3.5 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an eARC! That tiny fact doesn't influence my review.

I haven't read The Martian, so I can't say how this stacks up against Weir's other book. But I was impressed with him. Artemis has a lot of super good things going for it. The worldbuilding, for one, is super impressive. I read that Weir was an engineer before getting into writing full-time, and his scientific knowledge shows. I don't know much about science, so technically, I can't say whether or not any of the technobabble in the book was true, but it sounded like it was. Weir's humor is amazing, too. There were several parts where I was busting out laughing. It's got no shortage on action, either, and Jazz was a character to root for.

This probably would have been a four-star book if not for a few things, two of which suddenly came in at the end and messed things up for me at the last second. The biggest thing -- and most common criticism I've come across in other reviews -- pertains to Jazz's voice. I love Jazz, but . . . well, you can tell it's Weir's first time writing a female protagonist. I could dismiss most of her dialogue, because each person is unique from each other, and I actually do know one or two women that talk a bit like her. But there are also just some SUPER awkward lines. I looked up a review of the book, and there was the line, "I giggled like a little girl. Hey, I'm a girl, so I'm allowed." At first I thought that was just a demonstration on the review's part, to show how ridiculous the voice sounded at times. But no. As I read on, I found out that was an actual line in the book. Honestly, for that, I'm almost blaming the editor more than I blame Weir. Because if I presented a line like that to my own writing buddies, they wouldn't have let that slide.

The other two things are related to the ending, so I'll put that under a spoiler since the book isn't out yet.

[My first thing is about the relationship between Jazz and Svobada. Throughout the entire book, the relationship, for me, read platonically until suddenly they're kissing at the end. That left me deeply confused. Looking back on it, Svobada did act weird around Jazz sometimes, so I'll admit that I missed the fact that he liked her. But even so, I did not sense any chemistry between them at all.

The second is the way Jazz got out of getting deported. It was just . . . it was too convoluted for me. It made sense, I guess, but I still feel like that could have been handled better. (hide spoiler)]

That said, though, it was still super fun! I flew through this book in a way I haven't been able fly through others, and this makes me want to try out the Martian someday.

Again, Andy Weir "sciences the sh*t out of it". Jazz is a street, er, tunnel-hustler with all sorts of little schemes to make money, even if she lives very frugally. I enjoyed meeting Jazz, even though she seemed both jaded and immature at the same time. The story-line really kept me reading, and I finished Artemis in one sitting. Another page-turner from Andy Weir.

Artemis by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was great.

I admit to worrying that he wouldn't be able to keep up the quality from The Martian, and this is definitely a very different kind of tale from that, being half a heist novel but otherwise just a great adventure, but he pulls it off. Better than pulling it off, even. I love his characters and the feel of the moon city, Artemis, is vital and detailed.

But you know what the best part is?

I was thoroughly entertained during the entire read. The pacing is great, the reveals believable, the twists unexpected, and the action, delightful. I really couldn't ask for more when it comes to fun science fiction.

The moon is a great place to have an adventure. There's always the threat of being deported to Earth, the expensive living arrangements, and the law if you're a smuggler, which Jazz is, but there's always suit and engineering and environmental problems to worry about, too. And never forget greed and cupidity and the need to balance being a good person against a ton of intrigue. That's what we've got going on, here, and it's a real treat every step of the way.

No spoilers, but I can easily say that I had a great time reading it from the first to the last page. Nothing could have pleased me more. The read is solid as hell.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

A little slow at the beginning, but picked up at the end. I wish there could have been a bit less straight explaining how the Artemis system was set up, but I understand the necessity.

The story was great. The main character was annoying more than not, but she's supposed to be. It was certainly fun trying to determine what she would screw up next.

Overall it was a fun ride, would definitely recommend to sci-fi fans.

