My Review of...

...The Plot and Pace:

The plot was beautifully original and well-developed. There was not a single portion of this book that felt slow, and I breezed through it super quickly. Filled with all of the geeky science I loved in The Martian, with a new character that I absolutely adored, I had so much fun reading this book. The immense amount of research Weir puts into his books is incredibly impressive, and my inner (and outer) nerd appreciated every second of it. 

...The Characters and Relationships:

Oh. My. Jasmine. Written in the first person (just like his previous book), every bit of this story and its characters are filtered and colored through Jazz's lens. She is human, completely, utterly, and irrevocably human. Like the synopsis says, she's a criminal. Slightly immature, but supremely humorous, Jazz would be right at home among millennials. Absolutely brilliant, witty, sarcastic, and damaged, Jazz is, in my opinion, the single most relatable character I've encountered in a long time. She is a strong-willed female character that takes exactly zero shit from anyone. As is to be expected with someone in her line of work, Jazz's relationships with others are complicated. She's got family issues, friend issues, ex-boyfriend issues, etc. But these issues don't define her, they enhance her. Her complicated past has made her do questionable things to survive, but they also make her the complex, three-dimensional character that she is.

...The Writing Style and Mechanics:

Andy Weir's writing style is unlike any I've read. Written in the first person, Artemis and The Martian are different than most novels I've read, but Weir definitely does it right. Each with a voice of their own, Weir's characters leap off of the page and their personalities shine through their words and their actions. His language develops suspense that helps drive the plot forward and engrosses the reader. 

...The Message(s) and Theme(s):

Instead of breaking down the themes of this story as I normally do, I am going to let it speak for itself and let you all find your own interpretation of the story.

Overall:

I requested this book the second I saw it. I loved The Martian and I couldn't get my hands on this one fast enough. Filled with gripping suspense and a plot that is so well-researched and well-developed, it was actually realistic. Jasmine Bashara is a shining example of an anti-hero and Weir made an impeccable female character that shattered stereotypes, mangled misogyny, and revolutionized resilience. Artemis reads like a retrospective journalling of Jazz's life-altering journey and her fight for survival and redemption. I enjoyed every second of the story, and I was so disappointed when it ended. I hope you all love it as much as I did.

Love this book! The way that the world is built and the characters are so interesting!! Definitely worth the read!

Overall, I enjoyed Artemis, which I'd call a futuristic caper story set on the moon. Jazz, the main character, is a twenty-something woman with roots in Saudi Arabia who grew up in Artemis. Jazz is brilliant but an underachiever. She trained as a welder and wants join the guild. In the meantime, she works as a porter and makes ends meet by working as a small-time smuggler.

When a rich resident of Artemis offers Jazz a fortune to do a small job for him, she quickly agrees. But she soon finds that taking the job put her in huge danger. Her only way out? Assemble a team that includes a bunch of guys she has complicated histories with and pull off a daring caper.

WHAT I LIKED:

Jazz was smart and snarky, which I love in a character. She’s definitely not a girly-girl. She has a rocky relationship with her father, her ex, this other guy with a obvious crush on her, and a pen pal in Kenya (Artemis was created through the Kenyan space industry.) And I always love a good caper story.

WHAT I APPRECIATED BUT COULDN’T REALLY APPRECIATE:

the world-building about life on the moon. There is a lot of fun, imaginative stuff there. A lot of the caper involves very technical stuff that was a bit too yawn-inducing for me at times. I don’t think I needed or ever wanted to know that much about welding….

I recommend this for fans of caper stories, fans of stories set in space, and science-y types. I look forward to reviews that compare this to the Martian. Maybe I'll try it!

I received an ebook galley from the publisher via Netgalley.

To contrast this book with Weir's previous one is unavoidable, and perhaps unfair... but this really does seem to me like a case of Second Book Syndrome, where the expectations are high for the author to miraculously produce a book that is just like the previous one but totally original at the same time.

I loved <i>The Martian</i>, and so was excited to read Weir's new book. It recycles many of the same elements of his previous novel--hard science presented in a fun way, with a snarky protagonist--but it lacks heart. Oh, it's still a fun, fast read, and has a lot of good things about it; the diverse cast of characters was a pleasant surprise, and although many never progressed beyond stereotypes, it was still nice to see such representation at all.

