I really loved The Martian by Andy Weir, so I was really excited to give this one a go. It's not a bad book, but I did not enjoy it as much as The Martian. Jazz, as a character, is pretty great. She's super sarcastic and not always likable, but I find I'm enjoying reading unlikable characters more and more. She has very human flaws and I can appreciate that. However, at times, as a woman, I didn't find her to be realistic. I can't really put my finger on why, but there was some authenticity missing for me in her voice. Despite this, she's a decent narrator and I found myself laughing out loud, and I always appreciate made up words like kaboominess (and they are there).

At times, it also felt like the narrative was trying to do too much. There's the heist part of the story, but that really came into play much later in the book than I imagined it would. In the beginning, it's basically following Jazz around, getting to know her, and snippets of her past being dropped like breadcrumbs. As the story continues, you eventually get backstory about her and various other characters, but some of the reveals felt stilted and off kilter. It also irritated me the number of times other characters made cracks about Jazz's sex life and how many partners she apparently has. It just didn't feel quite right to me, and I didn't enjoy that aspect.

All of this does not mean that I absolutely hated the book, though. The setting of the first city on the moon was pretty awesome. It was really interesting to see how it was run and how a society has been built there. I don't think I would want to live there, but it was interesting nonetheless. The story was also enough to hold my interest. Some of the action sequences were hard for me to read and also simultaneously picture what was going on enough to fully understand what was happening, but I still wanted to know what happened in the end. I really liked the other characters in the book from a nerdy scientist to Jazz's father to her ex-best friend, and the addition of her pen pal on Earth was also quite fun. I could definitely see this being made into a movie, and I would probably watch it, if it was.

So, basically, if you liked The Martian, you may like this. You might not. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on Goodreads, and I have pretty ambivalent feelings about it as well. Some choices didn't quite work for me, but that doesn't mean they won't work for you. If you like sci-fi and heist movies like Ocean's 11, you may also enjoy this.

This is a great sophmore attempt from Andy Weir. It had all the pace and excitement of The Martian with intrigue, mystery, and a great caper to match. The main character was likeable and the love interests were not too much. I actually am glad with who she ended up with. I gave this book 4 stars.

Primary review posted to youtube (see link)
Written review c/p from goodreads:

3.75 *

ARC received in exchange for an honest review. Review will be forthcoming.

I think the best word to describe this novel is to say it's a "romp." If you're looking for complex, insightful, though provoking scifi this isn't going to be that. But if you're in the mood for something fun to sweep you away in the action of what really is a moon heist, then I think Artemis could fit the bill.

I have no read The Martian (I know, I know, but I saw the movie and loved it, does that count?) so I can't comment on how this sophomore novel stacks up in comparison. That being said, I suspect it shares quite a few characters (lots of action in a very hollywood blockbuster vein, lots of shit goes wrong, lots of science, and a constantly quipping protagonist that you might love or hate. i personally didn't find it overly LOL, but i wasn't especially annoyed by the humor either).

Andy Weir really shines here whenever he's describing the moon colony he's envisioned or discussing aspects of, I can't believe i'm going to say this but, welding. Like, yes, there's a surprising amount of welding talk in this book and you know what? I wasn't bored reading about it. I really felt like Artemis was a real place could exist in the near future and is the sort of near future space colony i'd want to visit even though realistically I could never afford it (also something touched on frequently in the story). Overall it felt very grounded in reality even though the plot was effectively a hollywood space action story.

My biggest criticism would be the choppy writing style. And this is probably just Weir's style, but it doesn't actually feel especially purposeful or stylized...it just feels choppy. There's nothing especially artful about the writing (particularly the dialogue or passages that don't deal with the science aspects of the narrative), which means that this book probably won't stick long with me. But this brings me back to my original point, if you just want to be entertained and don't care for depth of craft or complexity of ideas then it should fit your bill.

I can't give it a 4-star rating, but overall I think it was a pretty solid 3.75 and i'll be curious to see what he writes next.

Like many of you, I was excited to read Weir’s new novel although skeptical of how it would hold up. There was a bit too much science for my liking causing the story to be a bit boring/dry in those parts. The characters, especially Jazz, were overly intelligent so that the reader could understand

the story. I felt more of this could have been done through narration.

However, the descriptive language and background enabled Weir to perfectly create a new world who’s existence doesn’t seem so far off from the present day – ultimately allowing the reader to more easily understand and relate to the comings and goings in what should be an otherwise alien place.