Of course, any follow-up to The Martian by Andy Weir is going to be popular; I know I was eagerly looking forward to it. There were absolutely moments in the book where I felt the excitement and adventure of his first release. At heart, Artemis is a heist story set on the Moon, specifically the first settled city. This gives ample opportunity to establish the logistics of living in a new world. As with Weir's first book, I appreciated the brief tangents into scientific description, although sometimes the digressions seemed a bit forced. I heard an author discussion where Weir was concerned with getting the voice of his character right. For the most part, I do think he did a good job at that, but again, there were times when the main character seemed unreal. Overall, I like Artemis, though I did not fly through it like I did with The Martian. Anyone who likes their adventure or crime touched with sci-fi should enjoy this one as well.

This book made me angry. I was looking forward to reading a science-fiction novel with a strong, female heroine and I was incredibly disappointed.. The main character/narrator is a 26-year-old female who spoke and acted like a 15-yr-old boy. I felt the whole thing was poorly written and was crude in places just for the sake of being crude. There are ways to portray a rebellious spirit without using "trashy" words and actions.
I am no means a prude, but I am quite afraid to meet a real woman who speaks and acts like this character did and the author writes that he had several women help him with the authenticity of his female narrator's voice. The story itself was ok and it's sure to be a best-seller based on the success of the Martian. I will buy it for my library, but I will not personally recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
26 year olf Jazz Bashara has lived on the moon since she was 6 years old. She is currently living in the poverty stricken section of Artemis and struggling to make rent with her crappy porter job. She has an illegal smuggling business for extra money but even so its still no enough to reach her goals. She is offered and illegal job of a lifetime by a long time client, and although it becomes clear the heist will be super risky the payout is huge and its an offer she cannot refuse. However, once a plan is set in motion she realizes its more more complex than was let on. She has to risk her life to save the place she calls home and try not to get caught and deported back to earth.

The premise alone made this a wild ride; A heist on the moon!
Andy Weird has such a cool writing style and is a great story teller. I am impressed at his knowledge of science and chemistry. The main character was portrayed to have a very high IQ and there was a lot of technical details thrown in throughout the plot which must have taken a bit of research on the authors end. He did great and everything was fully believabl. Andy knows his shit!

The one thing that sort of bugged me was the main characters attitude. She was super rough around the edges and full of snarky comments and a snide attitude. She was very unlikeable. Normally I can't stand to finish books with characters like this. Their annoying banter and constant bickering with everyone and anyone is immature and kinda unnatural but I was able to overlook it because I was more focused on where the plot line. I needed to know what the hell was going on and if she was going to be able to pull off the impossible and if so how!

Overall I really enjoyed reading Artemis and feel if you can get past the bitchy main character its a great read. 3.5/5 Would recommend giving it a shot.

Jazz is an irreverent, confident and intriguingly vulnerable criminal mastermind–in other words, the exact heroine the sci-fi genre needs and a worthy successor to The Martian’s Mark Watney.

If you took the diversity and heist-y goodness of Six of Crows and set it on the moon, you’d have a good approximation of Artemis.

Summary:

This is the new novel from the author of The Martian.

Jazz is a twenty-something native of the moon colony, Artemis, down on her luck but nevertheless full of pithy remarks and very real aspirations to join the EVA guild and walk on the moon. She sleeps in a “coffin”, the bed-sized low income excuse for an apartment and works as a porter…with a little smuggling on the side.

Her criminal activities quickly get her wrapped up in a heist gone wrong and a fast unraveling conspiracy that threatens the entire colony. Relying on her own wit and skill she attempts to right her mistakes and save her home.

The Short:

I loved:

-the main character, her wit and confidence, competence, vulnerability and development

-the other characters and how their relationships to Jazz were slowly unveiled and expanded upon meaningfully

-the humor

-the realistic yet not pedantic science

-the diversity, almost none of the characters, businesses or nations involved were American or even white, there was a gay character and a Muslim character who didn’t face any forms of persecution in this futuristic society.

I didn’t love:

-the predictable ending and resolution of the minor plot lines

-the ending, abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying

-the lack of greater meaning and depth

The Long:

This book is diverse, character driven, and feels realistically scientific without being dry. As expected by fans of The Martian, Weir’s humor is on point, always finding a way in when the plot gets too heavy. The story isn’t centered by a romantic subplot but rather by several smaller interpersonal subplots, which is also refreshing.

