Sadly did not enjoy this as much as the Martian. The main character was definitely not as interesting, and the author doesn't have the skill to really sketch out a farther future timeline in a way that makes it interesting. Overall, a pass.

While I liked the story line, I was not as thrilled with the main character. This was not promoted as a YA or New Adult book , but I felt at times I was reading a YA main character. You don't find out about her age, 26 years old, until towards the end of the book. (Which is fine) However, as I am reading, I kept saying is she 16? 18? I felt like she was too immature for what life experiences she had gone through. I would think that most 20-something adults would be saying themselves- Grow up! Get over it!

Hey look. It’s “Mark Watney Goes To The Moon.” Now with 100% more vagina!!!

Artemis is the story of Jasmine (Jazz) Bashara, a young woman who has lived on the moon ever since her family immigrated there when she was six years old. Jazz’s only dream is to rich, a goal she is trying to achieve one “slug” at a time working as a porter (with a little smuggling on the side). When Jazz is offered 1,000,000 slugs to sabotage the local aluminum company’s anorthite ore harvesters she can’t refuse. That’s when the poo begins to hit the proverbial fan and Jazz finds out that someone out there is willing to do anything - including murder - in order to keep what everyone thought of as a nearly obsolete industry going. But why?????

As I said before, if you enjoyed The Martian, there’s a solid chance you’ll like this too. Dial back your expectations a bit and know before going in that you haven’t experienced a caper like this since The Muppets did one. The jokes and antics of the cast of characters are very much over-the-top, and – much like its predecessor – Andy Weir proves that: 'In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with one option. I'm going to have to science the shit out of this." Now, I’m not one who researches the “what ifs” when it comes to books. I am smart enough to know dinosaurs probably can’t be created from fossilized, prehistoric mosquitos, but that didn’t make me love Jeff Goldblum, errrrr, I mean Jurassic Park any less. That being said, I have a feeling that the majority of Andy Weir’s science might be real. And boy does he like talking about it! In case you were wondering, yes I am fully aware of the fact that I’m saying there was “too much science” in this one after giving 5 Stars to a book that taught me (in great detail) how to grow potatoes with my own poop.

The good news is, Artemis is inclusive without being super IN YO’ FACE about it by having not only a female lead, but one who is also Saudi Arabian, and who is surrounded by a cast of characters of various races and sexuality. Not to mention, you haven’t seen a bad guy like this one in space since good ol' Mom from Futurama.

I have to admit, I was a bit terrified that Weir’s sophomore novel wouldn't hold up after being somewhat inundated by his super shorts that have been released en masse since The Martian hit it big. The positive side of that was, (1) he didn’t take advantage of his fans by charging for those little few-pagers and (2) he kind of hit one out of the park with Annie’s Day. All in all? I give Artemis two thumbs up.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

How do you follow "The Martian"? With "Artemis" is how!

Female protagonist, Jazz Bashara leads a criminal-ish life on Artemis - the first and only city on the Moon. Living paycheck to paycheck, Jazz is always looking out for the next best way to make some slugs - Artemis money. When she comes upon what she believes to be a surefire way to become rich, she jumps at the chance. What this means is rekindling relationships with many people in her life that she has shut out as well as trusting others - both of which are way out of her norm.

The fate of the city may very well be in the hands of this young entrepreneur. Can she make the choices necessary to secure its fate?

Andy Weir has proven that he knows science. He can write a hell of an adventurous novel full of tension, fascination, and heart. And of course I HAD to read a book about a woman who is a smuggler living on the only city on the moon.

Jazz Bashera is a young woman living in Artemis, the only city on the moon, where there is an international community of residents working to support the city, and a constant stream of tourism because who the hell wouldn't want to visit the moon given the chance?! Being that literally every citizen is an ex-pat it allows for characters of a huge variety of ethnicities, races, sexualities, and religions which I LOVED. Here's just a sampling of the characters you get in this book:

Jazz - Saudi Arabian woman - insanely smart and so so sarcastic
Jazz's Dad - Saudi Arabian man - Muslim
Dale - Gay man - Jewish
Lena - Norwegian girl - Disabled
Ngugi - Kenyan woman - HEAD OF THE WHOLE DAMN CITY! YES!!
Bob - American man - Former Marine
Svobo - Ukranian man - insanely smart
Kelvin - Kenyan man - Resident of Earth

Just like in The Martian Weir's ability to make the science in his story fascinating and relatively easy to understand seriously amazes me. Although there were no space-ninjas in this book I was still able to grasp all the theories Jazz was having to deal with as she problem solves through them.