The excitement and pace of the novel made this a quick read from me. I repeatedly found myself wondering where Weir would take the storyline next. I loved how Weir was able to throw in economics with science and a heist story, a little something for everyone. Perhaps this will be another Hollywood Hit.

**I received my copy via Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.**

Andy Weir does such a great job with world building, first on Mars, now on the Moon. There's a good foundation for the science, so even when he has to go into purely science fiction territory, it's still pretty believable.

For me, the lead character of the book is the lunar colony of Artemis. There's interesting history about the colony's founding, based out of Kenya. The country had one and only natural resource to offer – the equator which makes it an ideal launch location – and over thirty countries invested in the Kenya Space Corporation (KSC) which eventually built the domes of Artemis. The domes are named after American astronauts who walked on the moon during the Apollo missions and tourists can visit the Apollo 11 site, but Artemis time is Nairobi time, and they create their own system of governance.

It's a little bit “Wild West” without many rules, which is another plus for the countries wanting to invest in the colony because they can do certain things in low gravity that they can't on earth, and beyond the number one rule of never doing anything that could endanger the oxygen in the dome, everyone pretty much minds their own business. There's also a reflection of those earth companies in Artemis, with various guilds being dominated by certain nationalities who basically took over that trade, such as Saudis being welders, Hungarians are metalworkers, and Vietnamese run Life Support.

Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara, moved to Artemis with her father when she was six. They are Saudi, and her father is a welder and Jazz was in training to be one as well, but quit for teenage angst reasons that aren't clearly defined. Despite living in Artemis for 20 years, Jazz still acts a lot like a teenager in a constant state of rebellion. She wants to be rich but instead of going into a well-paying welding guild job, she's working for low pay as a porter with a side job into smuggling with the help of a pen pal back in Kenya who gets a job with KSC. She knows the local law enforcement (basically one person) is itching for a reason to deport her back to earth, but still keeps up with the life of crime and general bad choices.

She's estranged from her father and a close friend for reasons that are more about her than them. One of many rich people who use her services to get illegal items such as real alcohol and cigars (the latter being a no-no due to the whole combustible atmosphere thing) asks her to do a really big job, one that will pay her enough to do whatever she wants. It's basically corporate sabotage in a city that is owned by corporations, so you know that's not going to end well.

I really wanted to like Jazz. She's Saudi and a non-observant Muslim (her father is observant), which is a nice change from generic white and usually male lead characters. There were just too many times her thoughts and dialog were obviously written by a man who's writing her like an annoying teenage boy. She's told many time she's got so much potential, but doesn't do anything with it except avoiding actual work. It's implied she's lazy, but her job as a porter can't be easy or well-paying without her smuggling sideline that gives her quick money but seems to be more work than a real job. I guess it's supposed to be a “cover” for her smuggling but Artemis is a small-town in one sense, so everyone knows everyone else's business. Which means several male characters make comments on her body and her sex life, though at least Jazz herself is unashamed about both.

There are only two other female characters of note, the administrator of the colony and the daughter of the businessman who pays Jazz to commit corporate sabotage. Neither are very deep characterizations, with the administrator being one of those who knows everything that's going on, but choosing what to ignore when necessary. Perhaps if there was another woman for Jazz to interact with, she would have been more sympathetic and less annoying? Or maybe having Jazz be one of the few females in a male-dominated city was part of the point?

While my favorite parts were about Artemis and how it works, even the “Wild West” excuse didn't cut it for me with one very important aspect. Jazz's entire scheme only works because there's very little in the way of security cameras in Artemis. Automated mining vehicles have them in case there's a problem requiring human intervention, yet there's no monitoring of the actual habitats because the corporations don't want any potential dirty laundry to be recorded? (That was implied, not outright stated) Looks like they would want it to protect their investment from their own employees as well as the other locals, not to mention keeping watch on any potential system issues in the dome. I have to put it in the same category as the storm in the beginning of “The Martian”, which isn't possible due to the minimal atmosphere, but is necessary for the plot to happen.

