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What Members Thought

Considering the mad amounts of chemistry and physics contained in this story, it's really an achievement that it can keep a scientific know-nothing like me engaged. A lot of credit for that has to go to the voice Weir gave to Watney, who is able to inject even the most intricate bit of scientific exposition with just the right amount of smartassery.
What's more, the amount of MacGyvering that goes into this story is inspiring to anyone who spends their time solving problems. Seems like we've reac ...more
What's more, the amount of MacGyvering that goes into this story is inspiring to anyone who spends their time solving problems. Seems like we've reac ...more

So, everyone in the world told me I had to read this book. And I knew that I did -- it was on my to-read list, I went out and bought a copy of it and everything. But then we passed my book => movie window. If a book has a movie coming out and I intend to see that movie in the theater and I don't get the book read at least six months before the movie drops, then I have to wait until after I see the movie. Or I will spend the entire movie silently swearing in my head at the director, scriptwriter,
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Botanist Astronaut Mark Watney is thought dead and left behind on Mars, and he needs to science the shit out of things to survive. I'm so glad I read this after I saw the movie, because it is super sciencey and seeing it happen helped me understand it better. But holy crap, was this an awesome adventure. I loved it just as much as I did the movie - both are wonderful and well done. I really wish we'd gotten the bedroom line with Beck and Johanssen in the movie, since we got the helmet kiss and i
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The Martian is a gripping story, one I didn't want to put down because I wanted to make sure Mark Watney made it home safely. With the recent movie and all the hype around this book, I think everyone knows the plot already: Astronaut Mark Watney gets stranded on Mars because his team had to leave the planet in a hurry and all signs indicated that he had died in the freak storm that was forcing them off the planet. He's badly injured and needs to figure out how to survive alone on a hostile plane
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Fun and engaging, but not exceptionally either. I liked the narrator's voice (and I've always been a fan of epistolary novels anyways) and was definitely invested in the story at the very end. Based on what I've heard a lot of other people say about it, I thought the book would be a series of infodumps strung together by jokes, but it really wasn't. I never felt overwhelmed by the scientific detail and the amount there was in the book seemed appropriate, if not minimal, considering he's a scient
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I absolutely loved this book! Admittedly, there were some concerns about the huge amount of "science stuff" throughout, but Andy Weir made it completely accessible and my eyes didn't cross too much with the technical stuff. The story was compelling and witty and I finished it pretty quickly for the small chunks of time I had available to read it.
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It can get a liiiiiiiitle too sciencey, but honestly I wouldn't take it away from the book as it does add to the realism. Stayed up way too late finishing it, because it was quite exciting. Looking forward to the movie!
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I think I'm in love with the protagonist! I so wish Mark was real!
Although I wish I could enjoy the nerdy Science bits, overall, loved the book! ...more
Although I wish I could enjoy the nerdy Science bits, overall, loved the book! ...more

Nov 14, 2017
Sarah
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-and-fantasy,
fiction
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I read nearly all of it on a long plane journey and was very annoyed when we landed with about thirty pages left to go.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable mix of science, engineering, inspiration, and slightly flippant commentary.
Highly entertaining. Highly recommended.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable mix of science, engineering, inspiration, and slightly flippant commentary.
Highly entertaining. Highly recommended.



Oct 25, 2015
Chris Stanford
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction-fantasy