Sitting on my deck, enjoying the last of the summer nights; with my kindle glowing and the harvest moon in the sky …… this was the perfect read! I loved the Martian and wanted to savor this book!
It turns out that the moon is the perfect setting for a heist! The main character is Jazz – a mid-twenties woman living on a colony on the moon. She’s funny, tough and entertaining. (I had to keep reminding myself that Jazz was a girl though; Andy Weir may have missed the boat with the voice of female main character).
I thoroughly loved the setting though! Artemis is the first “City” on the moon and takes place about 100 years into our future and moon has been colonized. Andy did a great job with the science – very believable and intriguing. One of the main industries is aluminum mining of moon rocks. The moon is no different that Earth with the class structure – the division between rich and poor. Our heroine Jazz being on the poor side. To make additional money, Jazz smuggles good in. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t love this as much as the Martian and that is OK. This was a completely different story and I did enjoy it. I loved the rich detailed descriptions of Artemis, the adventure and the intrigue!

It's hard to follow up with such a breakout hit as The Martian, but Artemis stands on it's own admirably. Changing to a female lead with porter, Jazz, was an interesting move and added depth to the story-line.

I really enjoyed this book. I mean, I really got into it. I didn't think I would coming from Jazz's perspective, but it really worked. Some of it was kind of a stretch for me though.

2 things got me...

1. Jazz getting let go by Dale. That was a little far fetched for me.

2. Jazz sitting in a vacuum for 3 minutes and not being simultaneously fried and frozen nearly immediately. With no real damage from an absolute vacuum.

That aside, I really did enjoy the rest of the story. I started catching some of the schemes and twists earlier after the mid point in the story, but it was good overall. I really enjoyed the read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34928122-artemis?from_search=true/

The wait is over. I just finished the newest book by the author of The Martian. Similar & different at the same time, but I LOVED it!

Jazz, the main character, is full of sass, snark, and smarts. Plus, she is a savvy businesswoman (be it legitimate or off the books). Can you tell I like her? She's not always a sympathetic character but she is well aware of many of her short-comings.

The setting on the moon where the Eagle landed is now a tourist spot for the very wealthy and the once-in-a-lifetime crowd along with being home for a small diverse population. I would visit in a heart beat. Don't miss this title!

Oh my, did I wait for this book. The Martian grabbed me from the first sentence, Artemis took a little bit longer to get underway. I did enjoy absolutely love this book by the end and will read it again soon.

The combination of science, sci fi, humor and snark is fantastic. Jazz, our heroine is a special character, smart, creative, morally flexible and relentless. Her ability to respond to immediate needs, whether, social, economic, familial and otherwise show her character to be nimble and ultimately honorable. As she attempts to navigate her future in a brave new world on the moon, she has to respond to one obstacle after another to attempt to find her place. She has some problematic issues with her dad and her customers..

Being offered an incredible opportunity to jump start her finances she agrees to a dubious and dangerous project for a wealthy businessman when things go so ver wrong. How she attempts to take care of herself and those around her, she recruits both good guys and bad guys for an audacious plan. Which of course, never goes as planned.

I loved it; Andy's Weir's unique voice and perspective, made even more interesting as he speaks as a woman makes this irresistible to me as I so enjoyed his voice in the Martian. It is clear he did his homework in many ways. There are the truly laugh-out-loud moments that are a nice counterpoint to some of the in depth physical chemistry and engineering that are essential to understanding the story and outcome.

This is a very visual book, no doubt it will be quickly made into a movie. As with the Martian, the movie will no doubt only be a shadow of the book, but I will be in the line to see it.

I almost feel badly that I read this so quickly as I am sure it requiring hours and hours researching and writing. So, I will read it again, at least a few more times.
Get it, enjoy it.

Unlike most of the general public, I became aware of Andy Weir's THE MARTIAN by listening to the audiobook back in early 2015. I was not only captivated by the story, I was mesmerized by the narration talents of R.C. Bray. Then the secret got out, the movie was released, made lots of money, and won the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form in 2016. At the end of my review of THE MARTIAN back in March of 2015 I wrote the following: "And I think I may just pick up the next Weir novel when it comes out." (And you're all probably saying "wait a minute, it's not out yet". True enough.)

