Table of Contents
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The Martian Audiobook Details
| Length of The Martian Audiobook | 10 hours and 59 minutes |
|---|---|
| Author of the Novel | Andy Weir |
| Audiobook Narrator | Wil Wheaton |
| Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
| Release Date in Audible.com | January 01, 2020 |
| Publisher of the Audiobook | Audible Studios |
| Program Type | Audiobook |
| Version | Unabridged |
| Audio Language | English |
| ASIN | B082BHWQCJ |
| Best Sellers Rank in Audible | Number 273 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) Number 6 in Hard Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) Number 9 in Adventure Science Fiction Number 11 in Hard Science Fiction (Books) |
The Martian & Andy Weir
When Andy Weir began to publish The Martian on his website, he had no idea that it would become one of the most celebrated and best-known science fiction novels of all time. Let along what kind of impact the martian audiobook might have on the worldwide audience. Inevitably the story became many things: A best-selling adapted to a popular Oscar-nominated thriller starring Matt Damon, A shipwrecked story for the new millennium.
The Martian presents a new perspective on the classic fight for survival between man and nature, placing it on Mars, a planet too hostile to sustain human life. A novelist and self-proclaimed space nerd, Weir manages to make realistic and believable every moment of astronaut Mark Watney’s ordeal in space. After Mark is seriously injured, separated from his crew in a sandstorm, and left dead when Mars interrupts communication, his first priority is to take care of his injuries and survive Sol’s first day.
What’s Great About The Martian Story
What sets The Martian audiobook apart from the rest is that the whole plot revolves around real science, rather than portraying it as a Cinderella success story. It manages to strike the perfect balance between science fiction and a fast-paced plot that makes it difficult to write it down. I greatly appreciate the efforts to make the story as realistic and scientific as possible. And I strongly believe that the martian audiobook adds an extra dimension to the awesomeness of the story.
Andy Weir uses a lot of scientific terminologies, not to mention abbreviations and explanations. His details solve a whole series of technical dilemmas but do not address much the emotional and philosophical irritations associated with the abysmal loneliness that an indifferent and impersonal landscape leaves behind. But I believe that this doesn’t hurt the overall quality of the story and Andy’s genius. Because Watney’s biological drive for information is a brilliant achievement and his survival on the red planet is quite impressive.
As Weir says, he yearns for a greater emphasis on science in science fiction. I think you will notice that most science fiction films seem to focus on space travel and the dystopian, miserable future of Earth. For a while, science fiction has pushed space travel a little forward in stories, but now it seems to be back on a grand scale.
The Martian Audiobook History & Acievements
The martian book, eBook, and Audiobook
The Martian was released in print by Crown on February 11, 2014. An audiobook edition, narrated by R.Bray and published by Podium Publishing, preceded the print release in March 2013 on Audible and was subsequently followed. An MP3 CD in association with Brilliance Audio. The martian audiobook was nominated and won an Audie Award (2014) in the Science Fiction category. A classroom edition, published by Broadway Books in May 2016, contains educational material and removes vulgarity.
Narrator RC Bray won the competition in the Best Science Fiction Audiobook category. Since then, Bray has expanded his science fiction reading and storytelling to more than 250 books.
The martian Audiobook, Audible Version We Love!
When Audible couldn’t agree on whether they would buy the audiobook, they asked Bray to re-record it. But they couldn’t meet his new budget, Weir said. Instead, Audible asked Wheaton, whom Weir called a “natural choice,” to lend his voice to the book. That’s how Audible released a new edition of the martian audiobook, narrated by Wil Wheaton on January 1, 2020, with several additional short stories written by Weir.
Despite the fact that Matt Damon has achieved so much with his portrayal of Watney’s character in the film adaptation of the novel, we think Wil Wheaton is doing a great job of creating a different version of him in the martian audiobook. His distinctive voice and tone of voice fit perfectly with his character. There is sadness, enthusiasm, despair, and determination, and Wheaton succeeds brilliantly in bringing these emotions to light in every scene of the book.
One small quibble I have is that Wil Wheaton has set two accents for the characters in the audiobook. If you haven’t yet experienced the world of audiobooks (which has been a big trend nowadays anyways), I strongly recommend beginning with The Martian.
The Plot of The Martian Audiobook
The violent mars dust and wind strom
The year is 2035 and the crew of the Ares 3 mission of NASA has arrived at Acidalia Planitia for a month-long visit to Mars. Six sols in, a violent dust and wind storm threaten to overturn their Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and trap them in it. Astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist, and engineer is knocked out of sight by the wind and pronounced dead. During a hurried evacuation, an antenna is ripped off and impaled on him. This causes his spacesuit and radio to be disabled.
Mark Watney Left Behind
With the MAV still faltering, mission commander Melissa Lewis has no choice but to hurl off to complete the search for Watney. Watney’s injuries are minor, but he cannot communicate without a radio. But Watney is not dead, and neither is anyone else.
