The Martian + the conclusion of Tiffany Aching

[lunabee34]

I liked this book. I know many people disliked it because they think the quality of Pratchett's writing declined, but I don't share that opinion. I will concede that parts of the book were not as fleshed out as I'd have liked (Mrs. Earwig's sudden usefulness and backbone, for one), and I found one continuity error where Tiffany hangs a necklace around her neck and does so again a paragraph later. Other than that, everyone was in character, and the plot was compelling.

I know that another reason people disliked the book is because Granny Weatherwax dies. Obviously I didn't want her to die, but I think her death was a fitting ending (or beginning) to Tiffany's arc. From the very beginning, Tiffany's been groomed as Granny's replacement, and I liked getting to see her fulfill that role. Her struggles to live up to Granny's reputation, her grief at Granny's loss, and her ultimate realization that she needs to be a witch in her own way rather than modeling herself entirely after Granny were really moving.

I also think that in writing about Granny's death, Pratchett was writing about his own in a way. Clearly I am speculating here, but Pratchett knew he was dying, and I think this book is about the acceptance of death and the celebration of a life well lived, a life that was spent in worthwhile pursuits. Like all witches, Granny knows she's going to die beforehand. She ties up all her loose ends, and then she steps into the next world with dignity and grace. She lives in a world where she knows that something exists after death; there's at least one more journey across those sands to be made. And when she meets Death, he meets her as an equal. He respects her. He believes that a world without Granny Weatherwax is a world diminished. And then Pratchett widens the scope of Tiffany's arc to include characters from other corners of Discworld. So all these other characters get to mourn Granny Weatherwax, and the reader gets to say goodbye to Discworld at large rather than just the characters in Tiffany's purview.

I can completely understand why her death would be unpalatable to some readers, but I found it extremely satisfying on a narrative and emotional level.

In terms of the actual story, I liked that the thesis was once again that one witch alone can't handle the stresses of the job and that the work has to be shared. I was afraid Tiffany would choose to stay at Granny's cottage (which doesn't make a lot of narrative sense given that a witch's power is drawn from the land), and I was so relieved that she chose to stay on the Chalk.

I think another thesis of this series has been controverting expectations (Tiffany's the most powerful witch of her age who spends her life fighting against forces of darkness instead of settling down and having babies, Letitia is a queen and a baroness, and so on), and Geoffrey is a wonderful example. I love that he wants to be a witch, and that he's good at it. I love the plot of him allowing the old men with their deadly toenails to feel vital and useful again.

Finally, I think the romance between Preston and Tiffany was very well done. They both clearly care about each other, but they also are married to their jobs. Tiffany very naturally wonders if she even wants to get married and if she does whether she and Preston would ever be able to make it work given their careers. I think you can read the end of I Shall Wear Midnight in a couple ways. Either she and Preston make it work, and the necklace is proof of their relationship, or they don't, and the necklace is proof that she continues to feel affection for him even though they never ended up together. I choose to believe the former.


I loved The Martian. Hard. I loved that it was optimistic and ended well. I always thought Mark would survive but I was genuinely afraid that one of his former crewmates would die in his rescue.

I thought Mark was a really compelling and interesting protagonist. I thought he and the whole movie in general were really funny while also being very emotionally intense and gripping.

The movie was visually stunning. Like, wow.

My one mild criticism is that I wanted more of Mark's reunion with his shipmates; lots of movie for very little payoff in that regard. I also kinda wanted to see them all disembarking the spacecraft to a crowd of people cheering that panned out to all those venues around the world where people were avidly watching his story.

Overall, excellent watch.

Comments

[musyc]

I find your reaction to the end of The Martian really interesting! I haven't seen the film yet, but I love the book version - I think I've read it six times this year! And I really liked the book ending specifically because it avoided the traditional Hollywood ending of "everyone cheers and celebrates". The story was primarily about Watney and his efforts to live. While the people on Earth were important to his return, the story wasn't really about them. I think the book ended on an excellent note - we're bringing him home - much like that oh-so-famous Star Wars line of "I've found him, repeat, I've found him". The sheer victory of that particular moment really resounds with me. To extend that moment of success would have lessened Watney's story of survival, to me.

[lunabee34]

I can understand that.

I'm just so sentimental. The heartswelling music gets me every damn time. LOL

I just felt like the movie set up Mark as this global protagonist, this person who was unknowingly brokering alliances between potentially antagonistic governments and bringing people all across the world together in their concern for him. I wanted more of the global reaction. But even more than that, I wanted more with his crewmates; I felt like they were woefully under utilized in the movie.