The book has already been optioned for a movie, and I actually think it might work better in that medium if they get a good director and cast. The movie adaptation of “The Martian” left a lot of the lengthy and repetitive stuff out and it worked well on-screen. If they can cast a good actor for Jazz, tweak her dialog and please, please, please don't put her in a “sexy” suit for excursions to the lunar surface, it could be a great story. The book is a good story, but a little more editing and character development could have made it into a great story. Though this is only Weir's sophomore work, so I'm hoping the characters can match the science next time out.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Artemis is ‘the first (and so far, only) city on the moon’. Jasmine (Jazz) Bashara is a porter who delivers mostly black-market contraband from Earth. Among her customers is Trond Landvik a wealthy businessman, rich by even Earth standards who, one day, offers her a very lucrative job – all she has to do is sabotage the mining equipment of the Sanchez Aluminum Co. Trouble is, she isn’t able to complete the job which means she won’t get paid. Even worse, the company is owned by a Brazilian mobster who doesn’t take kindly to having his business interfered with. When she finds Trond murdered and discovers the reason why he hired her in the first place, she is forced to finish the job with the help of friends and family to save Artemus. Only again, things don’t go quite as planned and, instead of saving the city, she might just have destroyed it.

Artemis is author Andy Weir’s follow-up novel to The Martian. Like The Martian, it has an off-Earth setting and there’s plenty of sciency stuff (I now know much more about welding on the moon than I ever thought I would learn or want). But, overall, as a lot of other reviewers have pointed out, this seemed more like a caper story than scifi. Don’t get me wrong – I am rather partial to a good caper story but this wasn’t at all what I expected. If anything, I would say it felt like ‘40s Noir and this is nowhere more evident than in Jazz. Granted she’s less your typical noir ‘dame’ and more Philip Marlowe with her tough talk, hard drinking, and willingness to stretch the law, even break it for the right price or cause but only so far. But, like Marlowe, she lacks any real depth. Instead, there’s a kind of comic book quality to her.

Because I was expecting something completely different, it took me a while to get into the book. However, having said that, once I stopped looking for a sequel to The Martian and, instead, accepted it for what it is, a rollicking good crime caper, I found Artemis a whole lot of fun and a real page-turner. There’s plenty of action and if the characters are somewhat one-dimensional, they were entertaining, the world-building and the science were interesting, and there was even a nice touch of humour. And, hey, really what more can you ask from a crime caper, especially one set on the moon.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Andy Weir writes a nerdy foul mouthed adventure in his current novel. When his main character Jazz is hired to pull off the heist on the moon things go awry. She is surrounded by a cast of quirky and unique characters. From her Arabic father to her nerdy scientist friend to her gay ex boyfriend. This is a fabulous second novel that I will be recommending for months.

Artemis is more than just a colony on the moon. It is a small tourist town, a community. Rudy is the only law enforcement on Artemis. A former Royals Mountie, he takes his job very seriously. There are others in Artemis that are wealthy and prestigious. And then there is Jazz, she is a local who has lived in Artemis most of her life. She works as a Porter, which allows for her side job to be so lucrative. Jazz is a smuggler. One day one of Artemis's client makes an interesting proposal. It will be a risky venture, but the slugs (currency used in Artemis) will allow Jazz to move out of her coffin-sized home and into a place where she can really be comfortable. She finishes her "mission" and returns to collect her money, only to find the client and his bodyguard have been murdered. On Artemis. Murder doesn't happen on the moon and Jazz is terrified that she will be next. She calls on the skills she has honed over a lifetime of smuggling, as well as the misfit group of people that she considers friends. Will Jazz be able to solve the murder and get things under control before the murderers find her?

Andy Weir is a legend among aspiring authors. The story of how his first novel came to print is the stuff of legends. While Artemis is being published the traditional route, it is going to be as big of a blockbuster as The Martian. Jazz is a unique character - she is a Saudi Arabian by birth, but has lived on Artemis since she was six years old. She doesn't have much of a relationship with her traditional father, but she knows he will have her back when the chips are down. And the chips are very much down when somebody is trying to kill her. I loved Jazz - her character is resourceful and quick and very much a part of her community. Even when she takes things too far and puts the entire city is at risk, she has people who are willing to stand by her side and fight with her. Her "friends" are definitely a misfit group, but that is part of what makes the story so addicting. Artemis is an incredibly fast-paced novel that was definitely written with the big screen in mind. The author paints such a vivid picture of the moon's colony that it is easy to imagine it as a movie.

Bottom Line - Artemis is a well written, highly entertaining novel that just happens to be set on the moon. If you love a good, fast-paced read, then you must give Artemis a shot, you won't regret it, I promise!

