Review copy was received from Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Martian by Andy Weir Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Published by Audible on January 1, 2020
Genres: Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera
Length: 10 hours, 59 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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 gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances 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?
I bought this years ago and finally I am reading The Martian. I didn’t really know the plot but it’s simple enough, Mark gets left behind on Mars when there is a storm. He figures out how to live with having enough supplies until the next mission there. As an engineer and the fixit guy on the mission he has an advantage for making things work. He has to figure out how to get enough water. But the big problem is food.
As a botanist, Mark figures out how to grow food. He really comes up with brilliant solutions for how to solve his various problems. I loved the science and use of various tech equipment, solar panels and EV suits.  There are some scary moments however.
His mission crew thinks he is dead. On earth, they would think so but a technician puts the satellite view and discovers he is alive. They have numerous issues to figure ways to get Mark food or get him home before he starves. Of course, things don’t go smoothly.
The Martian was so exciting and fun! I enjoyed all the current stuff but not the flashbacks so much, but there are very few. At the end, there is some epilogue as to afterward, which I appreciate.
Narration:
Wil Wheaton did a fantastic job with the personality and emotions from Mark. The other characters voices sounded appropriate. I enjoyed the performance greatly. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Andy Weir
ANDY WEIR built a career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, THE MARTIAN, allowed him to live out his dream of writing fulltime. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects such as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in California. Andy’s next book, ARTEMIS, is available now.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 26-Audio
- 26-COYER
Excellent review! I loved this too, especially the combination of science, tension and humor. All Weir’s books are like that. The movie is fantastic too.
Thank you. yes! I didn’t mention the humor enough. I haven’t seen the movie but think I will try to watch it.
I loved this book! Now you have to watch the movie💜
Thank you. yes I will try to watch the movie.
How interesting. When I listened to the audiobook back several years ago, the narrator was R.C. Bray. I felt he did an amazing job. I’m sad that they redid it with a “more famous” narrator. But I’m thankful that the older version is still in my Audible Library. Anyhow, yes. It is a fabulous book. At the time, it felt so genuine, like I needed to wake every morning to get updates from NASA. Glad you finally had the time to listen.
Now you’ve got me wondering about versions Jen. I definitely listened to the Wil Wheaton version. But the cover I had in my blog was the RC Bray version. It makes me curious if I bought both? I know I ran into something like this with Vicious by VE Schwab where I had the older narrator which didn’t show up in Audible but was in my library. Well I don’t have both maybe I just got the wrong cover from Goodreads or something.
I’ve seen the movie, but I still need to read the book and others Weir has written.
I think the book is better with more science detail and humor. But the movie was good too.
I’m so glad you loved the book – I was very disappointed with the film as it didn’t highlight the humour that pervades the book, or adequately capture the drama of his adventure. Lovely review:).
I completely agree. The book was much better. We watched the movie Saturday after my reading the book last week.
I loved this book! I listened to it back when R.C. Bray was the narrator. I had to search to find where I had the audio and it’s still on my account I have with my daughter. I didn’t know they recorded another one with Wil Wheaton. I love his performances, but I remember loving the original narrator. Glad you loved it! The movie is really good, too!
I loved the book and emjoyed the movie. The book just had more science and humor.
I had so much fun with this when I read it. I liked that it was a smart book that was also entertaining. One of the better movie adaptations too.
yes, it was smart and funny. I mean I am not an engineer or botanist but I loved hearing about it all.
This has been on my TBR for so long
The books is sciencey but funny. The movie was less detailed and less funny.
I always meant to read this before the movie came out, then saw the movie and never got around to reading it. Now that you say Wil Wheaton narrates the book, I might want to listen. BUT, I love Matt Damon, so don’t know that I want to listen in someone else’s voice. I wish Matt Damon narrated books, I do love his voice. Great review!
Thanks Lisa. The book is better than the movie, more funny and more science.