I wrote about this here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2017/11/7-books-for-speculative-fiction-fans.html

Artemis is a space thriller and a fun book. Not as fully realized as The Martian, but still good stuff for space nerds. Punky, female protagonist is cool -- as are the descriptions of the technology and challenges of maintaining a mining colony and tourist center on the Moon. There are more adult themes in this book than in The Martian, like sex and drinking and violence, but nothing too outré for a YA audience. People who don’t like detailed accounts of working in zero gravity or navigating the surface of the Moon won't like this book.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I am sad to say that I was dissapointed of this book. I had great hopes for it when I resived it ecause I had heard great things about The Martian.

This book deffenetly fell short and did not work for me. At best it is a good book for 12 year olds, but for anyone older the depth of the book is too shallow.

Non of the characters went through any transformation, they were just flat througout the book. Even the Jazz continued to be the same, still after I hoped that she had grown.

Jazz Bashara grew up in the moon colony of Artemis – scheming and smuggling her way through life, hoping for that big break that will make her rich. When one of her loyal customers offers her a huge sum of money to sabotage a company he wants to take over, Jazz agrees. When her plans begin to go awry, Jazz realizes she’s in over her head and that her “simple” crime is at the center of a much larger conspiracy to control all of Artemis.

Artemis was a load of fun to read.


One of the many reasons I enjoyed The Martian was the smart-ass personality of Mark Watney. Jazz is very similar, though a bit more of an asshole. One of those characters that you root for, but also can’t help but grin when they get some comeuppance, you know? She’s a tomboy, though perhaps overly so because with the exception of a few lines, you could change her gender and the book wouldn’t feel any different. This didn’t bother me, but it would have been nice if she felt more authentically female.

Another note on her character is that she’s from Saudi Arabia, yet that’s almost undetectable when she’s not pointing it out. She moved to Artemis with her father when she was six and didn’t keep the faith or much of her culture, so at times her diversity felt more like a popular card to play than an aspect of her character that impacted her story. Just something worth noting.

Jazz is smart and headstrong, which often gets her into as much trouble as it gets her out of. She has quite a few lucky breaks and near-escapes, but that’s what made the story fun. I enjoyed all the incredible escapes and snap decisions that saved Mark’s life in The Martian, and my experience in reading Artemis was no different. I suspended my disbelief and let Jazz and the action take me for a wild ride.

There’s a fair bit of science and technology in this book, but it was easy for me to swallow. Jazz’s tone is that of someone narrating to an audience, so she often explains the inner workings of the city or whatever machinery or tech she’s using. I didn’t feel bogged down, nor did I have any trouble imagining what she was talking about.

I was excited about this book and it didn’t disappoint. I think it’s a light read, as far as sci-fi is concerned and I flew through it over the course of two days. If you’re looking for a crazy moon adventure and a snarky, dickish protagonist who has almost as much luck as common sense, I think you’ll enjoy Artemis.

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS IN THIS POST ARE MY OWN.

Absolutely fantastic!! Loved it!!

I absolutely loved the last Andy Weir book that I read called "The Martian". This book was a lot like that in the fact that it was set in outer space, fraught with lots of action and plot twists, and there was a lot of humor.

Jazz Bashara is the main character of this book that is set in a city on the Moon. Jazz is like a mail clerk taking stock and goods received from Earth and delivering it to the addressee's. She's young, spunky and hilarious.

The city on the Moon seems so life like with the Buzz Aldrin center and other areas named after the astronauts that landed on the Moon in real life.

From what I could tell at the ending, there should be more books in a series coming out in the future. I certainly hope so. I loved this book, it could read like a YA, but I enjoyed it as a adult, as well.

Thanks to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Convoluted and I hated the heroine—like a teen version of Eloise but more annoying.

Second novels can be tricky, especially when the first novel was a hit. People who loved the first book expect the second to be just as good, but where the author might have had years to refine their first novel, they often get a contract that gives them a lot less time to finish the second.

When The Martian - Andy Weir's wildly successful first novel, which was originally self-published - came out, I read it and loved it. I gave my father a copy for his Christmas book (everyone on my Christmas list gets a book as part of their gift), and he loved it. We saw the movie together in the theatres and really enjoyed it (even if they did throw out a good portion of the second half of the novel).