Details:
Artemis by Andy Weir
On Facebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: 11/14/2017
Buy it here!

In Andy Weir's debut novel, he showed us what it would be like if you lived on Mars. In his latest book, he shows us what it's like to live in a colony on the moon.

Artemis is the story of Jazz Bashura, a smart woman who rolls her eyes any time someone talks about how much potential she has and who has turned her job as a porter (basically, a local delivery person) into a gig as a smuggler. She dreams of living a comfortable life with the least possible effort. 

So when an opportunity comes up to make a cozy lifetime's worth of money in one act of corporate sabotage, the dollar signs convince her to do it. Unfortunately for her, all her perfect planning goes wrong with the placement of one boulder, and she has to think on her feet to save her project, her life, and eventually, the city of Artemis itself. 

Again Andy Weir makes science accessible, as Artemis requires lost of explanations on how things like gravity, breathing, and firefighting would work on the moon. And again, Weir creates a main character who is self-confident, smart, and more than a little snarky. Those who had issues with Mark Watney in The Martian will not be a fan of Jazz either. If you're worried about that but still want to read the book, I'd suggest trying the audio version. Everyone I've heard from is raving about Rosario Dawson's performance. That might help soften the sarcasm. 

Artemis, while being a novel of world-building (literally) on the moon, it still deals with issues of race, international politics, and corporate greed. While race matters less on the moon, Jazz is an Arabic woman, the nation of Kenya is in charge of Artemis, and billionaires can be just as money-grubbing in space as on Earth, so this novel may not be as escapist as you want. 

All that being said, Artemis is a fun, entertaining heist story told by a smart narrator with an attitude. I recommend it to everyone who enjoyed The Martian, either the book or the movie, and I look forward to seeing where Mr. Weir takes us next. 



Galleys for Artemis were provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Science Fiction
Adult
Oh how we have been waiting for this book! Weir won international fame for his first novel, The Martian, which (as I, ahem, predicted) then blew us away as a blockbuster movie. Sophomore efforts often pale after such a success, and Weir makes a pretty good effort here. Set in the not-too-distant future, Artemis is a small colony of about 2000 on the moon. Jazz Bashara has lived there for two decades, since she was six years old. A non-practising Muslim, she makes a living as a deliveryperson with a profitable side gig as a small-time smuggler. Despite the constant hussle, her bank balance is dismally low, a problem as she has a debt to pay, and wants a better place to live where she doesn’t have to pad down the hall to a communal bathroom. To that end, Jazz hopes to qualify to do EVAs and earn more slugs (moon coin), but her sass and impatience keep getting in the way, despite being smart as a whip. What everyone calls “so much potential” – which just pisses her off to no end. But her need for money is palpable, and when one of her regular customers offers her a pile of slugs in exchange for a little criminal sabotage, she hesitates only briefly before agreeing. But of course it doesn’t go as planned, and soon Jazz is running for her life from the Brazilian mob, with almost no place to hide. This was a fun choice just a couple of weeks after reading Scott Kelly’s autobiography. So let me start with the good: it’s a caper, it’s on the moon, and it’s fun. There’s enough science to meet my post-Martian expectations, and the plot is complicated but not convoluted. Extra points for creating a world where Kenya manages moon travel. The supporting characters are diverse, well-developed, and add depth to the novel. Then there’s Jazz. I wasn’t sure I’d like her at first, but soon I was smitten – she’s lippy, ethical, funny, and bitchy. What’s not so good: despite getting help from several women with writing in a female voice, Weir delivers more than a few painfully awkward lines and juvenile jokes. I’m sure I’m not the only one who winced when Jazz opts for a niqab as a disguise during her heist prep-work, then refers to it as a mask. And if you found Watney’s sarcasm a bit grating, you’ll probably hate Jazz. Finally, the plot is a bit predictable. So overall it’s not The Martian, but still pretty good, and quite enjoyable. As in his first book, Weir does a great job describing the setting and explaining the science in an accessible and enjoyable way. I feel like I could design a space-worthy outer hull myself now, and take a decent stab at welding. Weir also won me over with a minor reference to Killdozer, my first b-movie discovered on 1970s Saturday afternoon television. (I cherish that memory and don’t dare wreck it by even considering watching it again! It can’t possibly hold up to the appreciation of a nine-year-old.) So he gets bonus points from me, just for that alone. My thanks to Crown Publishing for the advance reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34928122

I loved The Martian so I was excited to get the chance to read an advance copy of Artemis. But Weir's second book was a different kind of space book than his first. It's a female lead--who"s not exactly a saint--living on the moon and determined to rise to the top by whatever means necessary. I loved her wit, the non-stop action, and the unique ensemble of characters. Some of the science talk went over my head, but that was okay. I still enjoyed the adventure!

