A review by whippycleric
The Martian by Andy Weir

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I love Andy Weir's books and although this was the first time I have read this book I’ve seen the film and listened to the audio book a few years ago. I enjoyed Project Hail Mary more, however this is still brilliant. It's a beautifully written hilarious book and so easy to read. Considering so much of the book is centered around a single character I’m impressed as to how well the secondary characters all come through. 

I really enjoyed the diary format which made up the vast majority of the book, and the chapters not set on Mars written in the third person but with a fixed characters perspective worked well also. The only sections I found jarring were the narrator perspective sections on Mars. Those felt quite out of place, definitely works for a film but in the novel where every other section had a clear perspective it just didn’t quite fit. Besides those few tiny sections though I can’t make any complaints. I have Artemis on my shelf to pick up next and can’t wait.