Andrew Edge’s Reviews > The Martian > Status Update

I haven't read the book but have seen the movie. I liked it well enough but it is far from being among my favorites. Perhaps I'll read the book.

The book is incredible. Though not sure the impact would be the same after having watched the movie. The book might feel overly detailed and tedious knowing all the major beats in advance. But a truly riveting, well-written story. Wish Chris Pratt had been the actor, he would have perfect as Mark.

I highly, highly recommend Andy’s 3rd novel, Hail Mary. As good as The Martian if not better.

I will definitely give them a try. I'm new to this whole Goodreads thing and so far it's done me a good service. The reviews here are better quality than those on Amazon.

And I also trust yours as a discriminating reader.

eh, i’ve concluded that the technology for automated book recommendations isn’t here yet. Amazon and goodreads are both terrible at it, for me at least. Seems more difficult than music and movies, there’s no telling what aspects of a book resonate with someone or why. I had high hopes for goodreads when I joined, but I’ve given up on their recommendations. There’s a very narrow range of books I enjoy and it’s hard to hit that sweet spot. I’m always struggling to find something new that interests me.

That is true. What someone likes is extremely subjective. Example, Asimov's Foundation came highly recommended. I could barely get through it.

Yeah, I saw your comment on it. And while I did actually like that series 30 years or so ago, I completely agree on the lack of engaging characters. That’s a common deficiency in classic sci-fi. That one of the reasons I like Weir so much. Strongly character-driven sci-fi stories grounded in reality. If you like space opera stuff, but with a more human focus, you might like Alastair Reynolds. A few of his books missed the mark for me, but Revelation Space and Chasm City were fantastic.

To be honest, neither sci-fi nor fantasy is my favorite genre. I prefer a good straight-up story or even a thriller. I used to be big into Stephen King, but as I have gotten older, my need to be frightened has dissipated. I may read some of his newer novels if I feel the urge. I'm also starting to read more nonfiction, such as books about science, humanism, non-theism, etc. I have done a lot of rethinking of the belief system with which I grew up and found it lacking. Very lacking. I used to joke about how someone who is as skeptical as I am could ever become a Christian. Now I realize that fundamentalist Christianity is just so persuasive, and I so codependent that it was a perfect storm.

“Small Gods” by Terry Pratchett is outstanding, if you enjoy British dry humor

The dryer the better!

Do I need to read the preceding 12 books first?

No, it’s standalone. Actually they all are for the most part, least the books I’ve read, though some enjoyment is to be had from the character continuity. But in Small Gods there’s no carryover from any previous novel that I can recall. It’s pretty brilliant satire and the humor derives more from that than his outrageous universe. The downside is that if you like the book, the future Pratchett reading list becomes quite intimidating. I’d recommend “Mort”. Not as satirical but really funny in his particular style.

Great. Thanks for that explanation. I see a book as part of a series and I suddenly think I have to read 25 books to get to the one I want LOL.