Weir's new novel, ARTEMIS, takes place in a settlement of the same name on the Earth's moon. Jazz - short for Jasmine - Bashara barely makes ends meet as a porter in ARTEMIS, so she has a side job. She's a smuggler, and a pretty good one at that. She plies her trade in typical harmless items; she smuggles what she thinks will make her some money without getting her in trouble. She has repeat customers, and as a result has a pretty good gig going. And while she still doesn't make much money, she makes enough money to survive. Her goal is to qualify for and join the EVA masters - the select group of people who are certified to take tourist out on EVAs to see things like the Apollo landing sights. EVA masters are paid well, so once Jazz gets certified she figures she'll be set. So of course the novel opens with her failing her certification exam because she was wearing a faulty suit that she bought second hand. Jazz had spent most of her savings on that suit, and now she was out of money, out of a suit (at least temporarily), and not an EVA master.

So it was back to smuggling on the side. While she tries to stay out of trouble, she does have some enemies in position of authority, but some friends as well. And she's typically been able to rely on her regular customers for steady smuggling work. So, on a regular visit to one of those customers to drop off a shipment, she catches wind of a big deal about to go down. She is invited to participate in the scam for which she will be paid a handsome sum of cash. The only problem is that her part in the scheme is a very dangerous criminal act. If she pulls it off, she's rich. If she fails, she will either be deported back to Earth, or she just might die.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, yes, that was a rhetorical question, because everything goes wrong; it wouldn't be much of a story if everything went according to plan. In the process of recovering from the failure of her part in the scheme, she learns way too much about what is going on in the highest reaches of the Artemis government - and that the true reach of the situation is all the way back on Earth. So she has a choice - get deported back to Earth, or come up with an even more crazy scheme to make things right and save Artemis from criminals back on Earth.

THE MARTIAN, both the book and the movie, took everyone by surprise. It was a terrific tale of survival using wits and science, of people all over Earth - and, as it turns out, in space - working together to save one lone man who is stranded on Mars. It was fun, exciting, even educational - and everyone loved it. ARTEMIS is not THE MARTIAN, and I expect many people to be disappointed by it.

To be fair, ARTEMIS is a fun, light, summer read (never mind that it's going to be released in November of 2017; it's really a light summer read). It's entertaining, engaging, and fast paced. It's a caper tale set on the moon, and it does need the moon to succeed. And it does succeed, after a fashion. In one sense, it's much like THE MARTIAN in that there are lives in danger and that science is used to save them. Just as in THE MARTIAN, Weir gives us the science lectures we need to get through the story without drowning us in details. All that is well and good, but I'd like to see Weir branch out from that kind of storytelling and into something different, something meatier. The book's idea of a massive conspiracy led by a shady organization on Earth is surely different from the story we get in THE MARTIAN, but it's the type of story we've seen before. It's time to see something different.

I believe that the problem with any book that Andy Weir would have written after THE MARTIAN would have suffered from comparisons with that book. It's inevitable. In my mind, ARTEMIS is not a bad book, but it does suffer from coming right after the success that was THE MARTIAN. Don't get me wrong here; I want to emphasize that I enjoyed reading ARTEMIS and am glad that I did read it. But now that we've gotten through the first two books of Weir's career, it's time to see what he can really come up with.

4.5/5 I haven't read The Martian (or even considered reading it for that matter) because I thought it would be one of those books that gets bogged down in the science and loses the narrative. But when I read a summary of this book, it sounded really fun- so I gave it a go.

I have to say, what this book lacks in literary merit it makes up for in just the sheer entertainment of it all. Yes, this book has lots and lots of science- technical jargon about welding, smelting, oxygen, and all of the other things that come with living on the moon. But it's also fun, and silly, and an all around great caper. I didn't want to stop reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC so I could review Artemis.

I'll start with the obvious: this book is not The Martian. It's more of a heist than an adventure, and though Jazz shares Watney's sarcasm and is a generally likeable character, I didn't find I was rooting for her the way I did Watney. This book got a bit technical at times, and I thought that interfered with the narrative. I enjoyed it, but didn't fall it love with it the way I did The Martian.

