Another great book by Weir, though not as great as The Martian. For this one, I am not crazy about the female narrator's dialogue and inner thoughts. I think Weir should stick to male protagonists because he did so well with that before. This one could be awkward sometimes. But other than that, a really great plot, perfect scene, some great characters.

2.5 stars. Andy Weir's plot-fueled second novel involves a heist on the moon, which immediately grabbed my attention. The story, once it got going, was very readable, and the well-researched details about life on the moon colony were rich and fascinating. I really appreciated the diversity of characters. Unfortunately, the main character came across as an uneven and ill-considered caricature; the characterization was stilted and her narrative voice felt too much like a male author failing to write a female character. As a result, her choices and actions were not very compelling, which was frustrating as it was those choices driving the plot. Other characters in the book were thin and undeveloped. The humour and tone was not to my taste; moreover, sections of the book were very unevenly paced. Overall, an entertaining story and fascinating world-building, but lacking in characterization, character development, and pacing.

Artemis shows continued growth in Andy Weir's range and I am loving it! The characters are well developed and brought me into the story with a desire to see how they succeed or fail, The setting on the Moon helped the story line for me as I imagined a main character like Jazz being able to be such a successful hustler in her mid-twenties. The science, as in the Martian, was well thought and an added bonus.

The Good: I enjoyed the scientific aspects of "Artemis," and it had an interesting premise. Like "The Martian," the science 'felt' real, like it was provable and explained in layman's terms. The cast was ethnically diverse and attempted to respect cultural differences and mores.

The Not-So-Good: I had a difficult time connecting with the protagonist. Her intelligence seems to be the only positive trait about her, as she's continued to treat people around her -- both friends and family -- like dirt. I'm not sure why people want to cling to her, look to hear for leadership, or want to help her. Also, I found the aftermath's reaction of the people who have suffered by her hand to be extremely unbelievable. She was responsible for some truly horrid things, and the surrounding characters treated it as a "well, you win some, you lose some, right? Ha-ha!" attitude. It did not feel genuine.

Also, the dialogue was somewhat humorous, but felt strangely forced.

All in all, a big step down from "The Martian." The pages kept flying by, but the end results wasn't satisfying or believable in the context of the story.

A page-turner of a sci-fi adventure. Reminds me of the best Asimov. It's set further in the future than "The Martian" but retains the subtle "real science" of Weir's first novel - and as in that one, a key plot point turns on real science (chemistry, this time). I loved the protagonist, her father, the shadowy power figure - a fun and quick read. I'm sure there will be a movie.

An absolutely stellar novel by Andy Weir. This book was full of action, interesting characters and witty writing. Everything I was hoping for in a follow up to his first hit, The Martian. I read the entire thing in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. Full of spacey science for the book worms who love that kind of thing (me!) but not as heavy handed as it was in The Martian.

I love it when non-diverse authors make a serious effort to write a book with a fully diverse cast. And yet, it’s hard because as a member of one of those categories (Weir who is male is writing about a Muslim woman as a lead character) I felt like the character was unfamiliar to me. Which is probably fine, unless it isn’t. And it’s easy to pick nits so I’ll leave that be. Otherwise this is a Weir-ish (i.e. a lot of hard science within an actual story) novel about a colony on the moon and what the politics and practices of that sort of place would look like. Our protagonist is a non-practicing Muslim woman who just happens to also be a genius and a smuggler. And a great cast of other characters who are all on the moon thanks to the Kenyan space program. If you liked the Martian but wish it had some women in it, you’ll probably like this.

Through Net Galley, I had the opportunity to read and review a free copy of this book prior to its release date. I knew it was coming. After having read The Martian, I jumped at the chance to check out Andy Weir’s next book. So when it came up on Net Galley? Yes, please! Please, please, please let me read it!

For those of you living under a rock, Andy Weir wrote The Martian, which sold like crazy and was made into a movie. The main character was portrayed by Oscar winner Matt Damon. So all in all, the author is probably a gazillionaire now (hopefully in dollars and not in the form of slugs).

