The Martian: book review by Arlene.
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You will be hooked on this book The Martian by Andy Weir starting with chapter one, first sentence. Suffice it to say it only gets better from there. I am looking forward to watching it all come alive on the big screen when the movie starring Matt Damon opens in theaters soon.
The story unfolds with astronaut Mark Watney along with the rest of his crew traveling to Mars on the Ares III Program. The Ares Program was designed to send people to another planet for the very first time.
The Ares I and Ares II crews successfully completed their missions preparing the way for the Ares III crew to be the first humans to land on Mars and return to Earth successfully. Here is where the story and that plan take many different turns.
The Ares III crew of 6, after traveling 124 days, gets to Mars. They take the MDV (Mars Descent Vehicle) to the surface of Mars to begin their exploration. All of their supplies were brought there in advance. It took 14 unmanned missions to deliver all the supplies and food they would need for their mission and surface operations.
Okay, here is where it gets really exciting and interesting …… After 6 days they were caught in a massive sandstorm which threatened all their lives and forced NASA to give the order to abort the mission. They had to go out into the hellish sandstorm and to the crew’s dismay, everyone made it except Mark Watney because the crew was forced to leave him behind.
Here is where his survival begins.
His engineering skills, imagination, ingenuity and sense of humor, but I think most of all, his acceptance of how and why he alone was stranded on Mars gave him the perseverance and strength and will to go on.
He lived when everyone thought he was dead. All that time alone, the only person on a whole planet, finally manages to communicate with Earth.
This accomplishment becomes reality when you reader, are already engrossed in his daily struggle for survival that will keep you going, page by page, rooting for him all the way.
On the other side you will see his crew, the NASA chain of command, other countries and the whole world rooting for him along with you.
The Martian is quite a ride!! It is a MUST READ for any science fiction buff and anyone who has followed the Space Program.
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If you have read The Martian we would be interested in your thoughts. Please leave a comment below or join us in our The Martian book club discussion questions part 1,
I have just finished this book and really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the recommendation! It was a good choice.
Hello Susan, we are happy to hear that you enjoyed reading The Martian by Andy Weir.
The feedback we receive from our readers is very helpful in how we are choosing our selections. We certainly appreciate your comments and please continue to let us know if you like or do not like our future recommendations.
Thank you!
Are you kidding!? Are they really making a movie about this book? That’s awesome! I want to watch it already just because of your review here and I haven’t even read the book yet! I’m excited!
Do you think I’d have enough time to read the book before the movie comes out? How many pages of reading is it? And do you know when the movie is supposed to hit the theaters?
All The Best,
Jeremy David Wilson
Hello Jeremy,
The movie based on “The Martian” has been out in theaters since before the holidays and has gotten rave reviews. The book was fun and interesting to read. If you are too late to see the movie and are still interested in reading the book I think you would really enjoy it. It is one of those books you want to keep reading to see what happens next. Thanks for your interest.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Dinh
I didn’t actually read the book, but I saw the movie. Probably my favourite movie of the year. Great story and watching the main character use his intellect and engineering skills to get out of one ridiculously bad situation after another was really inspiring!
Usually the book is better than the movie and if that is true, this is a must read!
David
I liked your review and will put it to my books to read!
Hi Susan,
Thanks for stopping by the book club and thanks also for your positive comments on The Martian book review. I enjoyed reading the book and hope you enjoy it too.
Great Review. I read the Martian book and loved it. Your martian book review is spot on.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I am definitely going to when it comes to our local theatre. Andy Weir is a great author. Matt Damon is a great actor, so I know the movie will be awesome. Our fascination about traveling to mars will be a reality within possibly the next decade or so. Jeffrey
Hi Jeffrey,
I appreciate your positive comments on my book review of The Martian.
I know you will enjoy the movie. Hope you are able to go see it soon as it was like the book coming to life.
Sounds like a nice book. Reading through your review went very easy as well and was nice. I was wandering how many pages the book has and if you found it better then the movie? I found the movie very nice. I am looking forward to more of your reviews! I know where I should get my books from now 🙂 Thnx
Hello Paul,
I read the trade paperback copy of The Martian and the actual story content had 369 pages. I thought the movie captured the story right on point.