Survival on Mars
He has to rely on his own ingenuity to survive. Food is critical, but not immediate, it’s a problem. So he starts growing potatoes in the crew’s Mars habitat and starts burning hydrazine to produce water for the plants. He also begins to record his experiences. His philosophy is to work on problems, solve challenges, and reverse the challenges he faces.
NASA discovers that Watney is alive
NASA discovers that Watney is alive and that satellite images from the landing site show evidence of his activity. And NASA staff begin to find a way to save him. But NASA keep the news of his survival from the rest of the crew Ares-3 on their way to Earth in the Hermes spacecraft so as not to distract them. Watney plans to travel 3,235 km to Schiaparelli Crater for the next mission of Ares 4, which will land four years after the MAV’s pre-positioning.
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Recovering the Pathfinder & contacting Nasa
He undertakes a three-week test drive to recover the Pathfinder and Sojourner and return them to their belongings, enabling him to contact NASA. He is also starting to rebuild one of the rovers for the journey by adding solar panels and additional batteries. Mitch Henderson, Flight Director of Ares 3 persuades NASA Administrator Teddy Sanders to let him inform the ARES-3 crew about Watney’s survival. And the crew is thrilled, even though Lewis is guilty of leaving Watney behind.
The fire in the potato garden
The tarpaulin on one of the locks is torn off by Watney’s repeated use. This leads to the decompression of the Habs, which was a disaster. When he repairs his belongings, his plants are now destroyed and he is threatened with starvation.
Watney rescue mission
NASA faces the possibility of building a cargo capsule. Which can survive a crash at 300 meters per second on the Martian surface. Why cargo capsule? Because there’s no time left to build a probe with a soft landing system. In order to establish safety protocols and adhere to time constraints, NASA is preparing an unmanned probe to send supplies to Watney. But it disintegrates before lift-off. In an agreement with China, the National Space Agency will provide a ready-made booster to be used by Taiyang Shen. It’s an unmanned solar probe, to try again. Astrodynamics Rich Purnell is developing a gravity-fueled spin-orbit to help Hermes to Mars. This extends the mission. But saves Watney by sending a simple resupply probe to Hermes with the booster before it passes Earth.
Rich Purnell Maneuver
The five Watney crew members begin the Rich Purnell maneuver after disabling the remote control, leaving NASA with no choice but to assist them. However, NASA’s Chief Director and Administrator, Sanders, vetoes the maneuver because it poses risks to other crew members. But Hermes Flight Director, Henderson emailed details to Hermes. Finally, all five crew members agree to the maneuver.
Frying the electronics of Pathfinder & Dust Storm
While working on the rover, Watney shorts the electronic circuits and loses the ability to communicate with Earth. Then he has to do it manually by spelling Morse codes on the rocks as one-way communication. The rover’s solar panels are less than half-rechargeable. This jeopardizes the rendezvous and its immediate survival because there is not enough electricity to power its life-support equipment. As part of a new rescue plan, he modifies the rover again. He forces it to lift off from Mars with the Ares 4 MAV. When he leaves Schiaparelli crater, NASA discovers a dust storm. The unexpected news threatens to reach his path and has no way to warn him.
MAV modifications to take off
Watney is given instructions on the radical modifications for MAV. These are needed to reduce the weight of the MAVs so they can intercept Hermes during their flyby. This includes removing the front of the robot so that Watney can cover the interior with tarpaulin. After surviving the rover’s flip-over and its descent into Schiaparelli, Watney reaches the rover and re-establishes contact with NASA. As he crosses Arabia Terra, he becomes aware of a darkening sky and improvises rough measurements of the shape, direction, and motion of the storms that allow him to enter the storm.
Rescuing Watney
After take-off, the tarpaulin is torn off, creating additional resistance and leaving the Mav too low for rendezvous. Lewis improvises a plan to intercept the MAV by firing Hermes adjustment helicopters. Blowing a hole in the airlock with an improvised sugar and liquid oxygen bomb, and using the thrust to escape at reduced speed in the air. Beck, Hermes EVA specialist, uses the Meandering Unit (MMU) to reach Watney and bring him back to Hermes. In a final logbook entry, Watney expresses his joy at the rescue. He reflects the human instinct to help people in need.
Was the martian audiobook necessary?
The martian audiobook forms an extra dimension to this already awesome plot. Reading and listening and completely two different things after all!
Summery of The Martian Audiobook
The global popularity of the Martians stemmed from Podium Publishing’s early decision to take a risk on a relatively unknown author, Andy Weir. After Weir himself published an ebook, Podium stepped in to create the first version of the martian audiobook. Which led to a publishing agreement with Crown Publishing, Random House, and a Hollywood film deal.
The martian is an outstanding work by Andy Weir. The story manages to hit that sweet spot where there is the perfect balance between science fiction and a fast-paced plot. The story is backed by science, which is why a lot of us love it.
If you haven’t listened to the martian audiobook yet, now it’s time.
