Not the Martian

I remember reading The Martian when if first came out. It was a terrific novel. It was geeky but sci-fi-ish. It was raw but well-written. It was fresh and interesting. 

Then the movie came out. It was good. But nowhere near as good as the book. 

Well, I just read Artiemis. It's good, but nowhere near as good as The Martian. It's far more formulaic, and true. . . it feels like this could have been his first book, and The Martian was the second or third. My first book reads like "a" first novel. I go back and read it and cringe. My readers seem to like my second novel better than my third, based on the reviews, but I think the writing in the third book is far better. 

I think with each book my writing gets better and better. Not so the split between Artemis and The Martian. 

I will say this . . . the opening act sure gets the reader into the action quick.