The book also transitioned really well through the use of emails between Jazz and her near life long pen pal Kelvin living on Earth in Kenya. Their correspondence made for a fantastic method of feeding the reader further information about Jazz's history.

Where Weir needs a bit more practice is in writing a female protagonist. From the beginning I went back and forth wondering if this was an adult novel or a YA novel because Jazz comes off as a 16-18 year old girl. I even tried to trace the events through her history to approximate her age and I still only got 19-20. I questioned it constantly throughout the book until about 60-70% into the book she finally says "I'm 26" and I was shocked!! There was no freaking way! She just did not come off as a woman in her 20's no matter how much she talked about sex. That being said her sassiness/assholishness was off the charts and I loved every minute of that!

So yeah, totally recommend this book, and I am definitely set to read every book Weir writes at this point! I would also appreciate a more books set in in the amazing city of Artemis!

Much appreciation to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel for an honest review.

Artemis is a captivating novel set on the moon and about a girl who is strong, gutsy, and takes no BS from anyone. I loved her strength and her snarky attitude. And just like The Martian, Artemis is a scientific goldmine. I simply could not get enough of all the science, it's what I loved best about The Martian.

Very fast-paced, exciting, set on the moon, featuring a likable rogue of a character. I enjoyed reading this, and look forward to his next book.

There was not as much peril saturation as in the Martian. Jazz was likable. Some of the humor was geeky, sexist and awkward. I think have the main character be female just allowed for Weir to include more sexual humor. Writing a character of the opposite gender can be difficult.

Artemis would make a good movie, and would need very little adjusting. There is an underlying stubborn faith in the goodness of humanity in Weir's books. So no matter the peril or hopelessness of the situation, the books remain positive and leave you feeling upbeat.

First, I want to thank Crown Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book!

After reading, "The Martian" last year and really loving it; I was excited to read Artemis! The setting takes place in a city built on the moon and the main character, Jazz, has committed a crime for her friend by blowing up and smuggling their main oxygen source to make a lot of money; what she doesn't anticipate is murder.

Okay, I found the setting to be really awesome; I mean it's city on the moon!! However, most of this book agitated me. Jazz was a very annoying character! She's 26 years old and has the mouth of a teenage boy. I could tell she was very bright scientifically (so much so it was a little over my head), but then when she tried to insult someone or just really converse in general she was so stupid! I think Andy Weir needs to stick with writing male characters.

This book comes out in November, so hopefully you guys will enjoy it more.

I have to admit that I’ve never picked up The Martian (I know, I know). I’ve heard great things about it but was skeptical about liking a sci-fi book—it’s not usually my go-to genre. However, I decided to give Artemis a try on the recommendation of a friend. I was pleasantly surprised!

Jasmine Bashara, better known as “Jazz”, has lived on the moon in a colony called Artemis since she was six years old. Originally from Saudi Arabia, Jazz moved with her Father, a respected welder, to become part of the first and only lunar civilization. Artemis has 2,000 permanent residents, but relies heavily on rich tourists visiting from Earth. A spunky and often crass Jazz, a lower-class woman with a record of being trouble, uses her position as a porter to smuggle contraband to desiring citizens. Through her connections, she is sucked into a risky plan that will shift power in the community—one that comes with a payout large enough to get her out of poverty and into her dream life. However, things go awry and she finds herself entangled in a mess of assassins, murder and deceit. Luckily, she’s smarter than people assume.

This book was a fast-paced page turner. I actually didn’t realize that Jazz was a female at the beginning (I hadn’t read a lot about the book before starting) which made it a bit of a shock. She’s mouthy, feisty, sexually experienced and street smart. I have read a couple reviews that criticize Weir’s take on a female character and while I can see where people are coming from, I also think that her character isn’t completely unrealistic. I did think some of her lines were a bit overdone and stereotypical but overall found her to be pretty hilarious (at times she seemed more like a teenager than a woman in her 20s, though). I am curious if my opinion would change if I read The Martian.