In <i>The Martian</i>, you sympathize with the hero because he's abandoned on Mars and must survive on his own. Jazz, the spunky Saudi-lunar lead in <i>Artemis</i>, struggles to survive when her greedy, impulsive antics get her embroiled in international mob dealings in the moon colony. And in the end, everyone who almost dies as a result of her shenanigans laughs off everything sitcom-style. It felt... cloying rather than cathartic. The setting is incredible, and Weir is a master at writing space MacGuyvers, but much of the action felt made-for-Hollywood and hollow.

I still rate the book as a three, as it is still a fast and fascinating read, but I am left with a profound sense of disappointment.

I never got a chance to read The Martian so I wasnt comparing it to Artemis like a lot of people will probably end up doing. This was my first look at Andy Weirs story telling and I have some mixed feelings. I loved the adventure on the moon vibe and the feel of it being set in the near future. Things take off when the main character Jazz is hired for a job outside her normal smuggling activities and makes enemies of some powerful people. Ive always liked the criminal with heart of gold trope.

I loved all the moon facts and how Artemis, the city on the moon, sustains itself, but I wasnt really interested in the welding part. Those parts were a little tedious for me. I also thought living in 1/6 Earth gravity for long periods of time would cause problems for the human body. The author explains it, but I still didnt understand why it wasnt dangerous. Despite all the science stuff, the writing was easy to get into. Calling the handheld devices Gizmos wasnt the most imaginative thing Ive heard.

The idea of a female smuggler on the moon totally hooked me. Jazz is fiesty and smart enough to be anything, but her laziness tends to get in a way and she knows it. I could totally relate to that. A few of her lines were a bit akward and took me out of the story, but I didnt mind it too much because Ive even commented on how my lights looks like a boob. I liked that she came up with these crazy plans. I also loved how the dynamic between Jazz and her father developped. Even though they grew a part he's still there for her. She just wants to be independent and make up for her screw ups.

This book has a good amount of diversity, but Im not sure how accurate it is. Since I liked the side characters so much I really wish they would have gotten more developpement. I usually talk about the other characters in my review, but they just didnt seem to have much depth to them so there isnt much to say. For the most part, the pace was alright and the last 15% was exciting. Despite my issues this was an enjoyable and quick scifi read. I loved the criminal aspect and the main characters sass was entertaining. I might still give The Martian a try in the future and see how it compares to this book.

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As I assume many people are, I was super anxious to read the next book by Andy Weir. I was a huge fan of The Martian and his style of writing. Given this I jumped at the chance to get an ARC. I began reading immediately! As I read the first section, I was disappointed and, quite frankly, mad. It seemed like this book was beginning almost the same as The Martian. Our protagonist is running for the air lock with a busted suit... Really?!?!? I put the book down and didn't come back for about three weeks. It kept nagging at me. I loved his other book and this one is supposed to be different. I picked it back up and continued reading. I was not let down! I thoroughly enjoyed Artemis. Weir does an excellent job of sussing out life on a Lunar city. I really liked Jazz! I like smart characters who are quite smart-ass and she definitely fit the bill on that one. It was a quick easy read with some excellent vocabulary and, once again, science plays a big role. I highly recommend!

Potentially interesting mix of mystery and science-fiction. But very disappointing result for me.
I enjoyed so much The Martian, that when I saw Andy Weir had a new book out, I jumped on it, without reading the synopsis. That’s what I do with authors I’ve really liked…
Does this sentence sound familiar? Yes, this was the exact same sentence structure I used to begin my review of Sourdough. Unfortunately, things didn’t work as well for me with Artemis. And I may need to reconsider my blind jumps…
This time, Weir no longer sends us on Mars, but on the Moon. The heroine is Jazz. There are 3 confusing mentions of her age, but I believe she’s 26. Originally from Saudi Arabia, she arrived at 6, so she basically grew up on the Moon. She lives in Artemis, the only city there.
At first, I was intrigued at how the author would present that city. The administrator is a woman, the former Kenya’s minister of finance – with a wink I guess here towards diversity in fiction. Well, apart from that, it’s not too exciting, to tell the truth. Why bother move there, if you basically find there all our common problems, with unfair hierarchy, major gaps between the rich and the poor, and horrible housing conditions for the latter group?
Jazz is definitely not rich and has no real job so far, so she survives by smuggling contraband from Earth. But one day, one of her regular clients offers her big money for a special job. It’s definitely tempting, though if she’s caught, she will be exiled to Earth, a place she absolutely does not want to go back to. Only considering the technical challenges, she accepts, totally oblivious of major and much more dangerous forces at stake behind the whole deal.
This sounds like a mix between mystery and scifi, and could definitely be promising. There were some nice suspenseful scenes indeed.
And there was some potential in the letters that Jazz exchanges with Kelvin, living in Kenya.
Alas, the story was totally bogged down for me with A LOT of technical words, including tons of chemistry and physics. If you thought there was too much technology in The Martian, it was NOTHING compared to Artemis!
Besides, I really could not stand this young geeky (though the geeky part I like), vulgar superwoman. My rule of thumb for an author is that you have recourse to so many f* words, it reveals the deficiency of your vocabulary, and really I’m wasting my time reading your book. Plus, I found some passages really rude and of bad taste.