As a result, I approached Artemis with a lot of trepidation. There was no way it was going to measure up to The Martian, but I hoped that it would still be a good read.

Thankfully, it was.

Artemis takes place on the first city on the moon, where the locals live in cramped spaces (for the most part), and tourism is a large part of the economy, as the rich and powerful come to see where Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon.

Jazz moved to the moon with her father, a welder, when she was a child. Now estranged, she works as a runner, and as a smuggler. She's trying to earn a very set amount of money that we don't find out the reason for that amount until nearly the end of the story. Among other things, she smuggles contraband combustables (ie, cigars) for a businessman who moved to the moon to make things easier for his disabled daughter.

But then her client hires her to sabotage a business rival, offering an insane amount of money. But of course things go wrong, and Jazz finds herself on the run from the organized crime backers of the rival. She feels she has no choice but to to try to follow through on her promise.

The plot moved along nicely, and I enjoyed the planning and the action, but unfortunately the characters didn't work as well as they could have. It seemed like Weir was checking off the diversity list. The main character is an Arab woman whose father is a devout Muslim. The on-Earth smuggling partner is in Africa, and presumabley black. Jazz has to work with a male former friend who stole her boyfriend. Another ally is the awkward geek. The cop is actually a former Mountie (who should not still be wearing the uniform). The bad guys are Brazilian. The city administrator is Kenyan. The daughter of the employer is in a wheelchair. After all that, you basically have a full Bingo card.

Still, Jazz was likeable, and you definitely get the feel that she had a life before and after the novel.

So, while Artemis is nowhere near as successful as The Martian, I would recommend it to fans of hard sf. I just don't think it was be as big a breakout as The Martian was, outside of the SF fandom.

3.5 stars

Jasmine (Jazz) Bashara has been living in Artemis, the only city on the moon, since she was six-years-old. The daughter of Muslim master welder Ammar Bashar, twentysomething Jazz is a bit of a wild card - a brilliant young woman who refuses to take up a 'laudable' profession. Instead Jazz works as a porter, picking up and delivering goods. Mostly, Jazz conveys products shipped from Earth. When a shuttle arrives, Jazz picks up merchandise at the Port of Entry and brings it to the appropriate buyer.

Jazz - who's an enterprising young woman - takes advantage of her job to smuggle in contraband items ordered by her 'clients.' This includes things like: expensive cigars; cigarette lighters; pure ethanol; electronics; illegal chemicals; and more. The money (called slugs) that Jazz earns by smuggling augments her meager salary, but the porter is still dirt poor. Jazz's living quarters amount to a bunk in a closet.....with a shared bathroom down the hall. And her food consists of gunk - mush made from algae.

Jazz is always scheming to make more money, because she has a debt of 417,000 slugs.....and she wants a decent apartment. So when one of Jazz's customers, Trond Landvik (one of the 'richest richfucks in town') asks her to sabotage Sanchez Aluminum - so he can take over the company - Jazz agrees to do it.....for 1,000,000 slugs. Jazz plans a complex, dangerous caper to destroy Sanchez's equipment, but things go wrong and a murder ensues. Moreover, it looks like Jazz's life is in danger as well.

Turns out Sanchez Aluminum is owned by a Brazilian crime syndicate called 'O Palácio', whose leaders don't appreciate people messing with their factory. Moreover, O Palácio is apparently scheming to take control of Artemis's economy by hijacking the manufacture of a valuable technology called ZAFO. Artemis's administrator - a Kenyan woman called Fidelis Ngugi - wants to stop the Brazilians.....so she gives Jazz 'the wink' to do something about them.

Jazz cooks up a complicated scheme to thwart O Palácio', and enlists the help of her family and friends. The dangerous escapade - which involves a lot of cutting and welding - is described in minute detail.....but I found it hard to picture. (Maybe it will be clearer when the movie comes out. LOL) Jazz's scheme doesn't unfold quite as planned, but she's a resourceful gal who can think - and act - fast.

To me Jazz is a likable, spirited saboteur who drinks beer, curses like a sailor.....and gamely agrees to test a re-usable condom invented by a friend/client. I enjoyed Jazz's correspondence with her Earth penpal, Kelvin Otieno, who she 'met' at the age of nine. Jazz and Kelvin become close friends, exchange confidences, and become partners in the smuggling business.