There’s a ton of science talk going on but it’s mostly easy to follow. I am not even remotely a science person so there were definitely parts where my brain clouded over and I wanted to move on, but I imagine someone who cared about those topics would be thrilled. My major critique was that I didn’t see enough character development of the supporting characters—I just wasn’t invested in their storylines. There were a couple characters that almost seemed like filler at the end.

Overall, an enjoyable fast read infused with a ton of well-researched facts sure to draw in the science buffs amongst us.

Fantastic! Artemis is an incredible piece of science fiction - exciting, clever and even funny. Jazz Bashara is an incredible lead, fast thinking, creative, and delightfully devious.  When it comes to skirting the law on the moon, Jazz is one of the best even if her bank account doesn't reflect her intelligence or skill.  For the most part, she smuggles in items from Earth. Between that and her porter job she is just scraping by. But a big chance comes her way - 1 million credits to sabotage the ore harvesting machinery of Artemis’s aluminum processor. Of course Jazz didn't count on the complications resulting from her efforts.  On the run from a murderous cartel, Jazz has only one chance to save her skin and Artemis's future.  

Andy Weir’s characters were wonderful.  I absolutely loved Svoboda.  He was adorably geeky and his innocent enthusiasm was a perfect match for Jazz.  No matter how complex the situation becomes, Jazz is able to find a way forward.  Devious as she is, Jazz isn't one to take advantage or harm others.  Her word is her bond and a deal is a deal.

Andy Weir has given readers a fast paced science fiction caper with memorable characters, a thrilling plot, and a bevy of twists and turns that will keep you glued to the page.  I hope that readers will have the chance to see more of Jazz in future.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Artemis from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Andy Weir has managed to write another sci-fi book that will appeal to people who "don't read sci-fi." The Martian was a crossover success, and I think this will be, too. There were definitely moments that were anxiety-inducing enough to make it difficult for me to read through, but of course it was worth it. I love the science. I love that he took on a woman's point of view. The attention to detail was great, as I would expect from Weir. Very entertaining, and I'm looking forward to recommending it to library patrons.

Weir did it again... Read this ASAP, you won't regret it.

Artemis is the only city on the moon and Jazz Bashara is a luminary of its seedy underbelly. She smuggles in fun goodies (nothing dangerous: she's got standards) to supplement her meager porter's wages. When one of her regular customers offers her an obscene amount of money to add industrial sabotage to her repertoire, Jazz brings all her scientific knowledge and criminal acumen to the issue. A tiny error in judgment snowballs into complete catastrophe; add a conspiracy and she's running for her life. Jazz is roguish, smart, foul-mouthed, and funny, but it's a little off-putting how often she's labeled promiscuous. A fun caper with a solid scientific grounding.

This book follows Jazz, a young woman who lives on the moon. The premise of the novel is that it's a heist that takes place in space. It seemed like it would be really interesting and since I did like The Martian I wanted to give this a chance. Jazz was an interesting character. You realize really early on that she is a smuggler of contraband and that she has a huge desire to get rich. Her smuggling business is what gets her involved in the heist that is supposed to take center stage.

I had high hopes for this novel but I was kind of disappointed. It read kind of like a YA novel although, in all honesty, it seemed a tad bit more juvenile than that. I think that the writing style in this book made it hard for me to connect to because I was expecting to read an adult novel and while the character is an adult she comes off as, possibly, 15. I also found the novel to be kind of slow and while there was action it just didn't keep me interested and when I was about 45% through I lost all interest and did not care what happened.

That being said, I did like Jazz's personality and the jokes she cracked. She has a sarcastic sense of humor that is portrayed well throughout the book. There were parts of the book that were written and made it evident that this female character was written by a male. However, that being said, I still did like Jazz and how strong of a character she was.

The ending was mediocre as well. It was definitely a 'good' ending but it might have wrapped up a tad bit too well.

It's no secret I like action filled plots.

This is an action filled plot!

So, yeah, I loved it.

Another thing I love is kick-ass heroines. Jazz Bashara is tough, smart, snarky, *fist pumps air* yet there's a soft, caring side to her that is beautifully feminine. Major kudos to Andy Weir and the wonderful women in his life that helped him write this amazing character.