[musyc]

LOL I can agree with you on the heartswelling music. Even when I know it's designed specifically to get my emotions running, I'll give in. I get all teary-eyed at the beginning of Jurassic Park when they see the dinosaurs for the first time, just because of that sudden SWELL of music. EVERY time, it gets me. XD

[lunabee34]

Yes!

Part of me doesn't even care if I'm being emotionally manipulated. LOL

I enjoy fiction for a variety of reasons, but I'd be lying if I said the primary reason wasn't because I enjoy crying.

[musyc]

Oh man, I watched Castaway again tonight, and the whole scene with him in the ocean and poor Wilson. I cry like a baby every, every time. I even went and got a tissue in advance, just because I knew it was going to happen.

[lunabee34]

I still have not seen that movie. I know everything that happens, but for some reason I've never watched it.

[kore]

OMG THAT IS SUCH A GREAT SCENE ME TOO um oh hi!

[musyc]

:DD HI! I think that scene just hits right at the core of all of the people who loved dinosaurs as kids. The huge swell of music and the spotting of Real! Live! Dinosaurs! It's complete and utter wish-fulfillment and lucky-sod jealousy. We all wanted to be in those jeeps right that moment.

[kore]

YES. I think it's so great too because those are actual props, and so the actors are interacting with real things, even if we 'know' they aren't dinosaurs. It's real movie magic. I might have that movie on DVD.

[kore]

the movie set up Mark as this global protagonist, this person who was unknowingly brokering alliances between potentially antagonistic governments and bringing people all across the world together in their concern for him. I wanted more of the global reaction

Oh, that's really nice. It was subtle, yeah, but it was there. And yeah, I agree that his crewmates were pretty much the most undeveloped part of the movie. The older actors like Daniels etc. playing mission control were able to massage their parts, but the crew just felt a little thin. I did love the details like the disco and Johanssen's (sp) hex table.

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

Mission Control definitely got more characterization and screen time than the crewmates.

[kore]

Yeah, I REALLY wanted more of the female Commander. And a lot less of evil blonde PR lady, altho she didn't bug me as much as she did other people apparently. (That is NOT WHAT A NASA PR PERSON DOES, movie.) I loved the character who first spotted Matt Damon and tracked him through the whole movie.

One funny(?) thing is a lot of women with NASA experience are like "there are way too few women just on the ground in this movie" and a lot of guys at NASA were like "Yeah, this is pretty accurate! I mean, our offices aren't that pretty, but...." Like the old SR Delany bit about thinking the population around you is about half-and-half male and female, until you count.

[lunabee34]

Kristen Wig's character didn't annoy me at all. I did think it was weird seeing her in a role where she wasn't supposed to be funny or ridiculous and I think that made her character seem off to me somehow, like she was three seconds away from being a character on SNL and just reining that in. LOL

[kore]

I totally wanted the reunion too! altho watching the launch at the end was nice.

[lunabee34]

I agree.

I like that it showed us everyone was okay and with their families and that the military people clearly weren't thrown in jail for mutiny.

[kore]

Yes! ....altho I was a little worried about Martinez going up into space again, because hasn't he had more than a lifetimes' worth of radiation? But since they totally handwaved the radiation on Mars anyway, it was nice to see one other member of the crew going back, along with at least one Chinese crewmember.

now I want to write crack crossover fic where Astronaut Chris Evans from Sunshine meets Astronaut Seb Stan from The Martian, I AM the cancer that is killing fandom

[lunabee34]

Radiation? What radiation? LOL

I approve this crossover idea. I love that kind of crossover. What's Sunshine? I don't know that movie.

[kore]

THAT WAS WHAT THE MOVIE SAID well to be fair, I only know this because I live with a Physics Geek who taught himself physics at 12 because he wanted to figure out the Schwarzchild solution. (I still don't know exactly what that is.) Apparently the atmosphere on Mars is so thin that it wouldn't protect at all against radiation, and Matt Damon isn't properly shielded for a long while in the movie, so T kept muttering.

Sunshine is a beautiful movie! It's kinda artsy. I love it. It's gorgeous. Chris Evans plays a super sulky astronaut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ2-xR54UDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHTVQPstwR4 It's got a nice int'l cast, too.

Chris talking about his character https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slXJ_YZDCCI

[lunabee34]

Yay! Thanks for the links.