Penalt's Reading Corner - May 30 · 10:42pm May 30th, 2022
Potatoes and Space Travel. Two things that very few people would associate with each other. At least that is until a few years ago when published an interesting book about a marooned astronaut that wound up becoming a best seller and later, a highly popular film.
I speak, of course, about The Martian starring Matt Damon with the story written by Andy Weir.
I was lucky enough to be a reader of Mr. Weir's blog as he wrote and published the book chapter by chapter, and the story and movie both are one of the best hard sci-fi stories to come out in years. But this isn't a review/recommendation of that.
What this is, is a review and recommendation for The Maretian by Kris Overstreet. Kris takes the basic premise of The Martian and deftly straps on a booster engine comprised of a logical outgrowth from his now concluded series Changeling Space Program wherein Twilight's experimental space drive malfunctions.
Five brave equinauts (Yes, I invented that word) crash land on a hostile planet with practically no air, no water, and worst of all, no magic. Luckily for them, their pilot has managed to bring them down within spitting distance of one of the only structures on the planet. The Ares hab, now occupied by a stranded Mark Whatney on Sol 6 of what was supposed to be a thirty day mission.
Kris deftly manages to convey the perils and problems of a first contact situation while avoiding any quick fixes such as universal translators or such. The combined space castaways find themselves having to work through practical problems, such as how to talk to each other, how to use each others equipment, and most tellingly, how to get along with each other.
I, along with many others, greatly enjoyed the story and it's plot. I was particularly pleased that one of my favorite science fiction space drives made it into the stories. The Stutterwarp. The Martian was the story of a man overcoming practical problems by sciencing the shit out of things. The Maretian follows this while adding on the dynamics of an entire motley crew. My only issue with the story is that Kris imposed a "One chapter a day" requirement on himself, and sometimes it really shows as some chapters are most definitely weaker than others.
Overall though, it's a great story and one I can enthusiastically recommend. Read The Maretian by Kris Overstreet. It's well worth the time.
Also, as some of you may have noticed, there was a long gap between this and the last Reading Corner. As expected, my new job is eating up tons of my time, especially as I have to also work two days a week at my old job to keep a roof over my head. Hopefully, I'll be able to fully transition to the new company in a few months, but in the meantime I'm running flat out, day in, day out. A hard road for now, but the prospects are bright.
Anyway, have a good one out there, and be excellent to each other.
The Maretian was indeed a fun read. As I had watched the movie, I could detect the connections. Kris also included notes about the differences between the book and the movie. As well as the advances in tech etc.
5661060
Big time, CSP what made me get Kerbal, and The Maretain now has numerous fan sequels
5661085
Indeed it does
Yes, the Maretian is an excellent read. Definitely agree. Its prequel, CSP, is also entertaining.
I think I shall recommend in return something different, but with some similar themes.
Flash Fog, by Kwakerjak.
Fluttershy acquired a certificate as fog specialist mainly for tax reasons. She never expected to be called upon for her expertise in the ground-bound Ponyville. She really shouldn't have tempted fate like that.
This is a fun and thought-provoking little story about pegasi and their ability to affect clouds, and explores what implications it might have.