Review: The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The Good
The Martian begins with a bang, as an American astronaut is wounded and stranded on Mars. Left alone with his best chance of rescue years away, he scrambles to find ways to extend his meager resources.

Characters in the book are likeable, and at times, laugh out loud funny, especially the main character. It's almost impossible to NOT cheer for him. He's a problem solver with a monstrous slate of problems.

Pacing was well done--and though there is a LOT of science and math in this book--Andy Weir pulls off making every bit of it interesting. And lets admit it, when the difference between four and five watts will save your life, it's interesting. Mr. Weir explains why the astronaut does everything, and draws the reader in.

As far as the audiobook goes, the narrator is Ray Porter. Ray-frickin-Porter people! If you haven't listened to his audio work, you are truly missing out. He's my absolute favorite and the best in the business.

The Bad
My only complaint with this book was the ending. It was over far too soon. It was exciting and finished well, but I would have liked more. Just a little. 10-20 pages. 50 tops.

The Spin
This story is so good that it's being made in to a movie (coming out in 2015). That's good news for the book, bad news for the director and crew. They have to take a story with the action and thrills of Apollo 13 or Gravity, and bring it to life. If they screw it up, fans of the novel will not forgive them. A lot of the material will translate to film, but they'll have to make a slightly different approach.

Either way, read or listen to this one before the movie comes out. You'll be glad you did.




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