Ok, that aside I’ll tell you what I liked about the book. First off, I enjoyed reading the author’s “voice”. The first paragraph or two of The Martian is what sold me on the entire book and why I read it to the very end…well, in part. Artemis was no different in that respect. It’s also in first person, as in his previous book. Second, I’d completely forgotten that the main character was a female until it was made obvious. Besides that, I’d forgotten her ethnicity. For me, moon people don’t have an ethnicity. The main character was born in Saudi Arabia but grew up on the moon from the age of 6. The book is full of diverse support characters. Finally, the science! I LOVE sciencey books. Crichton is my favorite because of the detail he spends on describing the science behind the story, like a mini lecture. That’s a turn off for a lot of readers so let me reassure you: Weir is “Crichton-light”. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t offer good explanations in his books. He does. They are entertaining and informative. He just doesn’t spend entire chapters in explanation. They’re more like snippets, paragraphs or sentences of information. For anyone with a short attention span, this is perfect!

What you may not like? There’s language, a lot more than the previous book. I get it. People curse. You hear it everywhere. But where The Martian was light on it, Artemis is not. The good news? There isn’t romance…well, except one kiss? Phew. Sorry, but I’m not big on romance. I want action and science! It’s the moon for crying out loud. Who’s got time for love on the moon? Pfft.

My favorite of Weir’s is still The Martian. However, this was another good book from the author that I enjoyed. For SciFi fans, I recommend this read. For those that want the audiobook, the author tweeted that Rosario Dawson will be narrating the story. Awesome!

Andy Weir does it again! Refreshing space story with all the spacey tech talk but not so overwhelming that it's not easy to understand.

Jazz was hoping to get a fresh start when she decides to move to the moon maybe even move up the proverbial ladder. She comes from a lower caste and starts doing things highly frowned upon to get by. She thinks they are alone on the moon but are they truly? Will she get away with what she's done? I really enjoyed getting to read this book which questions what exactly do you think bad is? Will you stretch your morals?

ARC from NetGalley for a fair & honest review.

This book was everything I hoped it would be, to put it plainly. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Something like The Martian would be difficult to top. This one didn’t top it, in my opinion, but it came pretty close.

It has all the wonderful sciencey science that you’d expect, and hell, if all the science isn’t actually feasible if a city on the moon existed, then it sure sounds like it is. It sounds like it knows what it’s talking about. I have no idea how a welding torch would work in a vacuum, but I’m pretty sure it would work how this book says it’ll work. It’s got all the snark, nerdy humor, and thrills that I hoped for as well.

I started this one thinking that I could read it in short spurts between chores and work and sleep. What happened was me starting it before bed, and then reading until the wee hours, reading until my eyes hurt, and reading until I sort of regretted reading so late because work was creeping up on me… and I ended up doing it all in one huge spurt.

Jazz is a fantastic character, who I wanted to win, even despite the moral grayness in which most of the stuff she does resides. It was refreshing to have the protagonist be an Arab woman. Actually, I loved how multicultural Artemis was depicted, in general. Many cultures on Earth were depicted on the moon in different characters that we meet. My favorite was Rudy, Artemis’ policeman, a former RCMP officer, who is, sometimes (in Jazz’s eyes anyway) more or less Dudley Do-Right. And yet, he isn’t a one-sided or stereotypical character. He’s realistic. I know dudes just like this guy in real life.

There is a mystery unfolding as this book goes, and I couldn’t guess at any of it. I got blindsided several times as more and more of the plot was revealed. I’m usually a good guesser, but this one blinded me (usually with science, as it happens). It really did keep me on the metaphorical edge of my seat. It certainly kept me awake long enough to finish it despite being tired, so make of that what you will.

Definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year, so it’s pretty safe to say that this one is definitely worth your time! If you liked The Martian, or if you like science or space in general, you will very probably like Artemis.

It has been a while so I was scanning through NetGalley to see what's new and I came across a new book by Andy Weir (aka the guy that wrote The Martian aka that book I love [well I mean, one of many BUT STILL, it's up there]), Artemis. So of course I requested it and was lucky enough to get a copy in exchange for a review.

First thing first, Artemis isn't The Martian. I mean, obviously. Different plot and all. But it's not an instant favorite for me like The Martian was. That would have been incredible if he could have pulled that off again. I was excited to start this but still tried to temper my expectations knowing I could easily set them way too high. I'm glad I kept that in mind because I did enjoy this book.

