Andy Weir

I'm more than a little worried about how this post will turn out, but here goes.

This past week I read both The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and I'm hooked. Love the way he writes and what he writes about!

As I read through his books, the next one on my "list" was Artemis. I went in expecting it to be another "escape room" type book but was pleasantly surprised when it focused more on a space-life culture and what it means to be a citizen in a space "colony" (even though I don't think you'd call Artemis a Colony; that's neither here nor there).

Anyway, Jazz never passes up an opportunity to talk about sex. A lot of time is spent talking about her sex life. She rarely passes up an opportunity to lean into the salacious or point out a double entendre she stumbled upon.

Now, I'm no pearl-clutching incel who can't bear to be reminded of the fact women are sexual, like sex, and think about sex. Her being sexual isn't what's catching me off-guard in the slightest. It's the contrast.

Now in The Martian and Project Hail Mary, sex comes up. There's talk of sex. It's fun and funny and breaks the tension nicely. But the comparable word count dedicated to the sexuality of the main character is off the charts for Artemis.

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So as a typical white guy who tends to read books where the main character is a typical white guy, I'm so excited to be breaking my own pattern and relating to this Woman from Saudi Arabia making her own way on the moon, instead of just nerdy guys.

But I've got alarm bells going off.

I'm a white guy. Mark Whatney and Ryland Grace are white guys. Andy Weir is a white guy.

Mark Whatney and Ryland Grace are not heavily sexualized.

The exotic space woman is heavily sexualized.

Am I reading too much into this? Not enough? Am I tripping over a molehill or asking if anyone else has ever seen this mountain? Is she over- or *hyper-*sexualized, or is this a totally typical (and reasonable) representation of women in modern literature?

I'm not a big reader, I'm on the spectrum, and I don't always pick up on things in the right way at the right moment, so I'm asking for constructive input: what lens should I view this writing through? Because this seems like one of those personal growth moments, and I don't want to let it sail by.

I absolutely adored this book. I am a huge fan of Michael Crichton, and this gave me very similar vibes. The attention to scientific detail and humor is everything. I loved how much detail was provided when Mark Watney solved problems, and how he used a realistic tone to explain how he was feeling. The movie adaptation was entertaining, but I felt like Matt Damon was an odd pick for Watney. My only real criticism of the book as well as the movie, is that the end seems rushed. In both cases, a few more pages/running time would wrap things up nicely. Overall, I have to thank this sub for this recommendation, and I’m going to read Artemis next.

Edit: Wow, lots of love for this book! I appreciate all the feedback, especially the lively debate around Artemis. I’m not sure who I would pick to replace Matt Damon, but I’d say someone like Domhnall Gleeson. I loved his performance in Ex Machina. Also, I don’t really do audiobooks, but I appreciate the recommendations, and I’m sure others appreciate them as well.

I'm listening to the audiobook and it's honestly a struggle. Only the weird completionist part of me is keeping me going.

The main character, Jazz, is one of the worst protagonists I've personally experienced from several perspectives.

Firstly they knowingly and intentionally make incredibly poor choices for little to no reason other than to seemingly add drama to the story. They also treat every single person in their lives with arrogant contempt, from their overbearing but well meaning father to old friends or even random people. Everybody gets shat on in one way or another because what apparently makes a compelling protagonist is somebody completely incapable of forethought and empathy? This also seems to be viewed from the lens of the author as totally justified and reasonable (or at least it is so far) and that makes it even worse.

Which is odd considering she is also a super cool mega smart engineer smuggler crime girl who can do basically anything. It's mentioned explicitly at multiple points that she could do basically anything she set her mind to. Unironically.

She also is incredibly hot and likes to apparently think that to herself multiple times a day, constantly referencing how banging her body is or how she has a reputation for being easy because everybody wants to sleep with her. Like normal real people totally do.

This all culminates in reading like a horny teenager's fantasy woman crowbarred into an underwhelming story. Except a lot of the dialogue is also written very much in the style of what a 51 year old man thinks people in their 20s talk like i.e. complete rubbish. Lots of strange inappropriate slang, overly flippant reactions and unnecessary and unfunny quipping.