I read this book a few weeks ago and still can’t properly put into words how addicting it was! I read it over a few days because I had real life responsibilities (ugh *eye roll*), but every free minute I had was spent with my nose in my kindle.

First off, you have to go into Artemis knowing that it is not and will never be The Martian. It’s set in space, and that’s about the only similarity. This one has a female narrator. She’s a criminal. She also has human interaction all over the book. So it’s different. And I absolutely loved that!

Jazz is a smuggler, paying to bring contraband to the moon to wealthy inhabitants. The contraband really isn’t all that bad, when you think about it — cigars, lighters, etc. But one day, one of her regular customers pulls her into a large conspiracy to take out a rival corporation. This is the point where everything starts to go haywire in Jazz’s life.

This book is equal parts space-y and science-y as The Martian, but it’s as if you gave it a city, a female protagonist, and an Ocean’s Eleven level heist. I have heard that the audiobook is narrated by Rosario Dawson, and I can’t imagine the level of awesomeness that brings to the story.

The nitty-gritty: Another winner for Andy Weir, full of his trademark irreverent humor, non-stop action, and fascinating science.

Like many other readers, I was a little scared to read Weir’s follow up to The Martian, which earned five enthusiastic stars from me a few years ago. By now you’ve probably read a bunch of reviews of Artemis, so I don’t want to rehash too much, but I will tell you I enjoyed the hell out of this book! Weir’s biggest strengths are his meticulous research skills and his ability to turn some very complicated science into a page-turner of a story, and his snarky humor that had me laughing out loud just about every time Jazz opened her mouth.

Once again, Weir tackles outer space, but this time he sets his story on the moon. Artemis is a thriving city of several thousand, made up of five “bubbles” that are connected by tunnels so that people can get from one to another without worrying about the dangerous atmosphere. Each bubble houses a different group of people, for example, Aldrin Bubble is where rich people from Earth stay when they come to the moon for a vacation, and Conrad Bubble is where the working class folk hang out. The main character is a twenty-six year old named Jazz Bashara, a mouthy girl who has been living on the moon since she was six years old. Jazz’s official job is as a porter, picking up packages and delivering them to people in Artemis, but her unofficial job is smuggling, and of course, that’s where the real money comes from.

But even with her smuggling operation, Jazz struggles just to pay the rent, surviving mostly on a processed foodstuff called Gunk. When a business mogul named Trond Landvik offers a huge payday to Jazz if she’ll help him destroy some critical machinery belonging to a business rival, Jazz only hesitates for a moment. After all, with Jazz on the job, what could possibly go wrong?

Fair warning, Jazz will not be to everyone’s tastes. She’s brash and immature and her sense of humor reminded me a lot of Mark Watney. She’s also ridiculously smart (maybe too smart, because at times I had a hard time believing she really knew so much). But you have to give her credit for taking a bad situation and turning things to her advantage. She’s nearly homeless, living in what she calls a “coffin,” and yet she manages to find ways to keep herself afloat, even if they aren’t necessarily legal. And wow, can she think on a dime! You’ll definitely need to suspend your disbelief from time to time, as she miraculously extricates herself from one bad situation after the next, but it was all so much fun that I happily went along for the ride.

Jazz’s over-the-top personality is balanced out by a varied cast of characters. There’s Jazz’s ex-boyfriend Dale, who cheated on her with another man but still wants to be friends with her (and Jazz wants nothing to do with him); Trond, the scheming businessman who wants to take over the business that supplies all of Artemis’ oxygen; Jazz’s father, who she’s had a falling out with (many years ago, but the pain is still fresh); and Jazz’s childhood pen pal Kelvin, a man who lives in Africa on Earth and is the reason she’s become a successful smuggler in the first place. I loved the emails between Jazz and Kelvin that are scattered throughout the story, which start when the two are only nine years old and continue into the present. I so badly want Jazz and Kelvin to meet in person one day!