Jazz’s personality is the driving engine of this book, and honestly the thing that kept me interested. She was sexually confident, fond of expletives and though incredibly capable, not academic. Just a refreshing character overall. Sci-fi can too easily turn dry and factual, but Jazz’s wit never failed to entertain. The rest of the cast was just as interesting and their interplay was especially rewarding.

Though I’m not usually a fan of correspondence as a plot device, Jazz and Kelvin’s interactions were crucial and intriguing aspects of the story. I was equally engrossed with her relationship drama. Svodoba was particularly adorable and I’d love to see how her relationships with Kelvin and Dale progress. Her father was also a great character and I loved that Weir carefully and thoughtfully included Islam and Saudi culture in his exploration of the character and society.

I did feel Jazz was a little emotional immature for a twenty six year old and often forgot I wasn’t reading about a teenager. Despite this, I think her character was very well rounded. Her Saudi heritage was not just performative but relevant to plot, history and development through her interactions with her estranged father. I especially enjoyed seeing a parental figure utilized as they’re all too frequently cast as absent or passive.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Weir’s deft ability to introduce and expand an entire complex future society without resorting to long winded descriptions. He gives the reader tidbits of information about Jazz’s past in keeping with her private nature and just enough world-building to keep the reader grounded and interested, as well as consistently surprised, truly the master of show-don’t-tell.

In terms of plot, those familiar with The Martian will recognize the structure of Artemis. A seemingly insurmountable problem is attacked by an extremely capable protagonist who faces and overcomes smaller challenges with ingenuity. As a reader, you know the challenge will be overcome, but the reward comes from Weir’s ability to break down thought processes and interesting facts of problem solving.

Having said that, I did feel the stakes were not high enough to keep me from skimming sometimes. I always knew the challenge of the moment would work out and sometimes lost interest in the path to that end. I also felt the ending was quite abrupt, though perhaps a sequel is in the works that explains the many loose ends. Artemis lacked the emotional payoff I felt from The Martian, the sense of wonder and human bonding, but again I sensed that was a function of something else to come. I kept waiting for the story to gain depth or present a greater idea that would place it in a larger context, but if it existed, it went over my head.

I would highly recommend this book to those looking for a softer side of sci-fi, something that feels smart and detailed but not heavy and wordy. There’s a lot of room for this world to grow, and I hope to see more in the future.



Stories with similar vibes: The Martian-Weir(obviously), Violet Eyes series-Luiken, Xenon: Girl of the Future (tv movie series), Six of Crows-Bardugo, Iced-Moning



Disclaimer: I received Artemis as a free eBook through NetGalley.

I'm a sucker for a heist story, and this one can stand toe to toe with some of my favorites. Snarky heroine? Check. Insurmountable odds? Check. Eclectic group with little in common? Check. And because its Andy Weir, throw in an amazing amount of relatable and understandable science facts and terminology (something I wasn't sure was possible). High adventure, quick pace, full of heart -- enjoyed immensely.

Moon colony! About durn time that the writers started writing about colonizing the moon!! Artemis lived up to my expectations! Very original, well researched, and a fast, snappy read! Andy Weir scienced the hell outta 'Artemis'!! The main character.. eighteen year old girl.. Jazz.. has lived on the moon since she was six years old. All she's trying to do.. is make a dishonest buck.. that won't hurt to many folks.. so she can have a place to sleep that's larger than a coffin. Who can blame her?

Highly recommend Artemis to anyone who loves a good story.. and has a vision of mankind living beyond this blue marble!

I finished this over a week ago, so I've had plenty of time to reflect. I was concerned that my initial impressions were too colored by my expectations but upon reflection, 1) my opinions are valid, and 2) it is reasonable to compare an author's work to previous work by the same author.

This is not as good as The Martian, but it is still a good book. The main thing I didn't super love was the main character / 's voice. The attitude and snarkiness are too similar to Watney's. My guess is that this character was made female to try to add differences between the two characters, but that didn't change the character in any meaningful way. A more unique character would have made a better read.