Let me start off by saying that I was very excited to read a new book by Andy Weir, mostly because I loved The Martian. But Jazz is nothing like Watley, so I admit to being a little discouraged as I read. Okay, now that we've cleared the air...

If you enjoy stories that are scientifically detailed and could plausibly happen in the future, then you should enjoy Artemis. As usual, Weir has done his homework and gotten the various science facts worked out. Rather than a combination Boy Scout/MacGyver (a la Watney), we have a protagonist who has made bad life decisions and lives outside the law. Jasmine Bashara is an entertaining mix of smuggler, entrepreneur, and 20-something on a quest to redeem some of her earlier mistakes. The way she goes about this redemption is what leads to the action of the story. The plot involves multi-million dollar business deals, criminal cartels, assassins, and other components of many crime caper movies. For the science geeks there are plenty of gadgets, chemistry, pressure differentials, and other principles and factoids.

I've read plenty of science fiction stories, some set on the moon (Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress comes to mind), but this book makes it seem very much like a small town. Limiting the number of inhabitants and having a single law enforcement officer gives it the feel of a frontier town in the Wild West days, which means readers who enjoy space frontier stories can enjoy it - even though it is set so close to home. There is also the fact that Jazz is a female protagonist and the administrator of Artemis is also female, so those who enjoy strong women as lead characters are also in luck.

Altogether, not as much my cup of tea as The Martian was, but still a solid Sci-Fi read and entertaining while keeping true to the science.

So disappointed. I began reading Artemis yesterday with great excitement and enthusiasm. After The Martian, I thought and hoped Andy Weir might become the Tom Clancy of the Space Genre. By 1am, I was half through and extremely disappointed, and headed to bed. I had to force myself to pick it back up the next day to finish. The language, vulgarism, and sexual content are a shock and disappointment. I still believe Weir can be a genre defining author and not just another sci-fi hack but he desperately needs to tack back toward The Martian territory where he was outstanding rather than this kind of lowest denominator drivel.

Thrilling, compelling, and extremely addictive! Andy Weir nails it with another space marvel!

3.5 stars

Fun and likable, but a far cry from The Martian. WAY far.

In some ways, I feel for Andy Weir. With The Martian, he wrote such a flawless, unique story that it was virtually impossible for his next book to measure up. Tough to fault the author for that.

It's clear he's trying to do something different here for fear of writing, effectively, The Martian on the Moon, but it ended up feeling more like he was working outside his wheelhouse.

One of the things that made The Martian so interesting and different was that there was NO backstory or subplot for the main character. It was just Mark Watney, Mars, and the problem at hand. Jazz Bashara, conversely, is basically ALL backstory. And that backstory isn't all bad, but a lot of it is trite, overwrought, and far from original.

That's the real issue with this book. It's essentially a piece of commercial fiction that follows the same plot that hundreds of books before it have used, the only difference being that this version of the "criminal with a heart of gold gets in over his/her head" trope is set on the moon.

The setting was, however, one of the pluses of the novel. Weir's moon colony was imaginative and evocative, and he deserves a lot of credit for atmosphere in that sense. And Jazz, as well as many of the other characters involved, is likable. The villain, though, is a weak one, and the plot has a lot of sap that was pleasantly absent from The Martian (read into this what you will about a man trying to write in first person as a female character.)

The science too, while easier to grasp, lacks the riveting mental puzzle feel that pervaded The Martian.

Perhaps I'm judging Weir too harshly by stacking this up against his previous book. I do wonder if I would have been less critical if this had been written by someone else.

In the end, it's a fun, well-paced story, if a step back from Weir's last offering.


*I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*

Artemis by Andy Weir is the story of the struggle for control of the first lunar city and how a young smuggler got caught up in the deadly fray. There is lots of action and a main character I loved but would get so exasperated with. I have to give lots of kudos to Mr. Weir for another great story.