Not quite finished yet but in all it really comes off feeling almost sexist, the portrayall of the main female character is that bad.

Curious to know what other people thought of it.

I just finished reading Project: Hail Mary by Andy Weir. He has always been one of my favourite authors, but I didn't think he could top the Martian. Well, he did.

He has a way of mixing in-depth science with comedy and emotions, and I once again cried when I finished this novel.

It's one of those books that I'd love to go back and read again for the first time if I could.

If you've read this, can we please just talk about it. I'm trying to get my partner to read it, but I don't think that's going to happen for a long time, so I have no one to discuss it with.

If you haven't, but you enjoyed the Martian movie, Interstellar, or anything sci-fi/alien related, I highly recommend this book.

"The Martian" is my first published book, and it's soon going to be a major motion picture starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott. I assume this is how all book deals go, right? I can expect this every time I write a book, right?

Anyway, I'll be answering questions until 3pm Eastern time (12pm Pacific). Ask Me Anything!

Proof that this is me:

EDIT - Well, that's all, folks! Thanks for your questions, and thank you, , for hosting this event. If anyone has burning questions that never got answered, you can always email me at . I answer all fan-mail (though it sometimes takes me a while to get to it all).

I haven't felt this ecstatic after reading a book since "The Secret History".

3 days ago. I found a leading to "Penguin Random House" 's list of 2021's best books. I had just finished a few books and was looking for something good to pass my time. didn't think I would come in contact with possibly one of my favorite books this year (I finished it in two days).
Of course, from the first chapter I recognized the same style as "The Martian" and kept wondering if it's the same author:it is.
I don't wanna spoil anything. Practically talking about any aspect of it spoils the experience, but to give you the general idea: "A man is in space". That's all you need and it's all in the cover.

The writing is incredible, also very easy to understand. the physics and math is well explained for people who forgot that kind of stuff, and practically a walk in the park for people who retained their highschool-level science education.
Character building is sublime and you'll feel tethered to the main Character.

Sometimes; My voice sparked amidst a paragraph and scared me because I was so invested in the story. My mind used most of it's power to build the world around it.

I can't talk much about it. But if you're looking for a good experience. I dearly recommend this book as it ignited my passion for science and more importantly, for "hard science-fiction". One thing I learned, The best science fiction books are the ones set in your own time-line.

I can't wait what else will come from my newest favorite author.

To the Author: Thank you, you've made me a very happy person

Hi, I'm Andy Weir, space dork and sci-fi enthusiast.

Proof:

Most of you know me as the guy who wrote "The Martian". Now I'm also the guy who wrote "Artemis". I'll talk about anything you want except politics. Ask away!

I'll answer questions until 1pm Pacific time.

Edit: Well time for me to go. Thanks for all the questions! IF you have lingering questions, you can always email me at . I answer all fan mail (though I can't guarantee to answer it right away).

Hi, I'm Andy Weir. You might know me as the guy who wrote “The Martian” and “Artemis.” And now I’m also the guy who wrote “Project Hail Mary.”

Spoiler warning! There might be some spoilers for “Project Hail Mary” here, so proceed with caution or come back after you’ve finished. If we didn’t get to your question, you can email me and I’ll get back to you.

Proof:

Ask away!

More info about PHM:

EDIT: All done, folks. Thanks so much for your questions and remember I answer all emails from fans. Feel free to ping me at :)

I’ve been reading some depressing books lately, so this book was like a breath of fresh air to me. I like the premise of the book and the characters, except for Stratt.

I love Rocky. What an adorable little guy. Whenever his dialogue comes up, I imagine he sounds like an animal crossing character.

I’m almost done reading it, but I’m stalling because I don’t want it to end.

My story, was frontpaged here last week.

So, thanks for that! And thanks for the many emails I got about the story. Some folks suggested I do an AMA. I am very inexperienced in the ways of Reddit, but here I am.