Although samey, the character did come off as mostly authentic, except in one part: what some kind beta reader should have told Weir is that women don't call each other "bitch." It's too fraught with mansplaining and sexism. I checked in with a coworker, and neither of us knows of any other women who throw this around in conversation. It made her less realistic. But maybe we're a weird subset of professional women.

Still a fun and exciting read; looking forward to more from this author. 4 stars.

If you loved The Martian, as I did, you have been waiting for Andy Weir's next book. No one else does exactly his sassy, Capra-esque, hard science thing. I wanted more of The Martian, but I'll also admit that I didn't have a lot of hope that I would get much more than a rehash of the same thing that worked so well the first time. I was eager, but I can't say that I was optimistic.

But I was wrong! Artemis was so much fun, and I won't say it didn't have a lot in common with his breakout book, but it's definitely not treading the same ground. If I say to you, "imagine Andy Weir wrote a heist novel on the moon," you will be able to picture Artemis. If what you picture sounds like fun, well, you're into a treat, my friend.

Jazz Bashara lives in a closet on the moon. Most people do--square footage is expensive. But her life is going all right--she's got her little private bunk, her courier job, her local watering hole. She's even got a solid side gig (well, main gig, really) as a smuggler--Artemis, the moon's only city, doesn't have a lot of rules, but the ones it does have are somewhat strict about things like cigars.

Jazz is a rough-around-the-edges underachiever, a supergenius (natch) who never finished school because of a series of skeevy boyfriends and a streak of sheer stubbornness. She's mostly estranged from her father and she's pissed at a lot of people--most of the characters we meet in the first quarter of the book are people she's annoyed with for one reason or another.

When an opportunity to make a fortune for one day of (illegal) work falls into her lap, she jumps on it and the caper is on. She needs to sabotage some equipment that's outside Artemis's protective bubble. Here begins the science, as Andy Weir does what he does best, figuring out just what the failsafes and equipment in a place like Artemis might look like, and how a supergenius might sabotage them. Of course, things don't go smoothly (what heist does?) and Jazz finds friends and allies along the way as she heads in the direction of saving the day.

I loved that there was a big cast of characters and that the relationships in Jazz's life were a big part of the book. I wasn't really sure Weir could pull it off, but it's heartwarming. Admittedly, it's not high-level emotional arc or characterization going on here, and the prose is the complete opposite of purple (green prose? is that a thing?). But I liked Jazz the way I liked Mark Watney, and I loved that I got to see her argue and grouch at people, ask for favors and figure things out and trick people and be tricked.

Lately I've been pretty careful with male authors writing female characters, but I haven't got much fault to find here--mostly because there isn't a lot of sex or gender here at all. I mean, Jazz is a woman, and she talks about how good-looking some men are (which is kind of stilted but not distracting), but mostly, Jazz is just a person, and she's convincing as such. She's foul-mouthed and irritable and stubborn as hell, which serves her well--Weir is not trying to write "woman," but rather lets her be who she is.

I loved this book. It was so much fun. There were big laughs and low-gravity fight scenes and complicated science explanations and life-or-death ticking clocks. It's not for everyone, but if you liked The Martian, you want to read this.

(I got a copy of this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review.)

This is an ARC provided by friends of NetGalley for an honest review.

Andy Weir does it again in this fast pace, Sci-fi thriller. The book is hilarious, has cool Sci-fi elements without being over the top, and an unforgettable female protagonist!


Yep I read the book...
Yep, I LOVED THE BOOK!

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What's not to love about an incredible 'heist' story in the near future that takes place in our own exquisite moon? Andy Weir popped up in my radar ever since the brilliant The Martian became a reality in our local bookstores. I was fortunate to have read the book prior to watching the movie. In my humble estimation, the book was vastly superior to the big screen adaptation, with amazing sci-fi elements, a memorable sarcastic and funny character and of course Mars itself!

Weir accomplishes a quite similar experience with Artemis! This time around, we find ourselves immersed in the first city in the Moon, known as 'Artemis'. This happens about 100 years in the 'near' future, and full colonization and self-sustenance in the Moon have become reality. There's a booming industry of 'Aluminum' mining of Moon's rocks, which gives off O2 as byproduct. The Sci-fi has many chemical and physical elements which are very believable. This just adds to the realism of the background.