I am glad I read the book first it was a great set up for the movie.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hello. Great review.
Oh, I love science fiction, be it books or movies and The Martians sounds like a great one for my next book pick. I can’t also wait to see the movie too.
Thanks, Yared
Hi Yared,
Thank you for your comments on my review. The Martian is a fun book to read and informative at the same time. If you are planning to see the movie go soon. It has been out now for awhile and as you know the movies do not stay in the theaters very long these days. Hope you enjoy both the book and the movie.
Thanks for coming on board to our book club!
Hi, Sounds like a great read. I used to love Sci Fi books, but haven’t read one in quite some time. It seems every one I picked up was just plain bad. Based on your recommendation, I’m going to give this one a try. Thanks.
Hello Hindy
Thank you for your positive comments on my review of The Martian. If my review inspired you to read the book I certainly hope you are not disappointed. I found while reading it when the technical info began to get a bit tedious the other part where The USA, NASA, and China plus the whole world watching certainly made the book exciting immediately took over. I would like to know what you thought of the book after reading it.
With everything else I have on the go I don’t know where I would find the time to read but I have to try. I love Sci-Fi books so this is one I would read and a movie I want to see. Thanks for a great book review, I’m sure it will spur more people to buy the book and read it. All the best!
Hello Peter,
I appreciate your comments on my review of The Martian. I do hope you set aside some time for yourself to read the great books out there!
Check in to Arlene’s Book Club from time to time and see what reviews we have.
We may inspire you, I hope we do!
Or just swing by for a chat at The Coffee Shop 🙂
great book! interesting story and very informative review.
Hello Renelyn
Thanks for your comments!
The Martian was a great book! I am glad you enjoyed my
review!
Great book review, I’ve seen previews for the movie and wondered what this story was all about. I may have to pick this book up since I’m finishing my current book and I love sci-fi of any kind. Have you had a chance to see the movie yet? Does it live up to the book?
Thanks for your comments on The Martian book review.
I am actually going to see the movie tomorrow in 3D so I will check back in with you after viewing the movie. I am really looking forward to seeing the story come alive on the big screen!
Hello Bryan.
I saw the Martian movie today in 3D. I thought the movie captured the book right on.
The movie moved right along all the way through and caught me up in the story line as I remembered the book as I was watching. The book is definitely worth the read and the movie did it justice and is worth seeing.
Thanks for joining in our conversation.
Great review of a great book.
Thank you Lee! I appreciate your positive feedback.
Thanks Arlene, for this awesome book review! I was seriously on the fence about whether or not I would enjoy this book. But this review made me see that I would actually enjoy it!
Thanks again!
Hello Kelen,
Thank you for your positive comments on my review for The Martian. I actually felt like you before I read the book and I was glad I made the choice to dive in!
My bio says I will read almost anything and I am almost always happy with my choices. Sharing my opinions and book recommendations with my friends and family who also love reading and listening to theirs always expands the reading experience. In this world we live in today we all need and escape once in awhile.
Appreciate your comments. Thanks for responding!
Hi Arlene,
Definitely looks like a good book to buy and read. It has really an amazing amount of customers reviews in Amazon.
I’m not sure though if I should get the Kindle or paperback version. I think the second would be easier for me to carry everywhere.
Hello Guy,
Yes there are many positive reviews on Amazon for The Martian.
I read the paperback version and I found the map of Mars on the inside cover to be helpful when reading the book to follow along on his journeys throughout the planet. The paperback size would be okay for carrying around if you choose to buy it. I bought the paperback version as pictured in The Martian review. Whatever your personal preference, The Martian is well worth it.
Thanks for your comments.
Wow, this sounds like a very exciting read. To be stranded anywhere alone is bad enough but on planet Mars? I wouldn’t want to be in his spacesuit! Thanks for another great review.
Thank you Yvonne.
The author Andy Weir made this book very believable, interesting and entertaining.
The technical info was a bit drawn out but the detail provided a great depiction of what the astronaut was actually experiencing.