Andy Weir’s The Martian was one of my favorite reads from last year, so I was so excited to receive a review copy of his latest novel, Artemis. I wasn’t convinced that it could possibly live up to the thrill of The Martian because, seriously, how do you top a survival story about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars? But hearing that Artemis was a sci-fi thriller about carrying out a heist on the moon (!) gave me hope that Artemis would be just as entertaining a read for me as The Martian was. And I’m excited to report that it came pretty darn close!

Artemis is actually the name of the city on the moon where the story is set. Aside from the fact that it is covered by domes to compensate for the lack of gravity and to keep out troublesome space dust, Artemis is pretty much just like your average city or town on Earth. Artemis has touristy areas because of course going to the moon is a huge attraction for those who can afford it. It also has residential areas for those who reside on the moon full time. Artemis also has a similar class system to what is on Earth, where the rich live well and the poor do what they can to scrape by.

Jazz Bashara, the main character, is one of those poor residents who does what she can to scrape by. She works as a porter, delivering goods to residents all over Artemis, but the job barely pays her rent. Jazz has dreams of a bigger and better life for herself and so she has a side “job” working as a smuggler to bring in a little extra income. Street smart and incredibly resourceful, Jazz has somehow managed to corner the market on smuggling in contraband goods from Earth. For those who are willing to pay, Jazz can get them pretty much anything they want.

Jazz is a pretty fascinating character in the sense that she doesn’t really seem to have any qualms whatsoever about engaging in criminal activities. It is this quality that makes her the ideal candidate for a scheme that one of her wealthy regulars is planning. It’s a dangerous job, practically an impossible one, really, and one that could get her deported back to Earth if she were to get caught. That said, however, if Jazz can pull it off, the payoff is a truly life-changing amount of money. It may be “Mission Impossible,” but Jazz would do pretty much anything to secure that kind of income for herself.

She agrees to the job, but quickly realizes that she is in over her head. What starts out as a challenging heist soon lands Jazz at the heart of a conspiracy to take over control of Artemis itself. How will she get herself out of the mess she has landed in and what will happen to Artemis if the conspiracy is actually carried out? It’s a real nail biter!

LIKES

Jazz was, by far, my favorite part of Artemis. I just found her so intriguing. Jazz, who is in her early twenties, has come to the moon from Saudi Arabia. She is living on her own after a falling out with her father over some poor choices she has made in her young life. Jazz is both intelligent and street smart, and she’s very resourceful. I loved that even though she was resorting to less than legal means to supplement her income, she totally owned it and was unapologetic about what she was doing.

I also enjoyed the father-daughter dynamic between Jazz and her dad. Jazz is not a practicing Muslim, but her father is and he’s very religious. Because of this, some of Jazz’s lifestyle choices have created friction in their relationship. I thought Weir did a wonderful job of portraying the nuances of this strained relationship: the awkwardness, the disappointment, the longing to reunite, and beneath it all, the unconditional love. I loved all of the father-daughter scenes. They were written very realistically and tugged at my heartstrings.

I also loved the action and pacing of the novel. Just like with The Martian, I devoured this book in about a day. Weir does a fantastic job creating an exciting balance between “science talk” and intense, action-packed scenes as Jazz sets out to complete “mission impossible” and then especially once that initial mission goes haywire and spirals into something else entirely. I always feel like I’m learning a lot while being thoroughly entertained at the same time when I’m reading one of Weir’s books.