So with that disclaimer, here's what the story is about. I should also point out that I did NOT read a description before starting. I was doing jumping in and trusting whatever Weir did would be entertaining.

There's a city on the moon. It's sometime in the future (somewhere around 50-100 years from now. Maybe) and there's been a functioning moon city for what seems to be about 20 years. Jazz Bashara has grown up in the city since she was 6 and works as a porter, delivering packages around the city. And maaaaaaaybe some of these packages aren't exactly legal but what city doesn't have a least a little bit of smuggling going on. And it's not like the stuff is dangerous. No drugs or weapons. Just things like cigars for an eccentric billionaire. She's got debts to pay, don't judge.

Jazz is living in tiny quarters, keeping expenses down, and committing some light crime to save up some money. So when one of her clients offers her all the money she's saving for and more, for a little bit of sabotage, well, she can't pass that up.

Things don't go as planned (do they ever? Of course not, cos if they did you'd have no book), stakes are raised, conspiracies revealed, etc. etc. And there's science. A lot of science. Space science.

Weir should be commended for the cast he's created. It's not all white dudes. There's actually very few of those. Or I mean, few compared to other media where they are, just, all the people. If the cast had been mostly white men that would have stuck out. Artemis (the name of the moon city) is a global collaboration, headquartered out of Kenya. Jazz and her father are originally from Saudi Arabia and while Jazz doesn't seem very religious anymore her father is still a practicing Muslim. There are characters from Russian, Brazil, Norway, Kenya, Ukraine, all over. The characters seem pretty evenly split between men and women. Not all of the characters are straight (and those that are gay have more personality traits than just "are gay"). So WELL DONE THERE, SIR. He ever made sure in the acknowledgements to thank people who helped him when writing a female Muslim character from Saudia Arabia, a person he most definitely is not.

And beyond that, the story is interesting. I was engaged, there was SUSPENSE and some mystery. And yeah, a lot of science explanations that sometimes worked well and sometimes felt like a little too much exposition. But I skimmed over most of those because while I like the idea of that stuff in here, in practice I do not need the details explained to me. I believe you. That's not saying I necessarily think those should be taken out. This is a thing that works for him and there's definitely an audience for it. I am just not it, but I am able to enjoy the rest of the book.

Overall though, when compared to The Martian, it's just slightly less. There's less humor (though there are funny moments), the stakes feel lower, the danger less immediate, the science explanations a bit more shoved in. It's all still there and perhaps it's unfair to compare one book to another but too bad, I'm doing it anyway.

Overall, I liked. Would recommend and probably read again, although it unfortunately does not reach the same levels as The Martian which I will love forever and sort of want to reread again right now.

I was a bit apprehensive starting Artemis. Although I had found The Martian funny, I felt like it wasn't a story aimed in my direction. While science fiction should have some "believability," I am not a reader who needs it worked out to the nth degree. I will suspend my disbelief for quite a lot, and don't need too many details on how the potatoes are grown.

However, while Artemis is still full of Weir's explanations as to how this whole Moon colony could be possible, I think the fact that his main character, Jazz, wasn't stranded alone on the Moon helped significantly. Weir excels at quick, witty dialogue a la Aaron Sorkin. Jazz's interactions with other characters over the course of her heist were enjoyable and countered the technical-description-heavy moments.

One concern throughout the story is Weir's characterization of how a woman would behave and describe herself. I wasn't too put off by some of the comments, but it was distracting and made me hyper-aware that it was a male author trying to adopt a woman's voice and failing.

I would recommend Artemis to any fans of the Transformers or lovers of hard science fiction with a wicked sense of humor.

It's really impossible not to make comparisons between Andy Weir's new novel, Artemis, and his prior blockbuster, The Martian. The protagonist here lacks the hero quality of The Martian's Watney but possesses his brilliance and humor. Jazz is the genius that could have done anything, but refused. Instead of an extreme tale of survival, there's an extreme caper gone horribly awry. The plot is even more tightly crafted and accelerates to a breakneck speed. Weir appears to be creating a whole new fiction genre, the believable and scientifically sound sci-fi thriller. It wasn't a genre I was aware that we needed; but having had a two tastes, I now need more.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an advance reading copy available for an unbiased review.

