BOOK REVIEW - The Martian - Andy Weir - Audiobook - 5*

BOOK REVIEW

The Martian - Andy Weir

I listened to Project Hail Mary last year and absolutely adored it, always had the intention of picking up The Martian to follow up. Sci-Fi can sometimes be too complex for me to comprehend but Project Hail Mary, especially in audio form, really turned the genre on its head. Everything was explained in layman's terms, easy to understand yet with amazing detail. I don't know if any of what was said was accurate, but it sounded great and I could follow the story, and that's the main thing! I had high hopes that The Martian would be the same. 

BLURB

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. 

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. 

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be long gone before a rescue could arrive. 

Chance are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. 

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills - and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit - he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

AUDIBLE BLURB - for the edition I listened to

Will Wheaton, who has lent his voice to sci-fi blockbusters like Ready Player One and Redshirts, breathes new life (and plenty of sarcasm) into the iconic character of Mark Watney, making this edition a must-listen for both longtime fans of The Martian and new listeners alike. 

BONUS MATERIAL: This edition includes the following extras:

- "Diary of an AssCan" - Mark Watney, new astronaut

- "I Made It" - A happy letter to Mom

- "Car Trouble" - A somewhat sad letter to Mom

- "The Earthling" - A postscript (Available for the first time in this recording)

MY REVIEW

Where to begin? This book met and exceeded my expectations. Will Wheaton is a fantastic narrator, he made me laugh with his quips and sarcasm, I actually forgot he was reading a book at times. It felt like I was listening to someone telling me their story not reading from a page and his interpretation added to the experience of the audiobook. 

Andy Weir is a fantastic writer of Sci-Fi. He explains things so easily and describes complex processes so impeccably that they seem straightforward. I can imagine that's no mean feat! There's a chapter dedicated to the highly intricate process of turning human waste into compost that I laughed all the way through. Maybe that's just my inner child laughing at poop banter, but when an audiobook makes me smile the same way my friends do, that's when I know I am onto a winner. 

The pace was spot on, some lengthier chapters where big technical happenings were described, separated in a "Captain's log, star date 16 million 3 hundred and 7" style. The inner geek in me loved this, especially since Will Wheaton was IN Star Trek (there are also many Trekkie references that did not get lost on me in terms of irony!). 

The plot in itself was a slightly more complex Armageddon. This isn't a bad thing, Armageddon is a great movie! It also felt more realistic due to the ingenious way the science part of sci-fi has been articulated. 

One thing I found tricky about listening to this book rather than reading was the short and snappy back-and-forth dialogue. There's a lot of dialogue between the characters on earth and the natural thing to do when writing dialogue is to add "said Joe Bloggs" at the end of each character's line. When that dialogue is quickfire, and narrated, it can become tedious. For me, I found my bubble of immersion popped a few times. This is not a negative, as I listen to audiobooks on 1.7 speed, so the incessant "said Joe" and "said Jane" was my own doing. For this reason, I preferred the chapters focussed on Mark as the sole narrator or the small group of Mark's crewmates on their shuttle. 

As we flew towards the finale, the pace picked up (along with my heart rate!) and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I was taken through a range of emotions throughout, from elation to disappointment to outright despair. I laughed and cried and shrieked, sometimes in the same chapter. What a rush! The result is incredible when an author (and narrator in this case) can elicit such a connection with the story, the characters, and the finale. Andy Weir and Will Wheaton achieved this in spades. There was also a lovely moral to the story, about humanity and kindness, which made me smile. 

The bonus material at the end of the audiobook was a lovely addition to the story, gave a little background to the character, and was a nice way to come down from the emotional rollercoaster of the main story. 

Five stars from me, for so many reasons. The storytelling was incredible, and I will be recommending and re-reading (or re-listening) The Martian for years to come. 

This book is an amazing read for anyone interested in sci-fi, hero stories, and adventure. I'd also really recommend that you listen to the audiobook even if you have read the book. It adds so much to the storytelling.

If you've read or listened to The Martian, would you agree with my rating? What did you like or dislike about the book?

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