Jasmine, aka Jazz, immigrated to the moon with her father when she was just six years old. She is a bright young woman but suffers from poor life choices. She currently works as a porter, though she could have chosen almost any career path given her intelligence. Being a porter allows her to smuggle in contraband from Earth with the help of her friend Kelvin. But Jazz has standards, no guns or drugs, just a few harmless items to make a bit of extra cash on the side. A girl has to make a living. Right?

When one of her regular clients offers her a chance to make one million slugs (moon currency), Jazz sees it as the opportunity to finally get out of poverty. So what if she has to move up in the criminal world from smuggler to saboteur. No problem, for a resourceful girl like her. What could go wrong? Everything of course, and she ends up unwittingly messing in the mob’s territory and the stakes are high and the consequences far reaching.

There is a lot to like about this book. My favorite aspect was the main character of Jazz. For someone so brilliant, she could be so stupid and arrogant about… well most everything. I wanted to reach into the book and just slap her sometimes and tell her to grow up and put her big girl panties on. It is always a good thing when I get this invested with the character(s). Also, the plot was well thought out and the action and twists kept the reader full engaged with the story.

I was expecting a more science oriented story, given Mr. Weir’s reputation, and there is a fair amount of science in the book but not overly so. Since the story is not hard core Science Fiction, I think it will appeal to not only to sci-fi fans but fans of young adult and general fiction readers.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.

Artemis isn't nearly as compelling as The Martian, but what could be? It lacks the cinematic plot and high stakes that made The Martian so riveting, but it's still an enjoyable caper with plenty Andy Weir's signature tone. His greatest talent is packing a book full of hard science while still maintaining clarity for those of us who couldn't care less. I'm left in awe every time!

Now female characters...not so much. I'm not sure that making Jazz a woman really added anything to the book. The same character could easily have been male and hardly anything would have changed, which is a shame. I appreciate that he's trying to not only write about white men, but it seemed strange that he thanks several women for helping him write a plausible female character when so many of the times her sex is pointed out felt clunky and forced.

Do not expect another "The Martian" in this new title by Andy Weir. In "Artemis" he takes a stab at redemption and introducing a female protagonist. That on top attempting to make his story more"accessible" (i.e. less science-y) results in an enjoyable yet somewhat disappointing read.

To be fair, any follow-up to a successful debut title will suffer some comparison let down, but the biggest success of his first book was the main protagonist; Mike Watney was a solid character that every reader rooted for. In "Artemis", Jazz's motivations were completely predictable and while, as a female reader, I appreciate Weir's attempt at writing a female character, she rang a tad false. Why the author seemed to believe that readers needed, what I found, unnecessary reminders that Jazz is female a bit off-putting. The scenes of her getting "hot and bothered" around the station Security Chief and comments about her perceived sexual promiscuity were eye-roll inducing and perhaps revealed more about the author than the protagonist. At least he made her smart.

The lunar escapades were what saved this title for me. The tasks that had to be accomplished while in a vacuum, micro gravity, and by someone with less than professional experience resulted in rather hilarious hijinks. This is where Weir's strengths are; illuminating the human experience in an environment seemingly designed to murder them. That's what I wanted more of and sadly did not get enough to satisfy.

Overall: Recommended with reservations.

This was an ARC given to me for free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The fact that this was free, did not make me like it more or less. Hell, I mean, the last free book I got I hated, and felt like I wasted my time with. But, this book is a lot of fun, and I strongly recommend it.

First off, I would like to say that, I didn’t like The Martian. I felt The Martian was a good story, and it made a fantastic film, but I didn’t like the way the book was written or characterized. I also found parts of the plot for The Martian to make me suspend my disbelief too much. That being said, it is still a good story, and I’ve been waiting for Weir to return. When Weir announced Artemis, I was excied. A moon city with moon crimes, count me in! Let me tell you, this is a fantastic book.

The less known about the plot of this novel, the better. Let me say, it follows a snarky smuggler named Jazz who helps gets contraband on the moon and sells it to try to make a profit. One day, shes offered a job that pays so much money, she can’t refuse. This book is a fun page turner. Weir was able to write a great sci fi thriller, make it believable, give us characters to root for, and conclude everything really well. It feels weird to say, but this is one of the best sci-fi thrillers I’ve read in years. Weir has a great sense of pacing and kept me glued to the page until I finished. Did I mention the pacing? Yes? Well, it’s fantastic, this book flows so well, it’s like I’m reading a hard sci-fi Don Winslow book. It’s wonderfully paced, but not as political or violent as a Winslow book, maybe that’s a bard comparison, but it’s true when it comes to the pacing.

