[Book] The Martian

Reviews/Books : 2015. 10. 14. 00:42


I just finished reading the book. Had to read it before watching the movie. You know how people say that the movie ruins the book, right? The book was great. Could have been boring for some people but being a nerdy and geeky engineer I loved it. This book and movie will inspire a lot of kids and they will make exploration to mars possible someday. Or possibly colonize it - grow potatoes on mars.


The first thing that comes to my mind as I am writing this review is that life on earth is too easy. At least you could live on without much effort. You don't have to worry about oxygen, and steal food if you're hungry and broke. Probably the most dangerous thing on earth might be ourselves(human). But at the same time, the book proves that we are compassionate and cooperative creatures. We just have to learn to adjust to each other and reach a point where we all have a common goal. So there is hope for humanity after all.


Anyway, the environment on earth is near perfect. God created the universe in a very delicate way, Mankind was able to thrive on this planet without know much. And we learn everyday that nothing is the way it is without a purpose. So, let's not take our environment for granted and blame it for our limitations. The air is dense in a sense that it creates drag and causes fuel inefficiencies for our vehicles. But at the same time, we wouldn't be able to generate lift without air drag. Which is how we make airplanes fly. Just think about it. Mark Watney's(the main character of the novel) life would have been much easier if a vehicle such as a helicopter was deployable in mars. Instead he had to drive more than 3000Km on harsh terrain. My point is, I think the environment we live in may work against us time to time but it's nearly perfect for us. It's just a matter of how we adjust to it. Technology will evolve and there will be more ways to get around the problem and utilize the environment we live in.


And I cannot leave out how Mark Watney is such an inspirational character. He was abandoned in a deserted planet 10 months of space travel time away with current technology (in the setting of the novel, I guess travel time may vary depending on position of planet on its orbit around the sun). And to make things worse, he did not have any means to communicate with earth either in the first place. Imagine what you would do in that situation. But Mark Watney is a rational guy with a witty sense of humor. I liked how he handles each situation in the book. He challenges everything at times when there is almost no hope. He is optimistic at all times and able to make the best out of every situation. Also, the endurance he managed to bear is quite surprising. 20 minutes or so in airlock each time to get outside and back in the habitat. I think I'd go crazy.


Things don't go as the way you have planned it, but as long as you are alive, it's a win. That is what Mark Watney said in the book. Yes, life is hard because I haven't been abandoned in mars yet. Although the novel is not based on true story(not like what many people think - I heard there are surprisingly many people who think it's based on a true story), the story feels so close to being true. So I take almost every word Mark Watney says in the book seriously. Like I said, life on earth is too easy. I'll just have to live with my problems.




Posted by Dansoonie