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Weir's strenghts are in building kick-ass 'sci-fi' elements without being too over the top, and creating funny and memorable protagonist characters. The author, Mr. Weir himself worked much of his life as a computer programmer. His extensive scientific research, made the events in the The Martian so plausible. In Artemis, Weir displays the same level of commitmment to the sci-fi elements, and let me tell you, IT ROCKS! The 'moonwalks' are totally realistic, down to the last detail of 'decompression' hatches, and ensuring you space suit is working, so that the vacuum of space doesn't turn your brain into fried eggs...

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In 'Artemis', we have 'Jazz Bashara' , a beautiful, Saudi descent woman in her 20's, who steals the show and takes us for a hell of a ride!
Jazz is an absolute riot, she curses, likes to drink in the 'local watering hole', and has no quips about her sexuality. Oh, and she's kinda of a criminal! She keeps herself busy smuggling the occasional harmless bit of contraband to supplement her limited funds. The story unfolds at a breaknecking pace, as 'Jazz' becomes' involved in a Moon-related heist, that goes from bad to nuclear in 2 seconds...then all shit hits the fan!

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Jazz Bashara(or at least what I think she looks like!)

Artermis is a wildly entertaining sci-fi, 'heist'-like story, with the coolest background in the Moon and all the perils that a dark, non-atmospheric, vaccuum can provide! Any fans of The Martian, sci-fi thrillers, and heist-books in general, are in for a hell of a ride with this one!

5 Stars!

I really appreciated that this was a sci-fi novel that organically integrated diversity into its narrative in ways that never felt forced. I thought the decision to make the protagonist Muslim and the city ownership Kenyan was particularly innovative - it gave the book a genuinely fresh and unique feel that never slipped into cliche.

Overall, weaker than "The Martian" - I wouldn't have minded a bit more problem-solving and exploration and fewer "thriller" elements - but I'd definitely recommend it.

As we were introduced to Weir's particular brand of snark in Mark Watney from the Martian, we find it again in Jazz, a career criminal of Artemis, the first city on the moon.

Freewheeling and exciting, Weir weaves a space thriller that only he can: where everything goes wrong and one is left trying to pick up the pieces that they themselves created.

Couldn't put this book down. Love the humor combined with the science fiction. A winner for general readers.

I have to be honest, my expectations were really high dor this book because I absolutely adored The Martian. However, I couldn't even finish this one. I made it about halfway and I just couldn't finish it. I'll start with what I enjoyed. I liked the setting amd the use of scientific explanations. I like that our protagonist is female and that she's Muslim, but they don't make a big deal of it. She's just a normal person and it doesn't feel done to make a statement. What didn't I like. So Jazz wasn't the most likable and it was more that I felt either she or the author was trying to hard to make her funny and cool. It came off more forced. The plot dragged u til we finally got to the heist part but by then I just wasn't really interested. For me this just didn't have the magic of The Martian. I might try it again later but I doubt I'll feel differently about it.

