Hi there!

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 (also 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, 2023, and will run through the next year into May-ish of 2025

• 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?

  • I’m fairly certain! I know that sounds bad, but IF any legal action were to take place it would be against me not you. The copy I’m using says “Redistribution of this e-book is permitted, so long as it is distributed for free.” I do not intent to make people pay for this book, so we’re good! This copy was also released in 2011, three years before Crown Publishing released their EDITED version, which would be illegal to copy.

  • All in all, it’s almost certainly fine. The worst case scenario is that I get a cease and desist and stop sending newsletters, which isn’t the end of the world. I completely understand if that makes you uncomfortable though, so feel free to unsubscribe if you don’t want to take the risk.

• 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. Depending on how big this gets, I might make more socials, but for now I’m sticking to this.