Tag: Well-Researched

Andy Weir – The Martian | Review

Title: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 372

Rating: 4.5*/5

 

Andy Weir - The Martian

Andy Weir – The Martian

 

I guess I made a mistake with this one because I watched the movie before I read the book. I actually think that the movie was a pretty good adaptation of the book and that they did a good job of representing it. Sure, that meant there were  no surprises in store for me when I read the novel, but that didn’t really hamper my enjoyment.

I probably don’t need to spend time explaining the plot of this book because it’s been talked about a lot. What I will say is that people are right when they talk about Watney’s sense of humour in it, and I was particularly impressed by the fact that it was originally self-published before being picked up by a mainstream publisher.

It turned out to be a super enjoyable read, and the only real problem that I had with it was that some of the more technical parts got a little boring and kind of slowed it all down, so I ended up skimming over them. But at the same time, I also think it was necessary to give the book an authentic feel, and from what I can understand all of the science is well-researched and entirely possible.

 

Andy Weir

Andy Weir

 

So for me at least, The Martian is worthy of the hype, but I’m also not surprised that Artemis received mixed reviews. Weir’s writing style really works with this kind of book, but I’m not convinced of how versatile it would be. But if you judge this book for what it is, it’s just a decent sci-fi novel with mainstream appeal. And the fact that it has mainstream appeal means that you’re pretty likely to enjoy it if you pick it up.

I’m also pleased to say that even though I’d already seen the movie, the book was still a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the references to Watney reading Agatha Christie to keep himself sane and while I initially found them jarring, the switches in perspective to what was happening on earth actually added a lot to the story. I enjoyed it. Go read it some time.

 

Mars

Mars

 

Click here to buy The Martian.


Ben Sanders – Robert Michals: The Demon in the Trees | Review

Title: Robert Michals: The Demon in the Trees

Author: Ben Sanders

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 280

Rating: 3.5*/5

 

Ben Sanders - Robert Michals: The Demon in the Trees

Ben Sanders – Robert Michals: The Demon in the Trees

 

I have mixed feelings about this book because there’s stuff to both like and dislike about it. Which I suppose is pretty standard for an indie book.

We have some of the common problems here like spelling/grammar mistakes dotted throughout and a non-standard layout (it’s not justified and there are blank spaces between every paragraph). But really, that’s about it. The only other thing that I’d flag is that for what’s essentially a sort of police procedural novel, there was only one real suspect and they turned out to be the culprit. And they could have stopped him way earlier by just putting a tail on him instead of waiting to get warrants and stuff. When the big reveal came, it was kind of an anticlimax. It was too easy.

But other than that, there’s a lot to enjoy. I liked the way that Sanders tapped into mythology and also how the ending of the book sets him up to write many more of them. And actually, for a debut novel, it’s pretty impressive. There are ways it could be improved, of course, but that’s true of almost everything. And what I will say is that the actual police procedural part of the story felt well-researched and authentic, even when it was mixed with the mythical elements.

And of course, I quite liked the bit with the jerky strips. I mean, sure, it was kind of gross, but I like that from time to time. Like The Silence of the Lambs.

 

Ben Sanders

Ben Sanders

 

Click here to buy Robert Michals: The Demon in the Trees.