Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Posted September 9th, 2015 in book review / 39 comments

Review: The Martian by Andy WeirThe Martian by Andy Weir
Publisher: Crown on February 11, 2014
Genres: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Pages: 369
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating: five-stars

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

At A Glance

I want to have Martian babies with this book.

The Good

After finishing The Martian, I had to take a break from reading for a few days. There was literally no book that interested me after reading the amazingness of The Martian. Nothing is going to live up to this book for some time.

The best part of this book is Mark. Best. Protagonist. Ever! He was fucking hilarious. He’s the kind of guy you would want to be stranded with. He lightens the mood while figuring out how to survive like a boss! I don’t think there is anything Mark can’t do. This mofo is stuck on Mars with few supplies and support and sciences the shit out of his minimal assets to last for years! Now that’s a guy I would let have sex with me. 😀 Competent science geeks are hot!

The story flowed beautifully. We get to see some stories outside of Mars, like the crew that left him (they thought he was dead) and NASA. They are all scrambling to save him but, of course, everything that can possibly go wrong, goes wrong. I gotta be honest, my butthole was clenched through this whole book. Yes, I just said that! I was so stressed. I had to keep getting up, walking around, setting the book down because my nerves were fried. That’s how much this book affected me.

I am not a science person. At all. But Weir made science understandable. Crazy, I know. Physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, all of it was explained in a way that the average person could completely understand what was going on. Yay, science! Each character had depth and a unique personality. Weir took his descriptions of Mars and NASA equipment to a whole other level. I was there, every step, right along with Mark.

The Bad

There were a lot of scientific explanations that could get tedious sometimes.

The Snuggly

No romance. Romance in a story about a guy alone on Mars would have taken this book to weird places.

Final Thoughts

Read it!!! Now!!! This is not a genre I read very often and I am going cray-cray over it. It was almost perfection. Mark was one of the best protagonists ever written. I think anyone could love this book. Very, highly recommended.

Quotes

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.”

“I can’t wait till I have grandchildren. When I was younger, I had to walk to the rim of a crater. Uphill! In an EVA suit! On Mars, ya little shit! Ya hear me? Mars!”

“Me: “This is obviously a clog. How about I take it apart and check the internal tubing?” NASA: (after five hours of deliberation) “No. You’ll fuck it up and die.” So I took it apart.”

“If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human that it’s found in every culture without exception. Yes, there are assholes who just don’t care, but they’re massively outnumbered by the people who do.”

“WATNEY: Look! A pair of boobs! -> (.Y.).”

“My asshole is doing as much to keep me alive as my brain.”

I am so freaking excited for the movie!

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39 Responses to “Review: The Martian by Andy Weir”

  2. Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons

    I loved this book on audio. It has a great narrator for anyone who likes audiobooks. I’m so excited to see the movie. I think Matt Damon will be a great Mark Watney. It is a book I never would’ve read if it hadn’t be pushed on my by BookaholicCat. I think her still for it.

    Reply

  3. Red Iza

    Your “snuggly” line made me snigger, lol ! I’m happy that book carried you away on Mars too, but I loved this book so much that I don’t know if I’ll even try to see the movie 🙂

    Reply

  4. Bob @ Beauty in Ruins

    Such a brilliant book. I was fortunate enough to read an early ARC when it was being picked up by a major publisher, but before the hype began, so it was a genuine surprise. I looked at it like MacGyver meets Castaway . . . but in space! 🙂

    Reply

  5. kindlemom1

    So many people have loved this! I wish my library would get it in. I might have to break down and just buy it dang it!
    Wonderful review!

    Reply

  6. kimbacaffeinate

    *whispers* thank god you loved it. I listened on audio and it was brilliant. Everytime I see a review I hold my breath because I don’t think I could handle it if they said it was meh. I am totally going to see the movie on release day..it is my birthday weekend.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      OMG, birthday weekend. That is pretty awesome. Yeah, I don’t see how anybody could write a bad review about this one.

      Reply

  7. Shane Morgan (@itchingforbooks)

    Great review. I’ve heard good things about this book and it’s awesome that there’s a movie coming out. I’m not big into reading sci-fi books, but I do love the movies. Still, I’m intrigued about The Martian. Hopefully I’ll pick it up soon.

    Reply

  8. Kristin

    HaHaHaHa Girl, you crack me up. I definitely did not need to know about your butthole.
    I’m really surprised you enjoyed this one as much as you did. You and I tend to enjoy the same books and this one. I’ve been eyeing this book since it was on NetGalley but while it pulled me in every time I saw it, the synopsis always told me that it wasn’t for me. I’ll have to see if my library has a copy of it. 🙂

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      My butthole is lovely and everyone should know about it! lol.
      I know, this doesn’t seem like my kind of book, but it was.

      Reply

  10. Lekeisha

    Now you see why I love this so much! Mark is just THE greatest character. His humor and intellect made the story for me. Riding around in that ghetto MAV like he’s taking a Cross-country trip. LOL! Awesome review!

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      Seriously! He is crazy awesome. I would be shitting my pants every day if I were in his position.

      Reply

  11. Jaclyn Canada

    Wow! I didn’t have a clue this one was a book. I saw the preview not long ago and definitely wanted to see the movie 😀 I have a book-hangover now too after reading The Queen of Shadows. So glad it was that fantastic. I’ll definitely have to add this one to my to-read list. Out of genre, maybe, but it sounds like an amazing story.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      I so wish you would read this one. I know it’s not your genre, but seriously! I need to read Queen of Shadows soon.

      Reply

  12. Nathan

    I haven’t read this book yet, though I used to read more sci-fi. I am glade you enjoyed it. Maybe I will see the movie, or both the movie and the book!

    Reply

  13. Christy

    Oh sure, you’d let the competent geek have sex with you, but not listen to his tedious science talk. lol. The science talk IS sexy, though! 😀 I’m glad you loved this, because I’d have to question your sanity if you hadn’t.

    Reply

  14. Melissa (My World...in words and pages)

    So glad you loved the book. The movie does look amazing. I hope to get to watch it. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Melliane

    Maybe I’ll have to try after all the amazing reviews but I confess that I’m not a fan of space and all that so I’m quite anxious. I’m glad tou had such a great time. happy reading!

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      I know, I was reluctant to read this one too. You just gotta jump and take a chance.

      Reply

  17. Braine Talk Supe

    I know it’s minor, but it’s those scientific babble that gets to me. See, I’m the type of reader where IT HAS TO MAKE SENSE TO ME. So even if it’s not plausible in real life, while I’mr eading the book I have to understand it.

    So I’ll skip the novel and just watch the movie. lol

    Lovely review, J!

    Reply

  18. Olivia Roach

    Everyone seems to be reading this one and falling in love with it! I need to read this one myself now as well! I am looking forward to it :3 Ahaha, I loved your comment about it being romanceless as well. People do mention the scientific information but that it didn’t distract much from the story at all, even if you don’t understand it. I am so reading this, brilliant review! x

    My recent post: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2015/09/crafty-and-cooking-messes-apple-and.html

    Reply

  19. Ashley

    Damn! I love your enthusiasm!

    I’ve been interested in the movie, but if I’m being honest I never even thought about reading the book. I think there are some genres or types of books I just prefer to see on screen because I know I won’t click with the book, and I thought this would be one of them.

    But now I’m getting itchy fingers with that “One Click Purchase” button. 😀

    Reply

    • Jennifer Bielman

      I think you could totally click with this book. There is something special there. I got it on sale for 1.99.

      Reply

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