Isabelle King (Y12)
If you’ve read these books before, you definitely know that their similarities end there; however, I wanted to write about both of them, so…
*Very slight spoiler warning*– If you haven’t read one of them yet and plan to, it should still be fine to read this!
THE MARTIAN:
This cover is trippy looking
(Cred: goodreads)
The Martian by Andy Weir was published in 2011. It’s a science fiction book that follows Mark Watney, an astronaut who got stranded on Mars after his crew left him under the pretense that he had died. The story details his struggle for survival and his goal of coming home to Earth. The striking thing about this book is the interweaving of actual scientific knowledge and fun possibilities of happenings. When I read this book, I genuinely learned a lot about the complexities of space, and various other survival techniques (that I admittedly would probably never have to use on Earth with normal equipment around, instead of things like the Environmental Control and Life Support System). The concept was really new to me when I read it, as I hadn’t previously touched sci-fi, and because of this, it all felt otherworldly and distant; however, now missions to Mars are actively being planned with NASA and SpaceX aiming to have the first people on Mars by 2030.
Honestly, writing this review has sent me back down a space spiral, which is never a good idea, especially if you don’t understand physics. So fair warning, after reading this, you’ll have a lot of questions about practically everything that has ever existed. But don’t look too far into it.
Okay, now let’s talk about the movie! I’m sure that’s where most of you have heard about this before, and it makes sense because, in my opinion, it’s one of the best book-to-movie adaptations ever. The actor portraying Mark Watney, Matt Damon, did an amazing job; he even added a comedic twist that wasn’t as prevalent in the book, making it easier for audiences to relate to his struggles. Moreover, the movie doesn’t fall into nihilism or hopelessness when it easily could; instead, it focuses on empathy and the desire to help, with everyone doing everything in their power to get him back to earth. A movie that could have turned hopeless becomes an uplifting experience by highlighting the refusal to surrender to the ill circumstances.
Overall, The Martian was a super pleasant read and watch that left me with more hope in humanity than I started with!
RED RISING:
Anyone call for a revolution?
(Cred: goodreads)
In contrast, Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a science fiction and dystopian book series, with emphasis on the dystopian. Because of this difference, it’s probably strange to compare them, as The Martian still values some sense of realism, while Red Rising diverges into a completely different timeline of the world. In Red Rising, there is a class system that is made up of various colours, with red being at the bottom and Gold being the supreme leaders. Our main character, Darrow, is a red who discovered that his people are enslaved by the ruling class, the golds. After his wife is killed by this tyranny, he decides to alter his body to become a gold to infiltrate their society and cause an uprising. On the outside, it seems like any other dystopian series, but the writing is what sets it apart for me. Pierce Brown studied politics and economics at university, and it shows; he’s able to perfectly describe the tense atmosphere of power struggles and the constant mind games that come with a political battle. Perhaps the most striking part of this series is the amount of character development Darrow undergoes. In the first book, he naturally takes the role of leader, and in this process, he learns how important it is to lead through inspiration instead of fear. He realises that he is not the strongest nor the brightest, so what is it that makes him the one most fit to lead his people? His direction. People need someone to look up to and trust to give them a purpose, and he becomes that person. He carries this lesson with him throughout the series, because he knows that if he is to overthrow the golds, then the society afterwards can not be governed the same way; otherwise, what would have been the point? Truly, the most enjoyable part of this series was how conscious he was of the aftereffects and how every action was important.
The main thesis of the book is the idea that “death begets death begets death.” It represents the unending cycle of violence and revenge that underlies the relationship between humans. In the series, Darrow continuously quotes this as a way to redirect himself to try to reach beyond the cycle. At first, he wanted the golds to suffer, but he realised that they were people too, and he grew to care about them in a way that infinitely scared him. Moreover, he came to understand that if he then suppressed the golds, the cycle would not end there. I think this applies to our world today, and we could learn something from looking at the worst-case scenario being turned around. Pierce Brown wrote this book partially to explore how class struggles take a toll on our identity and morals. I think it can be seen as a cautionary tale on how you should never lose sight of what you hold dear, whatever that may be, and whatever circumstances you may be in.