Jazz Bashara, in her mid-20's, is a porter living in Artemis, the only city and civilization on the moon. To earn extra money, she does a little smuggling on the side. When she has the chance to make some big-time money by committing an act of sabotage, she jumps at the chance. But she bites off more than she can chew and is soon in major trouble, fearing for her life.

This second novel by Andy Weir was not received nearly as well as his first, The Martian. I'd have to agree with the majority here. As many others, I loved The Martian. The character of Mark Watney was snarky & sarcastic, but it fit the story and the situation. In Artemis, Weir tries to replicate that same personality trait in his characterization of Jazz, and it just doesn't feel right. I found Jazz overly annoying and I just didn't like her very much. It was like Weir was trying way too hard. Ugh. That was my main problem with this novel. That and the overly scientific detail in the entire story. I get that Weir needed to go into some detail to explain why such-and-such had to work such-and-such-way to work on the moon (vs. Earth), but it was a bit much and the story got bogged down. The underlying idea of this novel was decent, but the execution just didn't hit the mark. ( )

In some ways similar to "The Martian" this story takes place on the Moon while the central character is a twenty something girl instead. Snarky by nature, we learn her backstory via emails sent to earth friends as well as her flashbacks strewn throughout the story. While I'd love to say this is comparable to the Mars story, it's not though he does a good job of momentum as the story comes to a close. The characters are well thought out as is the plot though I doubt this will make it to film. Regardless I recommend it for those that enjoy good storytelling as long as expectations are modest. ( )

Not what I was expecting, but I loved it.
Full Review on my blog

This is my first I've read by Andy Weir. Honestly, I didn't think I would like it, but it surprised me. I just realized that he wrote The Martian, as well, I had no idea that it was a book! I loved the movie!

Artemis is based on the moon, and instead of a story of survival, what we have here is more of a caper-style plot with a female protagonist, Jazz Bashara. Jazz Bashara is a smuggler of harmless contraband on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon that's mostly populated by the super wealthy and tourists on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. After all, she's got bills to pay and her job as a porter barely covers the rent. She changes her tune when she's offered the opportunity to make a fortune by pulling off a seemingly perfect (and impossible) crime. Before Jazz knows it, she's walked straight into a conspiracy for control of the city and that her only chance of living relies on a plan that's even riskier than the first. The get-rich-quick-scheme involves the sabotage of company Sanchez Aluminium - who happen to play a part in supplying Artemis with oxygen.

Jazz isn't the typical hero, she is, after all, trying to bankrupt a company for her personal gain and that of a wealthy friend of hers, yet she has loads of endearing qualities and is a likable and feisty character perfectly portrayed by narrator Rosario Dawson. Her character was so fun, and it was great to have a woman of colour as the main protagonist in a science fiction novel. Whilst she does not practice Islam, we see elements of the religion through her father. I loved that Jazz was just so confident in herself and didn’t worry about others judging her, and she was a great, witty narrator. Even though she was living in relative poverty, at least in comparison to many of the Moon’s citizens, it really felt like she was making the most of what she had, and was so determined to reach her goal.

Overall, Artemis by Andy Weir is a quick and addicting read that you want to savor for as long as you can. I can't wait to read more of his books! I highly recommend it!

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Maybe not as good as The Martian, but pretty close. Couldn't put it down.Zoom

[2nd reading done in preparation for author event with Mysterious Galaxy, May 2021, via Zoom thanks to Covid.] ( )

I wasn't sure when I first started reading this but it turned out to be pretty awesome! I think the author had a bit of a hard time writing from the female point if view but hey it wasn't that bad. There were a few weird sexual comments that could have been left out that's for sure. I guess I like science fiction more than I thought! Give it a try! ( )