I was waiting for the next story from the author and I jumped right at it when it became available for reading. The book has science, a thrilling storyline and, of course, fun like in The Martian.

I read so many reviews saying this is same as The Martian and there is nothing new. I believe Andy Weir nailed it just like the other one. There is serious science (which I love to read) and it’s ‘non-earthly’. He is good at writing Sci-Fi and I would definitely read if he writes another. Moreover, for a person who hasn’t read The Martian, this will be an independent good start.

The protagonist of the story is Jasmine Bashara a.k.a Jazz, an Arab girl grew up in Artemis. Artemis is the city of moon with thousands of residents. It is an expensive tourist spot. Jazz is a delivery girl, a smuggler, who is training to be an EVA master; a girl who knows her stuff! When she was about to make a crime that’s going to pay her well, she didn’t foresee the severity and repercussions of what’s gonna follow.

Diversity of characters and a female protagonist are something I loved about the story. Andy Weir did a great job telling the story through Jazz; someone with feelings, care and who hates her teenage self.

Definitely goes to my recommended and favourites, list!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First, I would like to mention that this book is very multicultural. I really liked that element of it. Second, I liked that the lead character was an intelligent female that knew how to do real things. Not just her make-up. With that said, Artemis is a futuristic type setting but one that doesn't seem so far off from our current future. Jazz is trying to build a better life for herself and takes on different types of jobs. She lives on the moon and the compound/bubbles/village/whatever is named Artemis. They allow visitors and they have full time residents. The wealth ranges from having nothing and sleeping in a coffin sized dorm and sharing a community shower and toilet to having anything you can dream of. Huge bed, your own kitchen, real food, nice clothing, a private bathroom and shower, etc. As Jazz is doing her business, she is summoned by one of her many customers for a business transaction. Jazz goes to see what it is and (introducing) Trond needs a little help getting control over another company. Jazz being the businesswoman that she is, asks minimal questions, accepts the large amount of money offered and goes for it. What she is asked to do is well beyond anything she normally would do and someone rubs her moral fibers wrong. Jazz doesn't get to complete the task all the way and a new obstacle is thrown into the mix, an assassin is hunting her down (they belong to the company that Trond was trying to take down). There are so many details in this book, it is impossible to really explain it all without having spoilers. To sum it up and put a pretty bow on it for all of you, a nice petite girl is smart as a whip and gets into more in a day than anyone else on the moon does in their lifetime. Jazz, with the help of her techie friend, her gay friend that stole her boyfriend and broke her heart, her reluctant father, and and EVA boss, Jazz finally gets to save the only place she knows as home by blowing a piece of it up. All in all, a good read for me. It took my about a day and a half to read the whole things.

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once the action picked up, I was quite interested in what would happen to Jazz and the city of Artemis. There were a few twists that I definitely didn't see coming and I finished the last half of the book in one night. Aside from Jazz, the supporting characters were all really good too and I could have definitely learned more about them without being bored. I especially liked Jazz's friend on earth and the role he played in the plot...so fun! Mark Watney in The Martian is still one of my favourite characters of all time, but Jazz was pretty good too and it was rewarding to read a book like this one with a female protagonist who loves science. This was a fun and unique book and I think fans of the Martian will also enjoy this one. I bet the audiobook will be great too - Weir's writing really does lend itself well to audio.

When I found out that Andy Weir was writing a heist story set on the moon, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Artemis was a highly entertaining read that definitely lived up to its description. I would like to note though that you’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you go in expecting this to be The Martian. The same humor, wit, and excellent writing are present but Artemis is a very different book.

After struggling to make it by on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, Jazz Bashara can't turn down a lucrative offer, particularly one related to committing a perfect crime. Unfortunately, she's soon in over her head. Her survival, and possibly that of Artemis itself, become dependent on her ability to pull off a gambit bigger than anything she's tried before.

Jazz is a narrator that you'll either love or hate (which will likely determine how much you enjoy this book). She's a bit immature and I felt as if Weir struggled a bit with writing a female protagonist. However, I also loved her ingenuity and her approach to solving problems. Plus, she knew what she wanted from the world and found a way to make it happen. Yes, she is somewhat similar to Mark Watney but, ultimately, they are two different individuals who are unique due to their differing histories and ambitions. Additionally, Jazz is a very morally gray character, which I personally loved.

This was very much a heist committed using science. There were a ton of details about the planning stages. I personally loved those details but I know some readers won't. The pay-off for waiting through the build-up is absolutely worth it. Also, I loved the ending. However, I did think it was a bit weird that, except for Jazz, all of the main characters were male. I couldn't really connect with them and they all kind of felt like stereotypes.

