The Martian by Andy Weir

Amy    
Lynnie 

sci-fi

This is one of those rare books that one of us loved and one of us really did not.  Make of those differing opinions what you will, but The Martian by Andy Weir is rated 4.36 on Goodreads and also won their Goodreads Choice Awards 2014 Science Fiction category.  So, it seems that Amy is definitely the oddball on this one.  The book conveys the story of a US astronaut and how he manages to survive on Mars despite being left behind by his crew during severe weather when they thought he was dead.

Amy's Review

Well, it had its moments but I am not enamored with this one. I don’t think I’ve ever skimmed as much of a novel and still bothered finishing it. I estimate I skimmed about 35% of the book. I could go into the mathematical and scientific details of how I came up with that estimate, as astronaut Mark Watney would have, but I don’t care about that great level of detail. That is precisely why I skimmed so much of this book—all the boring calculations!!! I’m a math major and I couldn’t stand all the calculations! I read novels for the enjoyment of the story, the characters, the setting, the plot, the tone, and the author creativity. And all the scientific mumbo jumbo kept getting in the way of my enjoyment and annoying me!

This book is swimming in praise and awards and I just cannot ride with the parade on this one. I liked the sense of humor in the novel. I liked several of the characters and the premise. But the execution of the story didn’t work for me.

Lynnie's Review

What an interesting adventure! I was thoroughly invested in the life & death struggles of Mark Watney after he was stranded during a mission to Mars. What a great protagonist- smart, funny, and a good attitude even in the most unimaginable situations. Spending time in his mind was always interesting. The points of view of other characters in the story- NASA, Watney's former crew mates, and even the public opinion all added to the story to make it completely flushed out.

Admittedly I enjoyed the points of the book where Watney was on his own, out of NASA's control, and we got to see his ingenuity in action (without being told what to do every step of the way). I docked it a half a star because I admit that eventually I got bored of much of the scientific detail though not so frustrated that I didn't want to continue reading. Instead, I just trusted that Watney (or NASA) had done the math & my not caring about the minutiae of the calculations didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story- I'd just skim the paragraph or two about the science or calculations & move along (unlike some other books where I find myself skimming pages at a time). Because let's be honest, I'm not going to find a mistake in their science- I don't have time or training for that! 

My teenage son also gives the thumbs up on this book- he's been talking about it ever since he read it.  
 
I'll be thinking about this book for a while- it was a great premise & execution with interesting characters. Can't ask for much more than that.