Edit: . This is posted to galactanet, my website, which is also where The Egg resides. Hopefully that's proof enough for folks.

Finale: All right folks. It's bed time. Thanks for your questions and thanks for reading my stories. If you have anything to say or further questions to ask, you can always drop me a line. My email address is posted on

This book is much more funnier and thrilling than so called thrillers and comedy novels. The way how Mark Watney was portrayed was so funny. How he is not a hard ass and his comical narratives. Sad to see how the Movie cut some of his jokes. And being an office fan the inclusion of “That’s what she said” was a pure bliss.

Ps: why didnt i ever join this subreddit before TT

I loved "The Martian". Clever writing, dry humor drawing from many significant directions, and so many areas of relevant science. Utterly hilarious and really surprisingly wise. A very clear voice, I was so impressed. I think Heinlein set the bar for fluid writing style - Starship Troopers may have its odd sides but oh those first pages... like surfing, whoosh! ("I'm a time bomb! Six! Five! Four!") And I'd have put the Martian in nearly the same class. Wonderful stuff, read it a pile of times. Then came Artemis - do what now? I'd swear- a different author. Not the worst ever, sure, but so strikingly different. An author with what seemed an entirely different voice. I'm so sorry to rain on Andy's work- he so more than rocks. ("Boobies!") But oh son, you lost something in your sophomore season. Not bad!, but nowhere near as good. Hail Mary was better. But the Martian was absolutely the jewel shining in the desert.

I just recently finished this book. And I can't stop thinking about it. It is absolutely amazing. I literally had the best time reading this book. Amazing book! It's well written, funny, interesting, exciting, cool, smart. It just has it all. I can not press this enough: read it! If you enjoy fantasy, especially science fiction this is a great book. If you have read The Martian og Artemis, you will love Project Hail Mary. If you liked Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, you'll love this one. I think Project Hail Mary must be my absolute favorite book!

Hi, I'm Andy Weir. I wrote the NYT bestseller . It's being made into a movie as we speak, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. Ask anything you like about the book, the film, or whatever else you can think of. I'll be here answering questions starting at 12:30 PM ET today.

Edit: Okay, folks. It's about 3:30 Eastern now and time for me to be on my way. Thanks for your questions, and as always, thanks for reading!

While we wait for the inevitable S6 and the final book, I highly recommend the latest book from Andy Weir: Project Hail Mary.

It's a book set in the near future with an intriguing extraterrestrial life mysteriously threatening the solar system. Basically if you love The Expanse and The Martian, then this book will be a blast.

I’ve read probably 20 books since PHM (not counting the three more times I read it). None of them come even close to giving me the same wonderful feelings. Is anyone else riding in my boat? Surprisingly, I didn’t hate Artemis, which I read immediately after PHM, but I’ve largely forgotten most of it. There are a few that have stuck with me, but most have been quite meh. I didn’t even finish Three Body — completely unenjoyable. I just read Stephen King‘s “The Mist“ (my first SK book since the icky Tommyknockers) which reminded me that his writing is still juvenile. He, like George Lucas and James Cameron, is a great storyteller, but writes the long parts short and the short parts long. Strangely, though, I will recommend one lent to me by a friend: Fiend, by Peter Stenson. Normally, I’m not into tales about heavy drug use, but it is a very interesting and fresh take on zombies. ✌🏻

My favorite author of all time was Michael Crichton. His particular flavor of science fiction featuring accurate science, combined with the immensely enjoyable storytelling, got me hooked on every one of his books. When he died, I didn’t think any other books would satisfy my like his.

The Martian by Andy Weir was great, but I kinda figured it was a one-off. But, I’m currently about a quarter of the way through Hail Mary Project and I am thoroughly enjoying it. A few pages ago I realized this style of story telling is exactly what I’ve been missing since Crichton passed. I’m not finished yet, but so far it’s a 10/10.

Edit: just want to add that one of my favorite books of all times is Travels, Michel Crichton’s autobiography. Not only was he a great author but he lived an interesting life. It probably helps that a great story teller[himself] told his story 😆.