a nerd though. He's just joined the genetic engineering club at school. The 12yo is arguably nerdier.

In other news, the advert for the film has been on here a lot, and there is a really irritating ping noise in the background that terrifies the dog.

I haven't read it, sorry.

SkaterGrrrrl · 27/01/2016 20:29

I loved it. Most excellent. Clever, gripping, original, pacey.

OldBeanbagz · 29/01/2016 08:34

I loved it. Couldn't put it down and read the whole book in two days.

My 11 year old DS is reading it now. Yes, some of the technical stuff he hasn't learnt in school yet but he has the benefit of having seen the movie first (I didn't) and being a bit of a geek.

Anything that gets him reading is good in my eyes.

redhat · 29/01/2016 08:40

I've not met anyone who hasn't loved the book. The movie has just come into sky store and DH and I are treating ourselves to it tonight with ice wine and popcorn. I'm actually quite excited to see it.

Trills · 29/01/2016 08:44

I did like the voice.

And I liked the feeling that survival on another world is mainly boredom + monotonous tasks, with brief interludes of terror.

OldBeanbagz · 29/01/2016 16:41

For those with teenagers i can heartily recommend the sci-fi novel Illuminae. Ordered it for DD but ended up reading it before her.

redhat · 29/01/2016 17:07

What sort of age range would you say for illuminae Oldbean?

Trills · 29/01/2016 17:08

For those with teenagers who are not easily scared and like scifi I recommend Gone by Michael Grant

OldBeanbagz · 30/01/2016 17:40

redhat it's probably a 12+ book. DD is 14 and loved it. It has a female heroine which makes a nice change.

traviata · 31/01/2016 22:59

I loved The Martian as well, but I kept thinking how bloody irritating it must be to be a woman working with Mark Watney and his juvenile, sexist sense of humour. It is his humour that keeps him going, but lord, it is annoying. Andy Weir (the author) - is he one of the techie types featured who has no real concept of human relationships and absolutely no sense of how to relate to women?

Eg, the main character writes a personal note to his former crew members - to Beth Johanssen he writes about how she is a "hot chick who went to Mars" and asks her,"looking like that, why are you such a nerd?". Mark Watney is told that his messages are being broadcast across the world, and he immediately draws a pair of breasts. Ya-a-awn.

mmack · 06/02/2016 19:28

It took the 12 year old all of January to read it but he enjoyed it very much.

fatowl · 09/02/2016 01:38

I enjoyed it, not what I would normally read.

The film came out on DVD yesterday and we went out to get it. (Missed it at the cinema)
Enjoyed the film too, but like with any book to film adaptation, the book has so much more. I couldn't get over that the journey to the Ares4 MAB didn't involve dust storms and rover crashes, but still enjoyed it anyway!

I liked his journal entries, little asides that you didn't get in the film, like martian coffee (hot water with a caffine pill) and his experiments with potato skin tea

BitOfFun · 09/02/2016 01:47

For parents of under-12s, I thoroughly recommend Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce, which covers some of the same science in an accessible way, with a very warm and human story children will relate to. Honestly, it's superb, and very enjoyable to read aloud.

OldBeanbagz · 09/02/2016 07:43

BitOfFun I'm mid-40s and i loved Cosmic!

Heavenscent86 · 11/02/2016 18:50

I'm reading the Martian at the moment. About 3/4 of the way through it and I'm really enjoying it. I haven't found the science too inaccessible but I am doing a biology degree which covers a fair bit of chemistry and some physics too so that may have helped me somewhat.