Andy Weir's The Martian
16 Jan 2018 21:36![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So I read this while waiting for Yuletide to reveal, and I liked it! The copy at hand was the Young Readers' Edition, so all the fucks had been edited out, but I don't think I missed all that much.
All in all, it was pretty much what I expected, that is, there was a lot of first-person "captain's log" stuff with engineering nitty-gritty which I enjoyed immensely, some third person "meanwhile on Earth" stuff that I enjoyed a bit less, and it was a heartwarming tale about people coming together. I enjoyed Watney's narration, and the ingeniousness of things like the living room. Thinking about what everyone else had to sacrifice – the Saturn mission and the Chinese solar observation mission – was sad. I might request fic about repairing the Hermes after its too-long time in space, or an AU where the blowout doesn't happen and Watney potato farms in peace. Not really into shipping.
All in all, it was pretty much what I expected, that is, there was a lot of first-person "captain's log" stuff with engineering nitty-gritty which I enjoyed immensely, some third person "meanwhile on Earth" stuff that I enjoyed a bit less, and it was a heartwarming tale about people coming together. I enjoyed Watney's narration, and the ingeniousness of things like the living room. Thinking about what everyone else had to sacrifice – the Saturn mission and the Chinese solar observation mission – was sad. I might request fic about repairing the Hermes after its too-long time in space, or an AU where the blowout doesn't happen and Watney potato farms in peace. Not really into shipping.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-17 00:31 (UTC)LOL, I estimate the book was therefore about 13% shorter than the real thing :P
The first point POV sections were definitely my favorite part about the book, by a looong shot (I just don't think the "meanwhile on Earth" ones are nearly as well written; Weir does a great nerdy smartass first person, cycling third person or omniscient or whatever those other sections were in, not so much).
no subject
Date: 2018-01-17 08:09 (UTC)I agree. Like, I've read worse prose, but those were the low end of serviceable. Some of the ideas within were good, but had it all been in that style, I'd be demanding fix-it fic of "rewrite the book but in a PROPER prose style gdi".
no subject
Date: 2018-01-17 01:37 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-17 07:46 (UTC)