Overall, Artemis was an entertaining read full of adventure, science, and Weir's trademark humor. If you enjoy heist stories, definitely give this one a try.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Expecting to read a survival/lifestyle story similar to The Martian, I was surprised to find this one an action/adventure/mystery/suspense novel with a female character. The world Weir creates in the compound on the moon is believable and based on existing or expected science (at least I assume so since I'm not a scientist).. His characters are also believable and entertaining. For fans of science fiction adventures that are similar in some ways to the Star Wars stories. Fun & full of suspenseful twists and turns.

Artemis by Andy Weir is a very highly recommended noir crime novel set on the moon.

Jazz Bashara has lived in Artemis, the colony/city located on the moon for twenty-years, since she was six-years-old. Currently she is working as a low-paid porter, but where she really makes her money or "slugs" is as a smuggler. It's expensive to live on the moon, so what's a girl to do? Her job as a porter barely pays for the rent on her coffin-sized sleeping space in Conrad Down 15, which she says if it were a wine "connoisseurs would describe it as 'shitty with overtones of failure and poor life decisions.'"

When wealthy businessman Trond Landvik, who Jazz knows because she smuggles in cigars for him, offers her an impossible to refuse opportunity to earn a million slugs, how could she say no? All she needs to do is figure out how to do the job without getting caught. Jazz comes up with a clever plan which almost goes right - until it doesn't. It's only after the fact that Jazz learns that there is more going on than she realized. Now she has even more complications to handle and she'll need some friends to help her.

I loved the noir feel to the novel. Setting the novel on the moon allows Weir to add some details and dangers you wouldn't find in just any noir novel. Weir adds all sorts of little details that make the story come to life, like eating Gunk, the dangers of lunar dust, and why physics dictate that coffee tastes bad on the moon.

Jazz is an irreverent, sometimes foul-mouthed, immature, resourceful, intelligent, humorous, and independent protagonist. Certainly the entire novel is set up to expect another adventure on Artemis and hopefully with Jazz. Interspersed between chapters is some of the correspondence that Jazz has had with Kelvin Otieno. They became penpals when she was nine, and are now friends. I'm hoping she and Kelvin get to meet in person too.

I didn't approach Weir's new novel looking for another The Martian. And I'm glad I read it without any unwieldy expectations. For everyone wondering, no, it's not The Martian II, but I found it a highly entertaining and fun adventure all on its own. There is some science and creative problem solving, but living in an established colony on the moon isn't quite like being stranded alone on Mars. However, the best recommendation is that I lost track of time and stayed up way-too-late to finish reading Artemis, and I can't say that about many books. Weir knows how to write an engaging, entertaining story. I enjoyed every second of it and that is worthy of five stars every time.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crown/Archetype via Netgalley.
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By the author of The Martian, a new future thriller set on the moon. Life on the moon' only city, Artemis is not easy for many of its residents, especially Jazz. Smuggling and crime are abundant. Great new novel, I loved it!

It took a little while to get going, but I loved the world-building. I did like the main character, but feel like she lacked maturity. Which isn't a problem usually, but she seemed like she was just throwing out quips because that's what was expected. The guy from the Martian did it, so Jazz should do it too. It was a little off-putting.
And the welding! So much info on welding! I skipped paragraphs because I couldn't read it anymore.
It was still a well-written book, and I'd recommended it.

Once you get over trying to compare this book to Weir's first book, The Martian, you can give it a fair chance on its own merits, and it's really not bad at all.

Jazz is a twenty-six-year-old Saudi Arabian woman who has been living on a Moon colony since she was six. She is extremely bright but earns the bulk of her income from being a porter and smuggling in contraband goods from Earth, much to her father's disappointment--he would like her to work with him in his welding business.

Jazz is offered a great deal money to sabotage some industrial equipment but she is unaware of the deeper, hidden ramifications until the situation turns deadly. Now she must figure out a new plan to save the colony.

Jazz is a sassy character who is frequently in trouble and relies on witty sarcasm in her dealings with other people. Thinking quickly and being resourceful are her biggest assets. The book is often heavy on the science involved in her plots so the story doesn't really get moving until the last quarter of the book, which is quite tense and exciting. As I finished the story, I thought: Aha! I bet there's a plan for a series here!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this new book.

Andy Weir has done it again. This time he's given us a female MC, a smart, sassy thief on the moon. His trademark of blending technical information with high quality fiction is back in Artemis, and I actually found it more informative than "The Martian". The only thing that prevented this one from being a five star favorite is I didn't like the MC, Jazz Bashara, as much as I liked Mark Watney.

