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The Martian

Andy Weir

Start date: May 1, 2022

Finish date: May 31, 2022

Discussion: BOTMs

Why we're reading this: Adult BOTM for May
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What Members Thought

Aug 21, 2022 Lucy Carter rated it liked it

Shelves: good-contemporary-novels, eloquent-and-palpable-lessons, academics, science, mathematics, physics

3.5/5 stars

The Martian, scientist Andy Weir's debut novel, is about a mechanic/botanist called Mark Watney and his life surviving Mars. After being left behind and mistaken to be dead during a dust storm on Mars, Watney wrote daily entries about his thoughts on this matter and his methods of survival. With his resilience, wit, and scientific ingenuity, Watney was able to survive on Mars while NASA, his crewmates, and governments were striving to rescue him off of Mars. He was able to navigate e 3.5/5 stars

The Martian, scientist Andy Weir's debut novel, is about a mechanic/botanist called Mark Watney and his life surviving Mars. After being left behind and mistaken to be dead during a dust storm on Mars, Watney wrote daily entries about his thoughts on this matter and his methods of survival. With his resilience, wit, and scientific ingenuity, Watney was able to survive on Mars while NASA, his crewmates, and governments were striving to rescue him off of Mars. He was able to navigate equipment, fix and engineer necessary items, and make a potato farm for extra food supply.

I think a book like this is more interesting when it is being written than when it is being read, and it might be beneficial to obtain prior knowledge about space before reading this, so audiences can appreciate the subtleties and implications of the science, but the book can still be considered appreciable even without prior knowledge and perspective of the writing process.

Mark Watney's characterization was very compelling and entertaining. He exercised the creativity, problem-solving skills, and retention that is characteristic of any genius scientist, but he also manifested traits and qualities that any human being, whether they work in a technical field or not, would have, which rendered him a relatable character: humor, wit, the desire to survive, a need for entertainment.

The characterization of the men and women who tried to rescue Watney was also fascinating. Although they were technically side characters, they, like Watney, had their own goals, their own definitions of entertainment, and their own hard and soft skills they can exercise to help rescue Watney.

As well as revealing how each individual in this book contributed to the rescue, the fact that NASA, governments, scientists, news stations, and random citizens all united to run trials, invent technology, and inquire about Watney's welfare was pretty inspiring.

This was not the best book I have ever read, but it had some positive components. ...more

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