MEDIA MONDAYS: THE MARTIAN REVIEW.

Right, let's get this out of the way: I am not a fan of "traditional" sci-fi. If there's astronauts or aliens or space travel, you can usually count me out. It's mostly the science and tech-speak that does me in, but I also have a hard time connecting with the scenarios and characters. I have next to no interest in reading about exploring worlds beyond our own or finding alien life forms. There are a couple of exceptions, but mostly I'll stick to fantasy or some amalgamation of the two.

I am only talking about books. Gimme Doctor Who or Firefly or Aliens any day.

Except for 2001. Not a fan.

That does mean when it comes to book club picks, I occasionally miss out. Usually that's fine... unless everybody is raving about an amazing book. That's why I, non-sci-fi fan, decided to read The Martian.

Or listen to the audiobook, rather. Everyone said it was great and I'm not interested enough to actually read the book. If I hadn't, I probably would've quit pretty early on. I don't like sci-fi!

If you're not already familiar (I'd be surprised - the book is getting a lot of attention and there's a movie release coming), The Martian is about astronaut (and botanist/engineer) Mark Watney, who is presumed dead after a sandstorm and left on Mars by his crewmates. Before you think that sounds heartless, they had good reason to believe he had died and it's not NASA policy to carry "dead" weight, so to speak, so they don't search for his body. Without giving too much away - though it's not that mysterious in the first place - thanks to some... science Watney pulled through and is now struggling for survival as he becomes the first man to do a great many things on Mars.

...aaand I'll probably just watch the movie 'cause Matt Damon.

For the most part, the story is told in the form of log entries from Watney himself. They get a little formulaic after a while - ate bad food, this thing broke and I'm not sure what I'm going to do, oh wait, fixed it! oh crap, nearly died again... - but Watney's humour and resilience (or resilience through humour?) and my desire to see if Mars really does kill him make the journey worthwhile. He has a witty tenacity that makes him sort of charming. Unless you hate sarcasm, childish jokes and strong language, then this book is not for you. His original estimation is, "I'm pretty much fucked" and that's about all you need to know about him. It really is an understandable coping mechanism, though by all accounts Watney was like that before he was left on an inhospitable rock.

Since it's more the diary of one man's struggle to survive rather than strict sci-fi, it's an enjoyable and easy read. Where I'm usually turned off - science and technology - sounded great. That said I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything crucial if I tuned out for thirty seconds because I'm not an astrophysicist or mathematician. Again, I probably couldn't have handled reading it though. Despite Watney's manner and the occasional screw-up, what he does pull off by himself isn't totally unbelievable since I'm sure NASA picks their guys with purpose and care. That or 'cause science, I guess.

That's my usual reaction too.

While I didn't dislike Watney - I did audibly laugh on occasion and think shucks, how is he going to get out of this one - I was relieved when around page 109 the book switched to third person for some time with NASA and was annoyed when we went long hauls without hearing from them (though this may have been a stylistic choice to display Watney's isolation). I imagine it's even worse on the page. Later on, we get to see how Watney's crew is dealing with leaving a "dead" man behind on Mars. These are the moments where narrator RC Bray really had a chance to shine. Despite their one-dimensional nature (more on that later), he did a stellar job giving them personality and life.

Unfortunately where this falls short for me is the writing. Weir is not a seasoned author and it shows. There's a lot of great technical speak (or I think it was?), which make sense as Weir is a programmer by trade, but you come out not having any visual notion of the characters. Or Mars. Or anything else for that matter. Descriptions tend to be measurements or shapes or colours, which is a little disappointing. The characters, while thankfully diverse, tend to be quite flat and trope-y and the one piece of development comes out of nowhere. It could be because we only really get to know Watney, but you definitely can put everyone into little boxes.

Duuumb ways to die... so many dumb ways to die.

I have some probably unpopular opinions regarding the end of the book, but I think I'll keep my spoilers to GoodReads - which you can find over here. Overall it is an entertaining read, even if like me you aren't a fan of the genre. I don't believe it's worth the hype it's getting, but I understand why it's getting it. It's just enough of a break from the norm to make it stand out. It lacks some literary finesse and gets a little repetitive but it's a solid concept and Watney really is a likable nerd. I still probably wouldn't physically read it though.

Oh, and Watney? You might be a botanist/engineer, but you're also an astronaut. Those guys are fit. Don't try to tell me that doesn't have any pull with the ladies.

He's probably pondering the friendzone. Dick.