Artemis is about a young lady who gets into all kinds of trouble on the moon. No, that’s not the premise of a new animates kid’s show, it’s Andy Weir’s new book!

I want to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an ebook copy of Artemis in exchange for an honest review.

Please don’t throw moon rocks at me, but I never read The Martian. That being said now, I had no idea what to expect from Andy Weir’s writing. Based on what I saw in the movie (yes, I saw the movie and didn’t read the book. Put those giant moon rocks away) I wondered if I’d end beat down by highly technical explanations of things I was just to dumb to understand.

I’m talking ‘next level’ smart stuff. I mean, most of us think we’re pretty smart people. I can work my computer pretty well. When it goes on the fritz, I know how to troubleshoot most software problems. I can even crack the thing open and replace most of the hardware parts. However, if you leave me in the middle of a forrest with some silicon and a soldering iron, I can’t make you a circuit board, let alone a computer.

But I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn’t the case. There were some highly technical things going on in the book, but I never felt lost in it. Everything was dumbed down without it feeling like you’re being talked down to. It also helped that the man character, Jazz Bashara, would combat the super-technical mumbo jumbo with some good old fashioned cursing and maybe a dirty joke.

Speaking of Jazz, she was the real highlight of this book. Not just because she was the main character. She was just unique and fun. She was super smart, and fairly talented, but she came off as someone completely relatable despite the fact that I am neither super smart nor talented.

She was snarky, and sarcastic, and made me laugh even when I was right in the middle of worrying about her personal safety. Life on the moon is no joke, you know. There were lots of situations where she tells you that if she makes one mistake it’s near-instant death. Tense. But then she makes a comment that puts a smile on your face and for a few seconds you forget about the instant death thing, until it almost happens.

By the way, when they make this one into a movie (come on, we all know they will. Put down the moon rocks) I vote for Lindsey Morgan from The 100 to play Jazz. She’d be awesome.

The plot mixes science fiction with heist, which is a far better combination than I would have thought. It’s not complicated or convoluted and there’s no big twists to knock you on the floor, but it will pull you in, get your invested, and keep you guessing the entire time.

If you’re on the fence on this one, jump in. It’s a very fun, very easy read. You’ll find yourself breezing through it in no time.

A lovable renegade, Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara is a longtime resident of the city on the moon. Jazz gets involved in a business deal that goes south, and soon she is faced with decisions that will impact the future of the lunar home she loves. A great follow-up to Weir's smash hit debut, Artemis is another smart, action-packed thrill ride.

Amazing! You will NOT be disappointed; although you may want more! I couldn't put this down. Mr. Weir does a fantastic job making you feel like you're on the moon with the characters. They have faults and flaws that you can relate to. 6 stars if I could. 6.

Artemis, by Andy Weir is a captivating science fiction action-thriller intermixed with plenty of intrigue and humor.

Since the age of six, Jazz Bashara has lived in Artemis, which is the first and only city on the moon. She's quite intellectual and creative, and she collects unusual friendships (and sometimes enemies) along the way. Even though she works as a porter transporting items and other deliveries, Jazz is also a smuggler...struggling to survive. In order to quickly gain funds, Jazz agrees to help with a heist and her story continues to unravel from there.

This delightfully quirky and intriguing story focuses on science and science fiction, as well as action mixed with humor and a high emphasis on friendships and family. Throughout the story, I cheered and hoped Jazz would succeed with her mission, despite her mostly minor criminal activities.

Artemis is entertaining and definitely worth reading.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to attend a special event with the author, Andy Weir, speaking about this book and the story exceeded my high expectations. I recommend reading Artemis (and The Martian).


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Having read The Martian I was looking forward to Artemis. Set on the only permanent moon colony with a relatively static population. The main protagonist is Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara. She is a porter/smuggler who caters to some of the wants of the residents of the outpost. There are 5 habitable domes ranging from the impoverished Conrad lower levels to the posh upper of the Aldrin dome. She is presented with an offer to make all the money she will need in order to live a comfortable life. All she needs to do is disable the oxygen generating capacity of the aluminum plant. A tad dangerous and more than illegal. What could possibly go wrong?

Jazz is a likable character who has some rather unlikable traits. Like everyone else whose ever lived. This makes her more approachable even when she is doing things that some may feel are objectionable. All the other characters are underdeveloped but the book is about her so it is not that critical. I would say more plot driven than character driven. It revolves around her ability to overcome the obstacles that arise not about character growth.

The book itself is very readable. Andy Weir has the dialog of the impertinent, impestous Jazz done pat.