Let me start by saying that I didn’t read or see The Martian. From what I’ve heard, it was kind of literary SF.

Artemis is decidedly not literary SF.

It’s Ocean’s Eleven on the Moon. Seriously, it’s a lunar heist novel featuring a main character who acts like a teenager. (Quite honestly, for the longest time I thought she was maybe 17 years old, tops. I was shocked when I found out her actual age.) You’ve got a running condom joke and space hijinks aplenty.

Was any of this in the Martian???

The SF itself was excellent. The author put a lot of effort into his moon colony, the politics and the situations between the Earth and the Moon, and the actual science behind much of what happens.

I just hated the story (and Jazz…I hated Jazz).


I’m not sure what readers of The Martian might think. They may enjoy this more lighthearted foray into space. But for me, it was a marginal read.

If you liked The Martian, you'll almost certainly like this book as well.

I loved the lived-in lunar setting, the fast-moving plot, and the array of secondary characters who fleshed out the story.

I didn't love Jazz. I think I'm over the acerbically fun slacker who is also a genius as a character trope. It's hard not to like a character whose stream-of-consciousness is your point of view for the story, but the protagonist (and other characters' reactions to her actions) required more suspension of disbelief than I'm used to granting to the character side of a story.

That said, if you can get past the character quibbles, you get a really fun heist adventure on the moon. It's well worth a read!

(I received an e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Andy Weir's follow up to The Martian is a great moon heist book featuring a new character, Jazz, a 26 porter/smuggler who lives on the first moon base, Artemis. I think my customers will enjoy this new book which not only has an exciting plot but lots of real science thrown in. I personally enjoy a good space mystery and this will appeal to my customers who love mysteries as well as a good sci-fi book.

Andy Weir is famous for his book/movie "The Martian" and his second book does not disappoint! The setting is Artemis, a city on the moon and the main character is a young woman who is a smuggler and a courier trying to eek out a living on the moon. Adventure unfolds as Jazz (short for Jasmine) is asked to do a different sort of job by the millionaire she smuggles Cuban cigars in for. He asks her to sabotage the mining operation that provides silicon for glass production,aluminum for construction and a by-product of oxygen that supplies the city's entire oxygen requirements all because he wants to take over the oxygen supply. She works out a plan but several calamities befall and all is not what it seems and Jazz must risk her life to save the city that is her home.
This is a fast paced rip-roaring adventure from start to the nail-biting finish ! I thoroughly enjoyed the new character and the story and look forward to more adventures from Andy Weir!!!!

I really enjoyed this. It was well thought out. I did not feel that it had the heartbeat racing storyline that The Martian did, but it was still very good. Jazz made me laugh out loud with some of the things she comes up with! When you have to stop and share a line with the rest of your family, so they know why you're laughing out loud, you know it's good.

I loved The Martian, but Andrew Weir hits a bit of a sophomore slump here. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, as it ended up a great read, but it took too long to get into it and I had to work to overcome my dislike of his protagonist, Jazz Bashara. Nevertheless, this will make for another great movie.

If you loved Weir’s humor, scientific explanations, and wonderful characters, then stop reading and just go get this book. That’s really all you need to know. But if you haven’t had any experience with Weir, then go out and also get The Martian. If you’re still not convinced, and don’t worry no offense taken - some people just need a little more, then keep reading.

I love a good book with maps, and even though Artemis takes place on the moon, Weir gives us some phenomenal detailed maps, which I love for their real quality. But after the maps, what further enchants me, is Weir’s narration style. I think this is part Weir and part the main character, Jazz, but it is witty, quick, and hilarious. There is a genuine sarcastic quality, but also a deep compassion that Jazz has.

But Weir doesn’t stop there. He makes science feel approachable to you - making the science of the moon and atmosphere come alive. Not only that, but Weir’s writing is both entertaining here, and also has a great quality. And for Weir’s plot. It is imaginative and has all the qualities of a heist-type novel here. There is underground dealings, subterfuge, and corporate secrets. Now that you’ve read more about it, are you convinced yet? Pick this book up and you will see what I mean.