This newsletter brings you the original version of Andy Weir’s The Martian. Originally a series of blog posts published in 2011, the Crown Publishing Group bought the rights and re-released it as a full novel in 2014. The movie, starring Matt Damon, came out a year later.
While the full novel is under the standard copyright laws, the original posts are permitted for distribution, as long as it’s free. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share the book in the style of Dracula Daily (found on Substack): releasing each section in chronological order, as it happens in the book.
I hope you enjoy this labor of love. I’m so glad I get to share this science fiction masterpiece in a new way. So grab some duct tape, strap on your EVA suit, and take a ride to Mars with us!
(Logo credit: Tumblr user @helios-shine)
FAQ Section
- What inspired this?
- Dracula Daily and a Tumblr post from forever ago about how The Martian would make an amazing newsletter
- When is this going?
- It starts on November 7th of odd-numbered years and will run about a year and a half into May of odd-numbered years.
- What translation are you using?
- I’m using a direct copy of the original blog by Andy Weir (not the book that was released by the Crown Publishing Group). Here’s the link to the pdf I used.
- Is that legal?
- As long as I’m making no money off of this project. The copy I’m using says “Redistribution of this e-book is permitted, so long as it is distributed for free.” No tips, subscriptions, or other payment. This copy was also released in 2011, three years before Crown Publishing released their EDITED version, which would be illegal to copy.
- Will you be recording audio versions of each chapter?
- I will not. There are audiobook recordings on YouTube, but keep in mind that the book/audiobook do not match up completely with the text in Martian Messages. It is possible to follow along, but not easy.
- What if I join after you start?
- You’ll get the chapter scheduled for that day. You can always catch up on the archive.
- Who are you?
- You can call me Ashla. I’m going to stay mostly anonymous (at least for now.) If you need to reach me you can do that here or @martian-messages on Tumblr.