The only thing that kinda irked me about the book is the ending which I won’t spoil. It fits, but it just didn’t jive right with me. Another thing that really irked me, which I don’t want being taken the wrong way. I love representation in literature. I just don’t want to read about straight white dudes, doing straight white dude things, and Weir creates this great multi-cultural moon colony with a fantastic Saudi main character who isn’t a practicing Muslim, but comes from a Muslim family. Many other characters in the book as well, Brazilians, Kenyans, Chinese, all wonderfully represented. Then there’s one character who’s sexuality comes into the conversation, a lot. Almost every scene with that character, they mention the sexuality. I found it to be a bit overkill, and more harmful than helpful. In the end, it was kind of humorous, but it still got under my skin and irked me a little bit.

That being said, this is a fun sci-fi thriller, and I can’t wait for the movie to come out.

4/5
Observations: Don’t fuck with Mounties.

Great characters, interesting plot, cool science going on, lots of humor. I will definitely be recommending this at my library.

I had a love-hate relationship with Jazz. Her motivations just didn't make complete sense to me sometimes, so it was hard to get a handle on her. I love that she's strong and wicked smart, but her reasons for her actions didn't always jive with me.

My biggest beef with the book was the technical info. It really gets bogged down in details about welding and mechanics. I understand some readers might love it, but I need a mix of visual and written instruction for that stuff, otherwise I'm lost. If that element weren't so heavy, I think I would have enjoyed this more.

I do also feel that while the last quarter has some great action, the beginning plods along and not much happens. I'm glad I read it, but this totally feels like a movie, so I wonder if Weir was writing with that in mind.

An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *Thank you so much!*

Let me start with this: I do recommend, and it's nothing like The Martian (which I LOVED!! FYI). It's got comedy, murder, smuggling, and lots of sciency geek speek, lol. I enjoyed the female protagonist, and all the side characters too.

Brief (I hope) synopsis of the book.
Jazz lives on the moon and has since she was 6.


When I moved here I was six years old - that was the minimum age for residency back then. Since then they've bumped it up to twelve. Should I be worried?

(I think I snorted when I read that line. :) )

She makes a living as a smuggler and thru this met billionaire Trond Landvik. Long story short, Trond outlines his plans for world moon domination and offers Jazz an opportunity to make some money.


"I'm sorry, but this isn't my thing," [Jazz] said. "You'll have to find someone else."
"I'll give you a million slugs."
"Deal."

She is clearly a business savvy smuggler. ;)

The nefarious plan (in a nutshell) is for Jazz to break the "dump trucks" that bring moon rocks to a smelter which as a by-product create oxygen which is then used to provide breathable air on the moon. The reason Trond wants Jazz to do this is so he can then take over the contract (there are reasons, which you will learn when you read the book way beyond this point. But it's related to something called ZAFO.).
"What's ZAFO?"
"Suck a dick!"

Unfortunately Jazz's plan doesn't go according to plan and her once clandestine mission is discovered and she needs to figure out how to finish the job. Incomplete job=no money. BUT!! As she is working on a plan, she discovers something.


I walked up to the Landvik estate's main entrance and rang the chime. No answer. Huh. That was odd. .... That's when I noticed the damage to the door. ... I pushed open the door and peeked into the foyer. No sign of Irina or Trond. A decorative vase lay on the ground...a splash of bright-red blood on the wall-
"Nope!" I said.
I spun on my heel and stormed back into the hallway. "Nope, nope, nope!"

(ahahahaha!!!)

So now Jazz has to find and stop a killer (because they are after her too).


"Goddammit!" I yelled to him. "Will you stop whining about your problems during my murder?!"

Thankfully Jazz has some friends (and father) she can rely on to help her end the whole drama once and for all.


