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Science Fiction Fantasy Blog

Our Discussion of The Martian

On Wednesday, September 30th the group met to discuss The Martian by Andy Weir. Here are some highlights of the discussion:

Impressions:

  • Mike M. grew up in a scientific household and all of the engineering problems being solved in the book resonated with him.
  • Glenn liked the quote: “Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped,” and that although the ship’s crew discussed possibly going off-tether to collect Watney, they didn’t actually do it.
  • The nightly news report on Watney’s status was very realistic.
  • Mike C. thought working with China wasn’t realistic and aNON hopes there aren’t a lot of spinoffs: “guy on Triton.”
  • Klaupaucius said it was a romp – a space opera for engineers.
  • The group felt that this book is in a zone by itself. Some movies are about people who just happen to be in a spaceship and science is just a backdrop for humans. In this book, engineering and human survival are both integral to the plot.
  • aNON said that The Martian is one of kind and this author was the guy to write it.

Science

  • Klaupaucius said we need to develop a Sharpie that writes in vacuum.
  • The group had some questions about the central role of potatoes… Rachel asked if NASA would really send a potato? aNON questioned the use of human excrement for fertilizer and wondered if potatoes would be able to grow in that environment?
  • Nathan felt it was a leap to blow off a bomb in a spaceship. Glenn agreed this would be too dangerous.
  • Furry felt it was illogical to dismantle the MAV so that it was open to space.
  • Klaupaucius was astonished that the author could figure all this science out. Others noted that the book had been self-published serially in 2011 and the author had received input from readers.
  • Menolly thought it was interesting that evidence of water was just found on Mars. Others commented that NASA held back the discovery to coincide with the opening of the movie in order to gain extra attention.

Characters

  • Furry really enjoyed the book and felt the Watney character is a credit to the species. She felt his log / journal was like his “Wilson” and it gave him grounding when he only had Three’s Company for companionship. Furry said she like that Watney often “slept on” seemingly insurmountable problems and that he was a study in competence.
  • Hola (the brave dissenter!) said that by page 27 she knew the book wasn’t for her. She couldn’t relate to any of the characters and felt that being into disco is not a personality. She also felt the Watney character was impossibly upbeat and psychologically stunted and that the book read like a thesis instead of a novel.
  • Mike M. said that all the things Hola hated, he loved! He appreciates the engineering mentality and it made him want to read more. That said, he agrees that the supporting characters were cardboard.
  • Menolly was relieved when other people entered the story. Rachel was glad the book was in first person.
  • Mike C. liked that Watney had normal boring days of cleaning the solar panels and doing tests, but that when something went wrong he was in crisis mode.
  • aNON felt the author might be a one hit wonder.
  • Burt Macklin, FBI felt the book wasn’t hard Sci Fi and was grateful because that can be boring – he saw Watney as an Indian Jones or MacGyver type.
  • Menolly agreed that in hard Sci Fi the characterization is often weak. This book kept her attention and she didn’t skip over the science like in some hard Sci Fi books.
  • Mike M. recommended Packing for Mars by Mary Roach which details the psychological and other testing that astronauts have to go through and said that the Watney character would have gone through that testing.
  • Glenn liked that the book just ended when it did without going into life back on earth, like homecoming parades. Glenn also felt that Watney’s personality would have been too annoying to have on a spaceship.

Please add any additional thoughts or comments you may have about The Martian. We gave this title the codes HDS, HRO, NFW, and HAA and an average rating of 4.8. Most of us are looking forward to seeing the movie!

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Thanks for the great write up!

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