From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Martian

Andy Weir

Start date: November 21, 2014

Finish date: December 20, 2014

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Natacha

Why we're reading this: Group discussion November 21, 2014
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What Members Thought

Dec 10, 2014 Sue rated it liked it · review of another edition

NASA InSight Mission will get your name to Mars.

http://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send...

[Last day to register was September 8, 2015.]

Here is the trailer for the "The Martian" movie which debuted October 2nd with Matt Damon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PC...

[Matt Damon IS Mark Watney. He gives the character heart and life and makes the audience root for and care about him.]

["The Martian" screenplay hones "The Martian" story plot into one that the audience can understand and also makes memor ...more

38 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2015 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi, 1ebook, 2fiction

Colds normally suck, but this time I got just sick enough that I didn't want to move about yet was still clear headed enough that I could read today, so I read this. (Yesterday I watched 2 episodes of "the Flash", 2 "Grey's Anatomy" & 1 "Heroes Reborn". A week's worth with a nap in between. That's sick.)

Generally I hate over-hyped novels. They either have my hopes set too high or I'm sick of them before I start. I managed to cower under my rock well enough that I didn't get too many spoilers be ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

May 21, 2014 Tom rated it it was amazing

Wow. Great read. Near future sci-fi... near enough so I'm not really sure it's sci fi. Maybe "future speculative fiction... that includes a lot of science?"

Manned mission to Mars turns to crap and one of the astronauts is thought dead, left behind in a habitation designed to last 30 days. Can he survive until rescue? Is a rescue even possible?

Mark Watney, the plucky, smart-assed astronaut/botanist/engineer, survives one Mars-near-death-experience after another. He gets by with his wits and the ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2014 mina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Full of math, physics, chemistry, IT stuff, yet it's a very enjoyable book to read. Witty, hilarious in some parts, fast-paced (although Mark Watney didn't feel that way), smartly plotted, with a very likeable protagonist. You will end up liking the other characters, too. It looks like every one in this book has some sarcastic streak.

By the way, I really like the last log by Mark Watney at the end of the book.

I finished the last fourth of the book in one sitting in one early Saturday morning ( ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2015 Timothy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, science, astronomy

I absolutely loved this book. I tore through it in just a few days! I haven't done that with a novel in quite some time so I am currently recommending it to everybody.

Andy Weir does an excellent job weaving together a reasonably scientifically accurate depiction of a lone man's survival on mars with a gripping and compelling narrative. There really weren't any boring parts in the book and the science is there to enjoy casually or to concentrate on as the reader wishes.

If I ever start writing, t ...more

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