Who else has read The Martian?

[dorinda]

On the train to work this morning, I finished the audiobook of The Martian (wanted to make sure to get it read before any more advertising for this fall's Major Motion Picture), the book about the guy who gets stranded on Mars. I know mollyamory has read it--anyone else? Want to talk about it?

I better put in a cut here...

I liked it! I didn't love it, but I liked it. It was an enjoyable listen.

I think that the audiobook format was the perfect way for me to read this. Because it regularly gets very tech-procedurey, with the "I knew I was gonna need 45 amps, so I checked the working circuits and did the math" sort of thing. If I were reading this in print, there'd be the risk my eyes would jitter and skip over long technical passages.

But since it was being read/performed by a good reader, his voice added structure, flow, and interest even to long segments of technical wonkery. And Watney's a smartass who injects a fair amount of wisecrackery, which helps.

The smartass/wisecrackery did contribute to its biggest drawback for me, though, which was vulnerability. Namely, it felt like he hardly had any, or we hardly saw any, or both. And I'd prefer to be emotionally/psychologically connected to the story, not just intellectually. I mean, when something went wrong, I responded with the customary "Oh no!", but lots of times it was a sort of distanced/intellectual Oh No. Like, Oh No, how's he gonna wonk his way out of this one. And I'm sure that there are tons of people who wanted exactly that approach.

But the times I personally preferred were the Oh No How Does He React/Feel, which I got a lot less of. I actually felt more emotionally connected to the mission commander, Lewis, and we saw like 90 percent less of her than of Watney (of course). She had to make the decision to leave him for dead, and we got at least a glimpse from a few perspectives of how much that continues to trouble her, even while she continues to be an awesome astronaut and runs the ongoing mission.

I do love the narrative trope of "stranded in unforgiving wilderness". I went on a brief kick a couple months ago, in fact, watching or rewatching a few movies along those lines: Cast Away (Tom Hanks on deserted island), All is Lost (Robert Redford on damaged boat), The Homesman (Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones in covered wagon full of insane people). And I love the competence angle, where we see people learning new things out of desperation or demonstrating their existing skills/improvisation or both. But I also like to have vulnerability underlying that competence--the part where, no matter how Awesome and Wisecracky and Competent and Determined you are, you run up against despair, fear, potential (or actual) freakout, etc. Because then there's an additional and deeper obstacle for you, not just the unforgiving wilderness, but also your own self.

I didn't get much if any of that from The Martian as a book. And I didn't see Watney as a person hardly at all, especially with no sign of him being changed in any way WHATSOEVER after being marooned on another planet for over a year. ?! Problem with getting most of his thoughts via first-person/mission-log, maybe? Because in order to see him change in that case he would have to 1) notice his own changes, and 2) record them in the log? I dunno, I think a good writer could have done it (subtext, for instance), but granted, that was not Weir's purpose or in fact the audience he's aiming for. He seems to have wanted an Asimovian plucky-working-class-space-hero, which is what he got. And you know me, I do love Asimov and all, but I also have given in to the temptation to flesh out and add more emotion and psychology to his characters. :D Sorry, Doc.

But honestly, I think the movie will take care of that problem nicely for me, so no big deal. By its nature, turning a book into a movie means it'll need to be given visual/audible human form (it'll have voiceover too, sure, but it won't all be voiceover), and part of how that'll be done is by Matt Damon showing feelings, being in pain, being afraid, etc., before and while he's also doing the plucky "ok setback how'm I gonna fix this ok here we go" stuff. Just having Watney given facial expressions and body language by a good actor will go a long way toward making him an actual three-dimensional human person.

So I look forward to that!

Reviews have been kind of funny--like, just now I read one that's like "the NASA stuff back on earth is dour and dull", and one that was like "but it's in the scenes on Earth where the story really comes to life, with the back-room maneuvering and politicking". Heh. I ended up liking Kapoor, and Mindy who first saw the satellite images, and even the very grouchy and foul-mouthed publicist (not sure how she got into that line of work, though. :D ). But I admit, I kept getting "Teddy" and "Mitch" completely confused--aka, those Men In Charge guys.



What did you think? Or, if you haven't read the book but you have seen the movie trailers, what did you think of those?

