Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Please use this thread to discuss the above referenced chapters of "The Martian" by Andy Weir.

Aha! We get to meet some of the Earthlings! This Earth bit, politics and all doesn't really deviate in the movie either. All right we get it, you were all sad when you thought he was dead, and yet somehow, his not being dead seems to be an awful inconvenience. Except of course, to his parents, we assume, although so far we haven't met anyone of special significance to good 'ol Mark Watney.

I think we see as the story develops in these chapters that science and technology, while interesting and plausible, is not sufficient to save Mark Watney ... the human element is essential, both his desire to live and others' desire to save him.

We really DO need a discussion leader.

I have to confess that I'm not a science fiction fan, but I thought I'd try reading this book just to see if I could change my mind about that particular genre. Although I chuckled at the dry humor, I found Watney's attitude totally unrealistic about being stranded on Mars and facing a high probability of death. Then, again, maybe this man had an extremely high level of resilience and positive attitude. About 1/2 - 3/4 of the way into the book I was getting bored by the technical details and continued predictability of successful solutions. I started glossing/skipping over paragraphs, but still wanted to read the ending. It ended as I expected. I probably will not tackle another science fiction book in the near future !!!
I'm tempted to go see the movie and compare the two.
Thank you, Chris, for sending me the book.

I think you can only have one of two attitudes when you find yourself in an impossible situation like that. "I will live!" or "I will die!" I am glad he chose the former, the latter would have been a shorter book I suppose.

I feel Watney's dry humour, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes very dark, was a great feature of the book and really worked for me .. I think Watney grasped the absurdity of his situation, he was left behind on a distant planet, Mars of all places, with no real expectation of rescue ... by rights his attempt to survive is an absurdist play, a kind of haha joke played on him by the universe. The odds are so stacked against him that he might as well laugh. I think his humour served a practical purpose too, it lifted his spirits and brought a human face to his communications with Houston, reminding everyone on earth that there is a real man out there.

I did not read this book as science fiction but more as a dramatic story of peril and rescue, maybe there were elements of science fiction but my sense is that the author was combining science, technology and human resilience and resourcefulness and for me this is what came through.

I totally agree with you here. I understood that Watney new his chances of survival were slim at best, But one does die trying.

Well, I saw the movie in 3D and liked it better than the book. The visual scenes made it more exciting, but even the movie was long and, in spots, slow. I was entertained by the scenes from NASA characters' interactions, the political and human problem solving was sooo typical and controvercial. The ending was good, more emotional...
There is no way I would like to live on Mars or any other planet similar to Mars. I like our beautiful earth ...
So, to sum up my impressions: the book was ok, the movie was better. For those who are interested in space exploration and colonization, I would recommend it!

I think that 'do or die' attitude is part of the personality of an astronaut.