She is not the only memorable character. Everyone I met was unique and interesting. Various nationalities are portrayed well. We also get a captivating love triangle with two gay men. I just want to gush on about all the different characters and scenarios in this story. But I don't want to give anything away. I want everyone to read and experience it first hand.

The story is fast-paced. Did you expect anything less from Weir? I had a movie reel running in my head the whole time I was reading.

Expected publication in November, 2017. Mark your calendars!

Jasmine Bashara grew up in the lunar city of Artemis, where she works as a porter and smuggler. After a job for one of her clients goes terribly wrong, Jazz finds herself hiding from a Brazilian crime syndicate, attempting to determine the importance of a mysterious item called "ZAFO," and scheming to protect the future of her city. Jazz is a very likeable narrator, a clever young woman with a sense of humor and, despite her profession, a strong ethical core. Artemis is populated by a variety of interesting characters, and the description of the workings of the city is fascinating and seems believable. This novel is a fun read that should appeal to science fiction and thriller fans as well as those who enjoy adventure and heist stories.

I wanted to love this book, after all, I loved The Martian, but there's just not enough here to love.

First off, the term "heist" implies something will be stolen. But there isn't anything stolen here, so the story is more of a "caper". It's an adventure, with a goal, that's quite illegal, but done "with good intentions".

Second, the book was definitely written with a movie version in mind. The female protagonist is a bit too dumbed down, the science is overexplained, and there aren't enough differences between life on the moon and life on Earth now.

Speaking of Jazz, she does have a good smartass personality, but it all seems kind of pointless. It's repeated several times that she has the intellectual ability to be good at basically anything science related, but all she wants is to be a minor smuggler. There's no good, or even understandable, reasons given for her choices. She just does things without thinking, and almost actively avoids improving her life.

Overall, I was really looking forward to this book, but it was a disappointment. On the positive, it was a quick read, with lots of action. Unfortunately, it mostly fell short everywhere else.

I was really looking forward to this book but what a disappointment. Too much science and technical information and the action really did not get going until the last third of the book. The premise was certainly good but something got lost I the execution.

Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara has made some poor life choices ever since she and her father immigrated to the first and only moon colony, “Artemis” when she was just a young girl. Now at the age of 27, she is a porter, a low-paying job that consists of carting stuff all over the multi-domed colony of 2000 people. However, it’s a great cover for her real profession: smuggler. She is motivated by money in order to lead a higher quality of life so when an opportunity drops in her lap to sabotage a major aluminum processing plant in order to help shift the balance of power…well, it’s the high paycheck that coaxes her into taking on the risky job.

That effort leads to a domino effect of one thing going wrong after another and eventually leads to dire peril, not only for herself but for every person in the colony. The story is told through Jazz’s first person point of view and despite her profession, her humorous and snarky outlook are enduring and we find ourselves rooting for her success, especially when she realizes what and who she is really up against.

Inevitable comparisons will be made between this novel and The Martian. I’m sure Andy Weir felt enormous pressure to avoid a sophomore slump and follow up such a phenomenally successful debut novel with another great book. I think he succeeded amazingly well although, frankly, his task was impossible. How can lightning ever be captured in a bottle twice? But having said that, I think he approached the task perfectly. He kept to his strong points by having his main POV character extremely intelligent and able to think through one disastrous problem at a time using scientific knowledge and insight. The use of humor as a tension-tamer is prevalent and also serves as a way to help us identify with Jazz. The stakes get extremely high in this novel and the action is edge-of-your seat intense. I love the way the author weaves real science into his stories, and let us learn without realizing it. It is clear he has a clear and vibrant understanding of how a moon colony would work, how life would be like in lunar gravity, as well as the economy of such a place. And we get to understand all of that as well, along with the myriad of ways things can go wrong.

But Andy Weir also ensures that this is not the same novel in any way, shape or form as The Martian. While there are similarities in style, the plot and the characters are refreshingly new. It’s also cool to see how multi-cultural the city of Artemis is. In fact, Jazz, herself is Arabic and the accomplished leader/CEO of the colony is Kenyan. The book can easily stand on its own as a wonderful novel in its own right. If forced to choose, I would still have to pick The Martian, but only because that one is in a class by itself. Based on this effort, I feel comfortable that Andy Weir is not just a one-shot wonder, but a novelist whose work I will seek out in the future with great anticipation.

Highly recommended.