Comments on: The Martian (The Book)

By: Question

Question — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 00:43:11 +0000

Wondering why there are trees in the picture if on Mars?!? Otherwise a cracking film and a great book too.

By: Pentadact

Pentadact — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 10:16:19 +0000

Oh God, I probably heard that and didn’t even realise what he was trying to say.

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 02:14:17 +0000

The other unbearable things the audio book narrator does is pronounce ASCII as “A-S-C Two”

By: PaleShakta

PaleShakta — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 03:41:20 +0000

Sorry, I read *significantly* faster than it’s possible to talk intelligbly. Audiobooks are for multitasking and/or other people. (Although you seem to like it because you multitask a ton, which is entirely reasonable. Try not to electrocute yourself while listening in the shower.)

By: Jabberwok

Jabberwok — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 13:14:30 +0000

I agree on the cuts back to Earth, though I feel those might be partly responsible for the story’s ability to work as a Hollywood flick. They are easily digestible because of their unoriginality, which is weaker in a literary sense, but perhaps easier to turn into a screenplay. Haven’t watched the movie, though.

Personally, I took the occasional offensive comments as probably par for the course for the culture Mark came out of, so they didn’t bother me. Maybe they ate outdated, but not being an astronaut, I have no idea.

By: NDgeek

NDgeek — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 17:00:52 +0000

Only tangentially related, but your “Get to the fucking point” statement made me think of a song…Tripod’s King Kong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZKc574LnBM

By: phuzz

phuzz — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:21:41 +0000

I only read it a couple of months ago, and I don’t know why I hadn’t picked it up before because it’s right up my street. I reaaaaaaallllllly enjoyed it, but I think even non-science/space/mars geeks will enjoy it.
I might even go see the film at the cinema, which is unusual for me.

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 19:33:56 +0000

Tom, I think you’ll love this interview :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SemyzKgaUU

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 17:31:32 +0000

Bollocks to the audiobook I’m afraid. The DRM on Audible means I can’t use it on my chosen operating system, or on my mp3 player. There are MP3 CDs but they charge more for the privilege, and I’d have to wait for them to be delivered like some kind of primitive… ;-)

By: LKM

LKM — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 14:13:58 +0000

I also listened to the audiobook version, and apart from the criticism you mentioned (particularly terrible performance of women’s voices, though there aren’t too many of them throughout the book, which, otoh, also ties in with your criticism of some of the book’s odd sexism), I think it worked really well. I guess in part because the Mars parts are first-person present-tense POV narration, so the immediacy of the audiobook version makes it sound like somebody is really thinking through things right at that moment. As Watney, the narrator also does a fantastic job conveying emotion.

So personally, I’m glad I listened to the audiobook version. Of course, YMMV.

By: William Russell

William Russell — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 12:55:21 +0000

Well I just bought it on the basis of your description. Lots of people are going on about it at the moment, naturally, but I hadn’t read anything that made it truly sound like a good read. Plus £3 is naff all so it can rot on my kindle and I won’t have lost much.

Thanks for the rec.