Other memorable parts of the story include: the author's description of Artemis - which seems like a place that could really exist; the manner in which Rudy - the head cop on Artemis - administers justice to a wife beater (this is stellar!); Jazz's interest in Arabic gossip sites - which she frequently cruises on her Gizmo (a sort of smartphone/electronic wallet); and Jazz's contentious but loving relationship with her dad.....who did the best he could in difficult circumstances.

My major criticism of the book is the over-description of Artemis's construction and the (often) hard-to-understand science. This is unncessary and tedious.....and it slows down the story at the most exciting moments.

Overall, this is an entertaining adventure story in an unusual setting - with a large array of engaging characters. I'd recommend the book to fans of science fiction/action novels.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Andy Weir), and the publisher (Crown) for a copy of the book.

Unfortunately I wasn't really a big fan of this book. It was reasonably entertaining and I usually enjoy a female protagonist but compared to The Martian I found it lacking depth. It was a relatively fun read but the kind you forget shortly after finishing. Sorry!!

Weir has a very good writing style - most of the time.
It is easy to read, as long as he isn't talking to long and detailed about science, but on the other hand, that's part of the good stuff too, so I'm willing to overlook the longer passages.
The Story was suspenseful and well formed.
Jazz wasn't very different from Weirs last leading character, but I liked her anyway for her bad-ass-ness.

After his highly successful first novel, "The Martian" plus the movie starring Matt Damon, Andy Weir's sophomoric endeavor, "Artemis" turned out to be as entertaining yet not as engaging as the first one.

For those who needs a synopsis, the Description below says it all. If I add something more, there will be spoilers. So, just like Jasmine Bashara, our heroine, I will just stick to the nitty gritty of things.

Full of wry humor but not enough for laugh out loud funny moments, Jasmine reminds of me Bruce Willis' Hudson Hawk - irreverent and full of attitude. She makes me smile, yet she does not give me enough for a full belly laugh. It's not to say that she is not interesting. But, Mark Watney (The Martian) is a hard act to follow.

The book is science fiction and set in the near future. Personally, I hope that I will live long enough to see a human colony on the moon. The earth is already overpopulated. The Moon and Mars are good candidates for future human colonization.

So, for "Artemis" to be a heist turned into a power struggle on who will control the moon colony itself was a total downer for me. Perhaps its because of my idealism. I am hoping that when humans leave earth for new homes in Mars or the Moon, we can rise above greed.

So, though I find "Artemis" enjoyable and will recommend it to be included in your reading list, I am also disappointed with it because I am faced with the same human failings that have plagued us for thousands of years.

If I want reality, I will read history books. Sci-fi is my escape but Artemis just gave me too much reality to truly find it funny.

"Artemis" is Rated M for Mature due to subject matter.

I went in thinking this would be science fiction. I mean, she lives on the Moon!!! Artemis is the name of the city and the main character is Jazz.

There is so much substance to this book, and it's all told from Jazz's perspective.

It has sci-fi elements to it. Like we aren't really to the Moon city thing yet, and Andy throws in lots of science. I can't verify what's true, but it was fun.

Jazz is a really diverse character on her own. She's kind of a pain in the rear, she admits to that. But she has a big heart and is fiercely loyal.

It's not my kind of book, but I really enjoyed myself. I felt like it had a lot of action with the occasional drag. It really picks up in the last half, with lots of surprises.

This book takes place in the near future where humans are living on the Moon. The main character, Jazz, is a lifer (as close as you can be) Artemis (the city on the moon) resident. She is crazy smart but doesn’t really apply herself much to the dismay of people around her. She works as a porter and smuggler. Then she is offered a job (heist) of her lifetime. What comes after is all sorts of crazy for not only her but Artemis itself. This author also wrote The Martian (which is amazing BTW) so I had high hopes for this one. While I don’t think it lives up to The Martian, I still enjoyed it. It has the science-y bits and the wise cracking characters, but it does’t flow quite as well. It is also really action packed, maybe even too much. But if you don’t like dark-ish (sometimes crude) humor, probably best to pass on it.