Comments

[kerithwyn]

Haven't read, on my (sigh) list. Based on your and other reviews, I think you're right, the movie will go a long way toward humanizing the narrator.

[dorinda]

I think the casting was a good choice, too. Some actors Hollywood has in mind for "hero" roles are, like...too heroic, if you know what I mean? The fashion these days for the slick, pumped-up, bulletproof hero, so even if you put vulnerable dialogue in his mouth it's hard to believe. Whereas a Matt Damon sort of actor still has a regular-personnness and vulnerability in there, which I think this role absolutely requires if it's not going to be tedious.

[movies_michelle]

Have not read the book, but I very much like the trailers I've seen so far. For one thing, I like the whole trope of abandoned on a deserted island/planet/what have you and forced to fend for yourself. Two, I like the use of science for things.

I am still slightly taken aback (concerned?) for the new trend of Matt Damon getting abandoned on deserted planets. I'd be kind of worried if I were him.

[dorinda]

Oh yes agreed, love that trope. Plus science! Really enjoyable to see someone tackle obstacles not by punching them, but by thinking and improvising.

Have you seen "All is Lost"? I recommend it, if you're in the mood for a movie with almost no dialogue in it. Me, I loved it. I could watch Redford face slowly-building disastrous obstacles all the livelong day, and the ending was satisfying.

I am still slightly taken aback (concerned?) for the new trend of Matt Damon getting abandoned on deserted planets.

Hee! Yes. When I heard he was cast in this, I was like, "...are we rehearsing for something sinister?" MATT, DON'T GO ON ANY THREE-HOUR-TOURS NEAR UNCHARTED DESERT ISLES.

[gwyn]

Oh! Oh! I was just talking with belmanoir about this last night! You mentioned one of my biggest issues with it, which was the dry tech. I never thought about an audio book, but that might have helped. I LOVE the stuff with the engineers and the science in Apollo 13, but what I told bel last night was that the thing about that was that they were played by actors, often very competent and engaging actors, and so when they were talking about amps and needing more power, you've got Gary Sinise and the other guy whose name I can't remember yelling at each other about what they have to work with, and it comes alive. The book didn't, at all for me.

It didn't help that it was clearly a first effort, and I got a copy that was so riddled with writing errors I started to lose my mind. I wanted to feel more for Mark, and I didn't. We never really see anything like an interior life for anyone, because he's not a good character writer at all. I don't know if the republished by professionals version of the book is better--Dira says that she didn't see any of those errors, so I assume the cleaned it up and maybe even smoothed out some of the really rough, painful dialog. I mean, I work on stuff that's better done than this, and most of the stuff I work on is terrible!

But at the same time, it IS a cracking good story. I know he was just interested in the sciencey aspects, and that's okay, but…for the dudebros who just want to read about math story problems, that's cool, but that's not even remotely what I read for, so it was frustrating. And then at the end, that we never got any internal reflection on what happened to him, just telling a kid that he wouldn't go back…I don't know.

But even just seeing the trailer and the little intro movie that Mark's making in that one preview told me that it's going to, I think, fix a lot of that. Matt Damon is such an engaging actor. I ended up wanting to read this because Sebastian Stan plays Chris Beck, and so as obsessed as I am lately, I just wanted to see what his role would be like. And it's not because of that that I wished to hell we'd seen more of the life BEFORE the dust storm, it's because they were some of the few characters I really cared about. The tiny bits with them were the few that I really engaged with, and I wanted to know more about his team beyond disco and '70s shows. I loved that little hint of the romance blossoming, or like Tim's obvious Asperger's issues, but we never get beyond these hints and I felt things really suffered for that.

I don't know that Weir's ever going to be a good enough writer to handle that, though, so I think the movie's going to be the one place we'll get that. I imagine that, based on his huge success, he's going to keep writing the way he is, and movies fleshing his stories out will be the only time we'll get that missing humanity. It's a good story idea, but I can't say it was necessarily the good story being told that others I know who loved it said it was. They're okay, I guess, with such dry science, but like that time when he was so close to the end and the rover crashed, and we didn't get much of a reaction of despair, I was frustated. But I think this is really, really in Ridley Scott's wheelhouse, and he's going to bring that missing characterization out really well.