I hopped off the roof and landed next to him.
"You shouldn't jump down that far," he said.
"You shouldn't fuck other people's boyfriends."
"Oh, come on!"
"I could get used to this new relationship we have."

(OMG, I find this whole relationship dynamic soooo hilarious! :-D )

Many shenanigans follow.


Crashing your pressure vessel into things is bad. It can lead to unscheduled dying.

(Bahahahahaha!!!!)

Of course things don't go according to plan - again.

This whole deal centers around Sanchez Aluminum, and Loretta Sanchez is the CEO and founder. When Jazz goes forth and starts her destruction, Loretta doesn't leave for safety, and instead stays to inspect the problem Jazz creates. Loretta isn't prepared to leave her smelter (it melts the rock which produces the oxygen).


"A smelter I poured my life and soul into, which you just destroyed, you reckless puddle of exudate!"
"Don't think I won't look that up!"

Jazz is a sarcastic and SMART woman who could have been a very successful (legal) businesswoman on Artemis. But through life choices she ended up being a smuggler instead and despite all she did (I left out A LOT!!! And it's a doozy of a thing, trust me - it's good), she isn't deported from the moon (she finagles a way to stay on the moon). Let's just say those million slugs she was promised to create all this havoc? She doesn't exactly get to keep it. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed Artemis and found it to be very entertaining. As I said before, it's not like The Martian, but it is certainly well written, and Weir's comedic talent is fully present. I didn't laugh as much as I did with The Martian, but I did laugh. The world building is amazing,


[Ngugi] made sure Kenya enacted special tax breaks and laws just for the new megacorporation. What's that you say? Favoring a single company with special laws isn't fair? Tell that to the East India Tea Company. This is global economics, not kindergarten.

and I felt I knew everything there was to know about living on the moon (the good and the bad - which I pray isn't what happens when the human race decides to be stupid and live on the moon). The science speak is definitely present in this book, which I will admit to skimming because I am soooo not a science person, but I read enough to know that Jazz is one smart cookie who is wasting her talents as a smuggler.

There is murder in the story, which is a shame, but it proves necessary to move the story along to the next point. I loved how Jazz didn't go into the house like the stupid heroines of horror movies. Clearly she watched YouTube and found "horror movies for smart people." ;) Yep, that is totally a thing - look it up.

Overall I do recommend you read this. Especially if you are already a fan of Andy Weir.

4 stars

And I leave you with something that should (I hope) make you smile.

"Is that a condom?"
"Yes!" he said proudly. "My latest invention."
"The Chinese beat you by seven centuries."
"This is not your everyday condom!"
"Why would anyone buy this?"
He grinned. "It's reusable."
"Are you shitting me?"
"Not at all!" ... "After each use, you turn the condom inside-out and put it on the cylinder-"
"Ew."
"Then you turn on the cleaner."
*
"I'm not looking for investors. I need someone to test it."
"And you think I've got the dick for the job?"
He rolled his eyes. "I need to know how it feels for the woman."
"I'm not having sex with you."
"No, no!" He winced. "I just want you to use it the next time you have sex. Then tell me how it affected your experience."
*
"I need data from a woman who is having sex for fun. The woman has to be sexually experienced, which you definitely are-"
"Careful..."
"And likely to have sex in the near future. Which, again-"
"Choose your next words wisely."
*
"Did you get a chance to use the condom?"
"It's been twenty-four hours! What kind of sex life do you think I have?"
*
"Did you get a chance to test the condom?"
"No, I haven't had sex in the two days since you gave me the condom."
*
"Hey, did you try out the condom yet?"
"Goddammit, Svoboda!" I said.
"What? I'm waiting for feedback here."
I threw up my hands and walked away.

Cheers!!

After thoroughly enjoying "The Martian", I looked forward to Weir's next book. Again, he writes a good science infused adventure....but I really felt like it read more as a YA genre.... maybe because of the attitude described of the main character, maybe due to the 'penpal like letters', or just the youthful description...... It was a good, quick read....offered an interesting window into that 'future'?! I do/did like all the scientific explanations/offerings. I'll look forward to his next offering too! It was good enough!
I did receive this e-galley free from NetGalley, in return for my own fair & honest review. All opinions offered are my own.