Imagine life on the moon, plus an adventure by a lowly porter and you have a great story. Jazz grew up on the moon and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She leads our imagination in how life is lived on the moon. Jazz is a smuggler of good from the earth and as a result has many interesting clientele as many want things that are forbidden on the moon. Join jazzs adventure as she moves from smuggler to hero.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review - in exchange, here it is - my honest review! All opinions are my own and do not reflect the view of any organization that I am affiliated with.

Moon caper! Woo! Another Andy Weir!

So yes, it's 100% another Andy Weir. Remember Mark Whatney of The Martian? Now put him in the head of a woman of Arabic descent, who is a criminal because she botched all of her potential. You have Jazz Bashara.

She's quick-witted, gritty, down in the (moon) dirt-y, groovy and fun and just full of dirty 13-year-old boy jokes. I don't know if that'll appeal to everyone, but that's who she is an she is not apologizing for it! Nuh-uh! She's gonna be a smuggler and a saboteur for money, no matter what daddy says. But will she continue big such a pig head when things go really, REALLY bad?

It's a fun heist book with good old reliable science. And a lot of stuff about welding. But I liked it, and I trust Andy that his science-based fiction is plausible. I had a fun time, and asked a real astrobiologist to support Andy's claims. So far, so good. Except the bit about people not being able to carry a pregnancy on the Moon: that's pure conjecture, apparently. Nobody can know if a baby can grow in low gravity, and there's no way to know. But it's not plot-important, so who cares! Science!

Read this one if you liked the Martian, if you like capers, and if you like potty-mouthed protagonists who don't know how to properly be a Muslim. Enjoy :)

Weir's main character Jazz is a take-no-shit, tell-it-like-it-is porter in Artemis, the moon's only city. She earns her living smuggling prohibited items from earth when she is given the opportunity to make her fortune... in a not exactly legal way. Her nefarious past has just barely kept her on this side of what constitutes the law on the moon, but will be she be so lucky this time?
Author Andy Weir had the tough challenge of following up 2012's The Martian. Artemis has many of the great attributes of The Martian with the fun addition of being set in the future. While she is technically a criminal, she lives by her own code of honor making her a likable character.

I DNF'd this one. I could not get past how Weir thought women think or talk.

2.5ish stars.

Right off the bat I'll just say, I think the first half of this book is awful. It was like Weir conceded that plot set-up and characterization are things that novels should include, so he gave it his best shot and attempted to cover up his lack of ability in those areas by making lots and lots of (middle school) jokes. Once the heist starts, the action kicks in, and the surprisingly believable and interesting technical, science-y bits come into play, the book hits its stride and shows off Weir's strengths. It ends on a high note, so much so that I initially rated it 3.5 because I was left with such a good taste in my mouth. In hindsight, reflecting on the book as a whole, it's really not that good.

I've read that Weir realizes that characterization isn't his greatest strength and that he'd rather focus on the story, which is fine! If the story is engaging enough, it can absolutely balance the lack of strong character work. Why, then, does Weir try so hard to make the protagonist, Jazz, seem clever, and oh-so-cool, and brilliant, but too badass to care about living up to her obviously enormous potential, and oh yeah, she has a lot of sex, too, and she's super hot, but she just likes to chill because she's just one of the guys, your typical, relatable dudebro. But also she's a girl. How do we know she's a girl? Because she says so. A lot.
“I giggled like a little girl. Hey, I’m a girl, so I’m allowed.”

All of the secondary characters are indistinguishable from one another except for the various races, nationalities, sexual identities, genders that they're assigned by Weir. None of these traits are ever actually evident in how the characters are portrayed, it just feels like Weir thought it would be good to have a diverse cast. Does it count as representation just because we're told that so-and-so is gay, or Irish, or Muslim? I'm not sure.

Anyway, once all of the characterization yadda yadda yadda is out of the way, the story itself ends up being exciting and a lot of fun. There's a ton of welding which, um, gets old eventually, but mostly the technical detail is interesting and contributes to the overall enjoyment level. The setting (a moon colony) is also pretty cool and Weir does a good job of making it feel real. There's tension and action and science in this science fiction. Unfortunately it's burdened down by the author himself exposing his very apparent weaknesses