Note: This article was originally posted to an earlier version of the site in October or November 2021.

I’m excited about today’s blog post, as it’s my first book review! (And the title is pretty good, if I do say so myself.)

Today’s review is about “The Martian” by Andy Weir, a science fiction novel in which the main character, Mark Watney, becomes stranded on Mars.

The book starts with Mark explaining all the technical points about space missions and how he came to be in the situation he finds himself in. As the story continues, the reader gets to see how Mark uses wit and humor to not only survive on Mars, but also give himself a source of hope in a hopeless-seeming situation.

One thing I like that Weir crafted in the story is a sense of humanity and togetherness. NASA and JPL come together on Earth to save one man’s life, spending hundreds and hundreds of hours in the process. It shows that when people want to help each other, they will go to great lengths to do so.

In an interview, Weir noted that highlighting the good of humanity was important to him, and I think he did an excellent job of this in his story.

I wasn’t expecting to be as interested in all the extensive science, math, and calculations as I was, but I was. I’m not a math major for a reason – sure, I can do the basics and I’ve learned what I’ve needed to, but I’m definitely not at a high-enough level to be an astronaut.

It was interesting to see something I’m not typically hyper-enthusiastic about presented in a way that felt imaginable and applicable to a realistic situation. Perhaps my usual, general disinterest in solving math problems is what sparked the interest for parts of this book.

I didn’t understand all of the math right away, but it was engaging, mostly, at the very least.

While there are aspects of the book I enjoyed reading, there were also some I did not like.

First of all, I found Mark Watney to be annoying. Granted, he is the first fictional person to get stuck on Mars and survive (that I’m aware of), but the book could have done without all of the “yays!” and “boos!”

It sounded like the diary entries from my best friend’s sixth-grade notebook that she read one time. Those were pretty funny, but granted, I am biased. She is my best friend, after all, and Mark Watney, is, well,…not. I’m glad Mark isn’t my friend. He’d probably make me groan internally too much if I had to be around him for a long time.

In the first few chapters of the novel, Watney says a couple of times that he thinks he might die.

It would have made for a much smoother read if he had, but then this story wouldn’t be a novel, would it? It would be a super-short story, a bearable one, even, instead of a drawn-out, dragged-around novel. 

Additionally, I just could not get into Weir’s writing style. It felt rushed and bumbled.

I do give him credit for trying to write a novel and getting published, though. 

I’m not a professional writer, I’m just some college lass who’s not an English major with a blog on the internet. But even though this is the case, I still feel as though I can give this piece of criticism.

One does not need to be a baker to know when a cake is bad, after all.

Especially me. I don’t bake, but my sisters do, and now, I’ve been spoiled with delightfully-decorated, delicious cakes. I’ll never be able to eat a store-bought cake the same way again. It’s such a dilemma. I’ve found myself in quite a predicament. I suppose it’s a good one to be in, though.

Tangent aside, here was my first thought about the writing style.

“I don’t know if I’ll like this,” I thought to myself.

After a while, that “I don’t know” changed to “I know I don’t.”

And it isn’t even that long – it’s only three hundred and sixty nine pages. This was a long read, though – it took me around three-and-a-half weeks to get through, which was longer than I was expecting. Most of the time, I read books in a shorter timespan. I wouldn’t have finished this if it weren’t for English class. Sorry, Professor.

I originally rated this book a three out of five stars, but then, that felt too generous, so I bumped it down to a two, and then a three again once I got past chapter 16.

If it takes me almost more than the halfway point of a book to enjoy it, it gets an automatic three.

Thankfully, I’m not the only person who didn’t enjoy this. There are some reviews with similar star ratings out there, which I suggest you check out. 

Some of these people perfectly put into words what I wanted to express but couldn’t. Some of them were especially funny, like this one: “I started reading it but the log entries, written in a style similar to facebook status updates, were obnoxious and distracting and I put the book down. I was convinced Watney’s fellow crew found him obnoxious as well and abandoned him on Mars.”

This person was lucky – at least s/he could afford to put the book down. I could not, because if I did, I’d lose my precious “A” in the class, and then I’d be really bummed, almost as bummed as Mark when he realizes he’s been abandoned by his crewmates in the beginning.

So, for all the people who disliked this book, just like I did, thank you for sharing. I very much appreciate it.

Andy Weir does have two other recent science fiction books out, titled “Artemis” and “Project Hail Mary”, respectively.

Will I pick them up? Maybe I should, maybe I’ll like them. There’s also a chance that I won’t. If I do, I’ll definitely keep all of you updated. Let me know what you think in the comments – maybe we can even start a lively debate.