Artemis by Andy Weir
I'm going to start this review by saying that I really enjoyed The Martian! I thought it was funny, smart, interesting and just a great example of science fiction. I couldn't put that book down and really appreciated the way Weir could set up his story and execute it. I sang its praises. So I was really excited to see that he had written another book, filled with more science and set on the moon. Definite win. I am supremely disappointed. This was a not a book I enjoyed. This was a book I couldn't even bring myself to finish.
The one redeeming quality of this book is that the science shines! Weir does a great job explaining what Artemis is and how it functions. The details regarding its creation and existence were well thought out and detailed. What overwhelmingly suffered in this novel were the characters. The characters, as diverse as they were, were not well thought out, were clearly lacking in depth and overall not entertaining. I love the idea of having a diverse group of characters, but not when those characters end up being stereotyped. Jazz was set up to be a rebel female character, or at least that’s what I think. If I were to ask any guy to speak the way they think women speak, or act the way they think women act, then that's what Jazz would be! Long story short, I could tell that a guy wrote Jazz's character and not someone attuned to how women act and behave But that was only part of the problem. The description of each type of ethnic group was so stereotypical, down to the fact that they all worked at the same place. Saudi Arabians were welders, Vietnamese worked in Life Support and Hungarians worked in metal working. I couldn't deal. Some of the descriptions and jokes were just cringe worthy and honestly distracting. This was a perfect example of someone trying to be a diverse writer without caring whether or not they got it right.
And now the plot. It was one bad decision after another after another, with no clear motivation for these decisions besides money. It is really hard for me to imagine that someone as smart as Jazz could be so blinded by money that she would make all of the asinine decisions that she made. I struggled through this novel, and with less than 80 pages left I realized that I was not invested enough in what happened to keep reading. I simply could not get through it anymore because I didn't trust or like any of the characters enough to believe the ending would be at all satisfying.
I'm stopping here. I'm glad I got a chance to read this now and I'm glad I'm being able to talk honestly and openly about this book. I wanted to love this book and honestly thought I would. But there were some huge missteps regarding the plot and the characterizations that I could not look past and for those reasons I can't continue. At this point a stellar ending wouldn't rescue this book for me. I can't recommend this because I genuinely didn't enjoy it.

I think the author, coming off of the huge success of THE MARTIAN, set out to create a character directly opposite of his main character in that book, Mark Watney, as possible. The protagonist in ARTEMIS, is female, non-American, a criminal/smuggler, abrasive. In fact, a reader may find that they don't like her very much in the beginning. The thing Watney and Jazz Bashara have in common are being very clever and knowing a lot of science. Think of a female Han Solo before he started his hero trajectory. But then Jazz gets her own "save the city" moments, too, after getting involved in a get rich quick scheme that goes wrong. Very wrong. And goes "wronger" until the very end and then it turns into a caper story with a team of misfits. Overall, I enjoyed reading it. It would be unfair to compare it to THE MARTIAN because that was an extraordinary story. For his sophomore effort on the national scene, I can see this being a movie, too.

5 of 5 bright shiny stars. I dove into this book without any expectations. I have not read The Martian. I do not know anything about Andy Weir. And I usually avoid science fiction novels. But I was hooked at the first chapter and I would have read this book in one setting if I could.

Jazz Bashara is a longtime resident of Artemis, a city on the moon. Sounds glamourous, right? We quickly learn that even on a lunar colony there are the Haves and the Have Nots, and just like Earth, this society has greed, manipulation, politics, crime, and corrupt individuals driven by money. But it also has just enough order, human kindness and decency woven in to make it tolerable for its inhabitants.

Jazz is a Have Not, and a part of the working class that runs Artemis. She works as daytime porter supplementing her meager income with a side job as a smuggler. You want illegal contraband like booze or cigarettes? Jazz can get it to you…. for a price. A rich businessman offers her one million “slugs” (moon currency) for a quick and easy but very illegal job. She is halfway through the job and daydreaming of how she’ll spend that money when things go horribly and unexpectedly wrong. And then she is on the run.

But not to worry, because Jazz is street and book smart (a rare combination), sassy, self-deprecating, determined, resourceful, connected, a problem solver, and fast on her feet thanks to 1/6 gravity. She is a firm believer in commitments. She is loyal and mostly moral even though she bends the law from time to time. She is a fun and likeable character with many flaws.

Andy Weir does a fantastic job of explaining Artemis’s backstory so that the reader has a clear picture of it. He writes an action packed thriller and makes science easy to understand. The physics and chemistry references don’t weight the book down at all and I hardly noticed that I was learning something. A nice benefit.

I love Artemis for so many reasons:
1. Awesome snarky, smart female Macgyver-esque badass main character
2. Diverse, entertaining, and well developed supporting characters
3. Action packed twists and turns
4. Stellar writing style
5. Laugh out loud humor
6. Weir’s vision of the lunar colony lifestyle

This book is an unexpected gem. It is one of my top five books of 2017. The writing is phenomenal, the plot is fast paced, the characters are well developed and interesting, and the setting is unusual and very memorable. If everyone wrote like Andy Weir, I would read more science fiction books. He is truly talented and I look forward to his next book already.