I have to give a shout-out to the relationship between Jazz and her father, which added a nice sentimental touch. There is a moment near the end of the story where Jazz is able to make amends to some extent, and it was a lovely moment in a story that is mostly steered by action.

While The Martian had three different viewpoints—Mark Watney on Mars, the NASA scientists back home who are trying to figure out how to save him, and the crew of his erstwhile spaceship, the Hermes—Artemis was quite different in that we only get to hear one voice for the entire story, that of Jazz. But I think it worked well. The physical scope of Artemis is much smaller, involving only one small area on the moon, especially since all of Jazz’s friends and business associates are right in the same city.

And it wouldn’t be an Andy Weir story without plenty of cool science. The moon’s atmosphere acts much like Mars did in The Martian, creating a uniquely dangerous place to live where following the rules is often a life or death situation. Weir goes into lots of detail about the mechanics of EVA suits, how they work, and why for god’s sake you don’t want to puncture one, as well as a host of other fascinating space-related topics. It sounds like it could be overwhelming, but honestly, I don’t think I ever got bored.

I didn’t love Artemis as much as The Martian, and I’ve been trying to figure out why. It’s not because of Jazz, because I really loved her character. But I think the vast scope of The Martian made it feel like much more of an epic adventure story. In Artemis, the entire story takes place in a very small area, and despite a couple of close calls, I never really felt the danger of being on a planet where you can’t even breath without proper equipment.

But I was happy to see room at the end of the story for potential sequels. There’s the issue of Kelvin and Jazz meeting someday, of course. There’s also plenty of juicy political fodder for Weir to play with. I won’t tell you how the story ends, but let’s just say the city of Artemis goes through some big changes that could certainly be turned into interesting and exciting plots. I do hope there isn’t another three year wait for Andy Weir’s next book, but in the meantime, I’m sure a movie of Artemis is somewhere on the horizon.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

I don't have strong feelings either way for this book. Mostly I felt like it was written with a YA tone but with adult themes, and that's a hard disconnect to overcome. It never fully drew me in, though I did enjoy the bits of science about what it would be like to live on the moon that were interwoven throughout the story.

I was very impressed with this book, as Andy hit all the right notes again, creating a truly bitchy character, with goals and ideas of her own, put her in the middle of a twisted storyline and had her kick ass every single moment.

At the 2/3 mark of the story I was so certain it was all going to hell, then the further it got the more it worsened with the stakes rising so high it was insane. I was almost screaming into the e-reader. Now, that's what makes a great book! You guys, get your hands on Artemis!

Jazz Bashara is a smuggler of harmless contraband on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon that's mostly populated by the super wealthy and tourists on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. After all, she's got bills to pay and her job as a porter barely covers the rent. She changes her tune when she's offered the opportunity to make a fortune by pulling off a seemingly perfect (and impossible) crime. Before Jazz knows it, she's walked straight into a conspiracy for control of the city and that her only chance of living relies on a plan that's even riskier than the first.

When I saw this novel available to request on NetGalley, I crossed my fingers and hoped that I'd get approved. I fully expected not to for such a hyped up release, but when I read the notification saying I had I might have shrieked in excitement. Now that I've finished it, I can officially say that I absolutely loved it. I was hooked on Weir's new sci-fi novel right from the first page. It's one of those books that I wanted to read in one sitting, but I restrained myself so I could savor it for a little while longer. My expectations were sky high based on how much I loved The Martian, and for the most part Artemis lives up to it. Of course, it's quite a bit different, but if you like the technology, science, and sense of humor of The Martian as well as an incredibly memorable and unique lead and heists stories you need to meet Jazz stat.

Overall, Artemis by Andy Weir is an absolute must read if you need a new sci-fi caper in your life. It's a quick and addicting read that you want to savor for as long as you can. This novel has definitely made my list of favorite reads of 2017. Andy Weir certainly knows how to tell a story and I can't wait to see what he does next!

You can find my review here: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-minus-reviews/review-x-2-artemis-by-andy-weir

Andy Weir is such an American Superman - compture programer, writer, geek, nice guy, HUGE success story - that I feel badly acknowledging he not a very good writer. But he has his finger on the zeitgeist of giving the people what they want and with great lashings of science, space opera and whizz kid know-how. Thank goodness he dropped the Zhek book because it sounds like a dud, and went with what is a fun ride of a book with Artemis. Did I enjoy it? Yes! Will I recommend it? Sure! Do I look forward to the next Andy Weir book? Not really, but I swore I wouldn't read another of his titles after The Martian and I have and lived to review it, so never say never!