Although, I'm still kind of excited because it's the second book I've read for myself in the past few months, and after not being able to read a non-work book or a book that wasn't by one of my friends, it felt like an achievement. The only book I've "finished" since 2008 that wasn't work was an audio book, and I really regret not finding the audio book of this. Might have helped a lot!

[dorinda]

so when they were talking about amps and needing more power, you've got Gary Sinise and the other guy whose name I can't remember yelling at each other about what they have to work with, and it comes alive

YES! Oh that's a good comparison. That Apollo 13 stuff was riveting, and true, and dramatic, and it's because it was shaped and shown by professionals (actors + director + screenwriter, though I'd prioritize the actors for sure). I could watch that scene all day. And while I wish the book of The Martian had been that scene blown up to a full book, it wasn't, because it was lacking the crucial 3-D emotional human components.

The audiobook sounded fine, writing-wise, so I assume it came from a text with a good polish (although also, listening to it I wouldn't really have noticed any remaining errors, so, grain of salt).

And then at the end, that we never got any internal reflection on what happened to him, just telling a kid that he wouldn't go back…I don't know.

Now that does sound completely different. There's no mention of any kid. Let me check and see just how it ends... Okay, he talks about what happened when he got aboard. Beck takes him to the sickbay area and de-suits them both, medical care, etc. He gets a quick (undescribed, argh) visit from the others. Beck gives him painkillers and tells him to shower as soon as he can move his arms. Then he thinks about all the enormous number of people and resources that were directed toward saving him, how much the people and nations risked and sacrificed, etc., and says those lines we hear in the full movie trailer about how humans all pull together to save a stranded hiker, help others hit by earthquake, etc., and this basic instinct appears in all human cultures. Last bit is him describing how sore, hungry, and bad-smelling he is, and how it'll still be two-hundred-some days until he's back on earth, and "This is the happiest day of my life." The end.

they were some of the few characters I really cared about. The tiny bits with them were the few that I really engaged with, and I wanted to know more about his team beyond disco and '70s shows. I loved that little hint of the romance blossoming, or like Tim's obvious Asperger's issues, but we never get beyond these hints and I felt things really suffered for that

Agreed. I definitely felt all the ship's crew (as well as Tim) were more potentially interesting than Watney--it's like, they all got bits of potential personalities, interesting crunchy little details, whereas Watney was left so supposedly 'everyman' that there wasn't much to him. Like, if he really doesn't like all of Lewis's 70s stuff, so that he has to bitch about it constantly, what does he actually like? Who knowwwws.

I can't say it was necessarily the good story being told that others I know who loved it said it was.

Yeah--I'm willing to bet that people who loved it really thrive on the dry-expository style, and/or brought the emotional layers to it themselves.

They're okay, I guess, with such dry science, but like that time when he was so close to the end and the rover crashed, and we didn't get much of a reaction of despair, I was frustated.

Me too! Like, if he had taken sort of a blow from having to leave the Hab behind--if he had kind of imprinted on it as his only 'safe' place--so the driving trip was kind of extra scary, but then when he hits the crater he has actually just started to believe he'll really get out--and then, ROLLOVER. I mean, I felt like that should be a big emotional thing in some way! He's so close, and was being so careful, and then this giant seemingly-deadly event comes out of nowhere! Wouldn't it be a little...affecting? ...no? ...just gonna flip the cars over and keep driving then? ...okay. :-/

But I think this is really, really in Ridley Scott's wheelhouse, and he's going to bring that missing characterization out really well.

Yasssss. *rubs hands* I enjoyed the book and all, but I am really looking forward to the movie!

[gwyn]

WHOA!!! It ends up in the spaceship?? That's amazing. Okay, yeah, there's this whole scene where he's "reflecting" (for values of reflection that are basically not reflection at all) on being back on earth. That lovely voiceover about people helping? NOT IN THE BOOK. I was looking and looking for that, because it touched me in the trailer, and it does not exist. He waits for the drugs Beck gave him to kick in, and says he smells like a skunk, and it's the happiest day of his life. then it cuts to him eating pizza and a coke (no capping!). He's going back to Johnson Space Center, where he's going to be meeting with an Ares-6 engineer, and will be busy imparting as much knowledge as he can. A kid recognizes him and the mother tries to make him leave Mark alone (totally terrible dialog and does not sound natural at all). The kid asks if he'd go to Mars again and Mark says, "Are you out of your fucking mind?" (This is all in that stilted third person, btw, not Mark's first person POV). Then he feels the sun on his face and enjoys his nice boring afternoon.

