bri__'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This was really really good. I loved the writing style, it was really engaging and kept me invested in the story. The layout of the chapters and the difference in perspectives made it feel so much faster and made it more interesting to read. I liked the characters, particularly the main one, Mark. The way he's written just made me want to root for him and his survival. The only reason why this book isn't 5 stars for me is because I found myself realising that I hadn't comprehended anything that I had read when it got really technical, particularly when explaining the mathematics or technology. With that being said, this is definitely a book I would recommend for someone that is into sci-fi, survival, space and STEM. And even if you aren't into these specific things, I would still recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Excrement, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape and Cannibalism
chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ngl I was confused for about 20% of the book because of all the math, science, and engineering. My brain was working overtime to understand and imagine everything. I tried my best but I'm pretty sure I was making shit up sometimes. But nonetheless, I still appreciated the amount of science and research that went into this book and it felt incredibly realistic (but what do I know, because I will not be fact-checking at all).
Although I enjoyed Project Hail Mary much more, this was still good and I was invested in the mission to save Mark Watney as well. The humor gets kinda childish, but it still made me laugh a few times.
I will say I was curious on how Andy Weir was going to handle the narrative of Watney being the only man on Mars and trying to survive and make it back to Earth. I thought it was very much going to be a solo mission and so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that we were also going to get the pov of the crew on Earth who are also working to save Watney's life. I think this is what I enjoyed most about the book, that even though Watney is physically on his own on another planet, he's not in the fight alone because he has a whole team and crew working with him to save his life. It was very touching to see the amount of people working to save one person.
Although I enjoyed Project Hail Mary much more, this was still good and I was invested in the mission to save Mark Watney as well. The humor gets kinda childish, but it still made me laugh a few times.
I will say I was curious on how Andy Weir was going to handle the narrative of Watney being the only man on Mars and trying to survive and make it back to Earth. I thought it was very much going to be a solo mission and so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that we were also going to get the pov of the crew on Earth who are also working to save Watney's life. I think this is what I enjoyed most about the book, that even though Watney is physically on his own on another planet, he's not in the fight alone because he has a whole team and crew working with him to save his life. It was very touching to see the amount of people working to save one person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
Moderate: Cannibalism, Death, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
roadesntoades's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism and Drug use
thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, and Excrement
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Most of the sciency stuff was confusing to me but my knowledge of engineering and physics is close to zero. The characters were fun and well fleshed, and the dialogue bits made me chuckle out loud. Overall good but I don't think I'll be re-reading soon unless I suddenly acquire three more braincells.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
i don’t quite understand the point of the format. it’s mostly told through Watney’s own typed logs, but there’s also voice log transcripts and a third person omniscient narrator detailing rescue attempts back on Earth and foreshadowing disasters on Mars. just a bit convoluted.
tbh some of the heavy science stuff was boring and confusing, which is why i looked forward to Earth scenes so much. i liked the science details in Project Hail Mary better, there it felt less nebulous (lol). however i much prefer Mark Watney over Project Hail Mary’s Ryland Grace: The Martian’s narrator is not just tolerable but actually likable and funny. Andy i appreciate the effort to flesh out the minor characters back on Earth, but having a habit of “squaring papers” is not a personality trait. overall, I think Project Hail Mary had the better story while The Martian was superior on the more delicate aspects of characters and themes.
tbh some of the heavy science stuff was boring and confusing, which is why i looked forward to Earth scenes so much. i liked the science details in Project Hail Mary better, there it felt less nebulous (lol). however i much prefer Mark Watney over Project Hail Mary’s Ryland Grace: The Martian’s narrator is not just tolerable but actually likable and funny. Andy i appreciate the effort to flesh out the minor characters back on Earth, but having a habit of “squaring papers” is not a personality trait. overall, I think Project Hail Mary had the better story while The Martian was superior on the more delicate aspects of characters and themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Excrement
Moderate: Drug use, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol, Rape, Cancer, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Grief
re: rape: one use of the word in the context of vandalismcreepypiespice's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism
jenna_justi2004's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Excrement, Medical content, Vomit, and Blood
Minor: Cannibalism
dottiewankenobi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am not a big science person, and space terrifies me, but I could read this book and understand it just fine. When I got scared, it wasn't because of space but because of the events of the book.
The Martian SUCKS. YOU. IN. I couldn't put it down. I read it in class and got yelled at for reading it. I didn't care, I wanted to finish my chapter.
I can't put in words how much I love this book. The cussing is only a small part of that lol.
---------
re-read Apr 2022. still just as good as before. I also saved some lines from the book that I felt were thesis statements so they are below:
The Martian SUCKS. YOU. IN. I couldn't put it down. I read it in class and got yelled at for reading it. I didn't care, I wanted to finish my chapter.
I can't put in words how much I love this book. The cussing is only a small part of that lol.
---------
re-read Apr 2022. still just as good as before. I also saved some lines from the book that I felt were thesis statements so they are below:
"A steady, obnoxious beeping that eventually roused me from a deep and profound desire to just fucking die." / "As I groggily came to, I wondered why I wasn't more dead." (both page 4) "So I'm 250 liters short of my 250-liter goal. Bleh. I'm going to bed." (page 20) "[...], but I have some ideas. Really bad ideas, but they're ideas." (page 22) "The answer is: I don't know. I suppose I'll think of something. Or die." (page 27) "I've grown accustomed to hearing the alarms blare at all times." (page 34) "Astronauts are inherently insane. And really noble." (page 62) "I guess you could call it a 'failure,' but I prefer the term 'learning experience.'" (page 72) "It's a problem that rarely comes up on Earth, but hey. Mars." (page 110) "To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it's 'Tuesday'." (page 152) "Things didn't go exactly as planned, but I'm not dead, so it's a win." (page 167) "He could only watch and hope." (page 184) / "The world was holding its breath." (page 185) "I'm not giving up. Just planning for every outcome. It's what I do." (page 192) "Life is amazingly tenacious. They [the bacteria] don't want to die any more than I do." (page 224) "That's my bullshit rationalization and I'm sticking with it." (page 236) "Are we just watching a tragedy play out?" (page 287) "I'm not talking about faith in God, I'm talking about faith in Mark Watney. Look at all the shit Mars has thrown at him and he's still alive. He'll survive this. I don't know how, but he will. He's a clever son of a bitch." (page 292) "I had an EVA and things aren't too bad. Mind you, they're not good." (page 313) "Something had to give, and it wasn't going to be me." (page 316) "I've done a little of everything here, because I'm the only one around to do it." (page 341)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, and Confinement
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, and Excrement
Minor: Medical content and Suicidal thoughts
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