Jazz is the female version of Mark Watney of The Martian. Without going into plot details there are similarities between both books. Given that I've only read these two books of his the similarities are not a bothersome issue.

Andy Weir is adding some actual hard science to the SciFi that he is writing. This harkens back to my misspent youth reading the SciFi of the 60's -70's. Being a man of a certain age I've drifted away from this genre. More books like this and I would gladly add this genre into the mix again.

I wish to thank Andy Weir, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for my free review copy. The opinions are mine and mine alone.

Like many (most?) people interested in this book, I decided to read it because I enjoyed the author's The Martian. I think that any author's next work after a wildly popular book (especially if it is not a sequel) has a hard time living up to the hype, and that is certainly the case with Artemis. The adventures of a petty criminal drawn into dangerous intrigue in the only city on the moon has its good points, but it didn't wow me.

The edge-of-your-seat pacing of the criminal plots that drive the story was excellent and is what kept me reading. The pace only lets up when the author/characters describe the science behind what is going on (whether everyday life in the moon colony or the most recent criminal shenanigans). Personally, I love this aspect of Weir's style, but those who aren't into science might find it annoying. 

Most chapters ended in a cliff-hanger way where you could almost hear *dun-dun-DUN* suspense music, which was maybe a bit cheesy but kept me interested anyway. Some of the action, especially during the final crime and its aftermath, ranges into the unbelievable, but that's par for the course in a criminal caper kind of book so it didn't bother me.

What did bother me was the characterization. The protagonist/narrator was just not a pleasant person. She is an immature, angry, foul-mouthed, self-loathing petty criminal with a huge chip on her shoulder. Even though she is 26 she interacts with everyone as if she were a sullen teenager and continually makes monumentally foolish decisions even though she is probably a mechanical genius and apparently a criminal mastermind. Most of the other characters are pretty flat, and the way most people react to the final caper once the dust settles is not very believable.

Overall, this is probably worth reading if you like Weir's style (and don't mind quite a bit of profanity), but don't expect the same quality as The Martian.

2.5 stars.

*

Artemis is a fun and fast-paced novel with interesting characters. The witty banter is incredibly familiar, adding some lightheartedness to the action scenes and tense atmosphere of the story. The casual diversity is amazing and definitely the highlight of the book, which serves as a contrast to the inconsistent world-building and all the over-the-top jokes.

Andy Weir brings forth another quirky Sci-Fi novel with an unique and creative concept. The execution is well done for the most part, although a few moments and revelations fall flat due to the overall sarcastic tone of Weir’s writing. Even so, the story is entertaining and a quick read; it also once again focuses heavily on science and how cool it can be!

I had really really high expectations for this book, so I’m kind of bummed Artemis, for the most part, didn’t meet them. One pleasant and very welcome surprise is how diverse all of the characters are! I absolutely loved the way Weir wrote them, especially all the parts about Brazil — it was hilarious and such a delight to have those little bits pop up as the story progressed. There isn’t a lot of character development, though, which I think makes it a little hard to connect with the book.

One thing I had an issue with is the humor. It feels painfully familiar, but not necessarily in a good way. There are a lot of overtly sexual jokes, a bit of slut-shaming, and some other sarcastic insults that border on offensive. This takes a lot of fun out of the narrative, as it feels trite and ends up hurting a few important plot reveals and character moments.

The plot, when it manages to build up tension and a sense of urgency, is a bit of a lovely mess. It is intriguing and keeps you flipping pages, but it is a bit convoluted and choppy at times. With the fast pace, a few aspects of the world-building and character relationships are glossed over and underdeveloped. The ending also feels a bit rushed? It ties with a plot aspect I feel is choppy and not developed enough. One thing that is very well-written are all the science-y parts, specifically when a character has to figure something out; but with Weir, that’s to be expected.

Overall, Artemis is a good book, but a bit of a disappointment. It is a quick read and entertaining for the most part, the writing is good, and the science is super interesting. Science-Fiction fans who enjoy a heavy focus on the science aspect of the genre will like this, especially if they have a fondness for sarcastic characters.

Thank you to Andy Weir, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC of Artemis. I looked forward to reading this very hyped novel, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I had to force myself to keep picking it back up. It just didn't hold my interest.

Right up front - do not compare this to The Martian. Weir has, this time, created an interesting female character, Jazz, who lives on the moon and is looking for more of everything in her life. It's an entertaining premise and an entertaining fast read. My quibble is that Jazz occasionally seems quite immature. That said, I likely would not have picked this up if had it not been written by Weir, who has a nice, comic touch. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this for a good sci-fi read.