So yeah, big difference! I guess they must really have polished it up. I'm not going to re-read it, but maybe I'll borrow that audio book and listen to it someday?

It also seems like it'd be a big waste to have the earth folks and the Ares-4 folks only be tiny, tiny roles for such big actors, so I'm hopeful about all that being expanded. Because once you've got Mark doing voice-overs while we see him sciencing the shit out of everything, we won't have to linger on that nearly as much--the actors will do the heavy lifting, the director will know where to put the focus, and the screenwriter will know how to breathe life into the words on the page.

[dorinda]

Oh jeez, that scene on earth feels like a real stinker. What a way to end a book, bleh. They must have sicced an editor on it with a scythe. I wonder who wrote the lines about human culture etc.? If it was Weir, then wow, good on him and a nice surprise. Although I have to admit I don't remember much else like it in the book. Maybe he came up with the core and a trusty editor expanded/fixed/polished it.

You are totally welcome to borrow my audiobook! I'll email ya. ♥

[reginagiraffe]

That lovely voiceover about people helping? NOT IN THE BOOK.

It absolutely is in the book. On the very last page. Almost word-for-word. It's two paragraphs above the "smells bad" paragraph. I just reread it this past weekend and was actually startled to read it because I didn't remember it from my first read and thought it had been made for the movie, but Nope. There it was.

[dorinda]

Gwyn's copy of the book is the original, self-published, error-strewn version--is that the one you mean? Or was it added before the professionally-published version? The latter is my assumption, and I think it was a very good idea indeed.

[reginagiraffe]

Yeah, I got that after rereading.

It's in the pro-pubbed version.

[gwyn]

If you read the response above, I talked about the version that I read, which is clearly the self-published version of the book and that it has a different ending section, which is what I'm responding to Dorinda about here. It's not in the book that I read. Not on the last page or anywhere else. The one I read ends in an entirely different scene, which I mention above.

[reginagiraffe]

Yeah, sorry. I only got that after I reread your comment.

Mostly I was so vehement because of the last part of my comment. I also didn't think it was in the book until I reread it and surprise!

[dorinda]

It makes me sooooo curious about the revision process. But I guess there's no way to courteously ask, "Dear Mr. Weir, did you write that bit during revision or was it your editor or what?"

[the_shoshanna]

Oh, cool! I haven't read (or heard) it, but I'd vaguely heard good things about it, and then yesterday a friend and I went to see Magic Mike XXL (verdict: YES PLEASE), and there was a preview for it that really got me interested.

And now I don't have to worry about reading the book first! It really does sound like the rare instance where the movie is better than the book.

[dorinda]

Ooooh, good to hear about Magic Mike! I look forward to seeing it.

And yeah, no worries about reading this book if it doesn't grab you. It's not that it's a bad book, per se, but I feel like the movie is going to be better in all the ways I personally prefer and desire.

And I can't imagine the movie will be missing anything crucial. I must admit I'm kind of expecting some of the big fans of the book as-is (e.g. whose fannishness is about the very detailed science neepery) to complain about the movie fleshing out things like emotion and characterization and suspense. But they will just have to suffer! \o/

[marycrawford]

I haven't read it yet but the movie trailer looked excellent. I hope they do try and make the lead a bit more vulnerable/relatable instead of what sounds more like a Heinleinian superdude, and I think Matt Damon is a good choice for that. Thanks for this review, I will still read the book at some point but now I know what to expect. :)

For a delicious deserted island movie that is more about magical realism than grim competence, I recommend Mysterious Island - giant Ray Harryhausen critters! feisty English huntin' shootin' lady! various bronzed shirtless men! and also a couple of lovers who are too dumb to live yet somehow don't get killed by giant bees.

[dorinda]

Shame about the giant bees (subtype No Death Thereby), but still, that does sound scrumptious. :D Love me some Harryhausen!