Few debut novelists achieve the kind of success that Andy Weir did. “The Martian” was one of those books that captures the collective imagination. From Weir’s self-publishing of the novel in 2011 to Crown Publishing’s purchase and re-release of the book in 2014 to the commercially and critically triumphant 2015 film adaptation, “The Martian” has been wildly successful in every way.

But then the question becomes: What next?

For Weir, it’s “Artemis.” The author’s sophomore effort is another near-future sci-fi offering; this one is set a little closer to home. Rather than survival on Mars, we’re looking at a city on the moon. One thing that hasn’t changed – Weir’s propensity for smart, smart-aleck protagonists and a feasibly constructed eye toward the science side of science fiction. And while this second effort might not reach the heights of “The Martian,” it soars plenty high in its own right.

Jasmine Bashara – Jazz to her friends – lives in Artemis, the sole city on the moon. She’s one of just over two thousand residents; it’s not a big city, even though it took big dreams (and big money) to bring it to life. It’s a place with a unique manufacturing sector and a thriving tourism industry. It’s a phenomenal place to be rich, but not so great for the poorer folks.

Jazz isn’t rich.

She’s a hustler, making her living on the fringes. Ostensibly, she’s a porter – a glorified delivery person – but she’s aiming for something more, an EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) license that will authorize her to officially and legally venture beyond the city’s domes. She’s also a smuggler, the primary source of all contraband that comes into the city. It is in that capacity that she finds herself recruited by one of Artemis’s eccentric billionaire residents to engage in something a little more illegal (and a lot more difficult) than she’s used to. It’s a big, risky job, but if she can pull it off, she’ll be set for life.

It doesn’t take long for complications to arise – complications unlike anything seen in the entire history of Artemis. Jazz quickly discovers that there are forces at work behind the scenes of the city – some good, others sinister. She’s left to reconcile with abandoned friends and erstwhile enemies, with no notion of who she can truly trust; she’s the only one who can cobble together a coalition that might stand a chance in staving off the complete collapse of her beloved city in the sky.

“Artemis” has a lot going for it. It has the same sort of zippy adventure vibe that made “The Martian” such an engaging, page-turning read. It invites the reader to consume it in big chunks, with a constant sense of the kinetic. While the constant motion can occasionally get to be a bit much, for the most part, it serves to captivate, keeping us in its high-speed orbit.

Weir’s great about the introduction and understanding of scientific concepts – a skill he wields with aplomb in “Artemis.” It’s not like you’re not getting a treatise on atmospheric dynamics or gravitational differentials or vacuum-based chemistry; instead, enough detail is sprinkled throughout that an additional layer of plausibility develops. That extra layer can do wonders for the impact of sci-fi – near-future stuff in particular benefits from that manner of realism.

One could argue that Jazz is a bit of a Mary Sue – SO brilliant, SO clever, SO cool – but Weir handles that sort of character better than most; Mark Watney in “The Martian” was much the same. Jazz manages to be interesting despite her seemingly across-the-board exceptionalness; yes, she’s quick with a quip and often proves capable in ways that strain credulity a bit, but she also has a few flaws and issues baked into her character. They’re not much, but they’re (mostly) enough.

It doesn’t hurt that “Artemis” is ultimately quite funny, both situationally and in terms of dialogue. Weir’s got a knack for a specific brand of dorky humor; it’s not for everyone, but if you dig it, odds are that you’ll REALLY dig it. That humor – combined with the attention to detail – is where “Artemis” really shines.

“Artemis” has its flaws. There are moments when Weir loses his way in terms of writing his female lead; there are a couple of head-scratching moments with regards to Jazz. And the propulsive nature of the narrative occasionally means that some nuance gets lost along the way.

In the grand scheme of things, however, those flaws are fairly minor – there’s enough humor and heart in “Artemis” to overcome a few issues. We’re talking about an engaging and interesting piece of genre fiction. No one straddles the line between hard and soft sci-fi quite like Andy Weir does; that balance makes his work a ton of fun to read.

“Artemis” might not land on Mars, but making it to the moon is still pretty impressive.