Finally, the world-building was fascinating as well. I loved Weir’s vision for what a city on the moon might actually look like and I thought the shout-out to so many famous astronauts by having the different compounds named after them (Armstrong, Aldrin, etc.) was very cool. As Jazz walked us around the city of Artemis, Weir’s attention to detail was just impeccable. He really thought of everything when it came to how people could actually eat, sleep, work, shop, and otherwise function as a society on the moon. As much as I loved Weir’s attention to detail, I will confess I wish he had come up with more imaginative names for their main food staple (“Gunk”) and for their smartphone equivalent (“Gizmo”). I don’t know why, obviously a personal quirk with me, but those names just irritated me every time they came up throughout the novel.

DISLIKES/ISSUES

As much as I enjoyed Jazz’s story, I did have a couple of minor issues with Artemis.

The first is that, at times, Jazz reminded me a little too much of Mark Watney, the main character from The Martian. It was especially noticeable when I first started reading because their use of humor and sarcasm was so similar. My first thought was “Hey, Mark Watney’s on the moon now!” Once I got to know Jazz better, it wasn’t as noticeable, but I still wish their voices were a little less similar. Some of Jazz’s jokes, in particular, sometimes sounded to me more like something a teenage boy would say rather than a 20-something woman. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story, but it did give me pause a few times because it felt like the joke didn’t quite fit the character, if that even makes sense.

Another issue I had was with Jazz and her pen pal from Earth. The main action of the story is periodically interrupted by letters to and from this guy in Kenya. Aside from establishing that he was her contact for the contraband she’s smuggling, I just felt like they were in the way and didn’t add much to the story. I’m sure they probably won’t bother others, but that element of the story just didn’t quite work for me.


FINAL THOUGHTS

If you enjoy good science fiction and badass protagonists, I’d definitely recommend reading Andy Weir’s Artemis. While fans of The Martian might not find it quite as riveting as Mark Watney’s survival story on Mars, they should still find Jazz Bashara’s lunar adventures to be quite entertaining. I’d also recommend it to those who haven’t yet read The Martian. It might prove to be even more entertaining to those who aren’t tempted to compare Artemis to The Martian.

RATING: 4 STARS

I am a big fan of The Martian and was excited to read this book. Pros: fast-moving, interesting and creative setting, fun and accessible science. Cons: lack of character development, stereotypes were abundant but never discussed, dialogue uninspired. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. It's a good concept and setting, but I would have liked more depth. I will still want to read the author's next book.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read The Martian though I have seen the movie multiple times and love it. obviously I should read the book. I did read the first couple of pages out of curiosity because I wanted to know if the writing style was the same or if Andy Weir could do different voices. it's the same, if you're curious. smart aleck and short fast, hard sentences, Hemingway-esque.

artemis features an Arabic heroine who is sassy, smart and resourceful. she knows welding, math, smuggling, explosives and EVAs. the plot is convoluted with a number of different characters and motivations (mostly organized crime and $$$). it's set on the moon.

I liked the range of nationalities, the working together on an insane caper, the science, and the fast pace.

if you liked The Martian, I assume you will like this. if you like science fiction and heists, you will definitely like this.

I mostly liked The Martian, and so I was a little excited to see what this one was about too. And from the synopsis, the plot looked really cool too. A heist that uses science-y stuff, a gray hat smuggler who has a code and may have gotten in over her head. It sounded awesome.

The reality of the novel though was slightly different unfortunately. While I liked some of the characters (more on that shortly), I just couldn't stand Jazz, the main character. She was supposed to be an adult woman, but she seemed much more like a teen boy. There were jokes that ran the entire book that just had absolutely no purpose, and didn't need to be there. I didn't mind the character of Kevin, but, this pen pal thing also seemed to have very little point.

It was mainly the secondary characters I liked here. Svoboda was pretty cool, and Dale was okay. Heck, even Trond, the 'bad guy' and his daughter Lena were surprisingly interesting characters. I would have loved to read more about them as well as Svoboda, Dale, etc. than repeated descriptions of Jazz shivering in a wall.

And then the ending. For most of the book I thought the science part was coo, but that one part at the end. Really? Anyway....

It wasn't a bad book, but I did go into it expecting quite the amazing book, and unfortunately this wasn't it.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Crown Publishing

I didn't feel like this was as compelling as The Martian, but it should definitely scratch the itch of someone looking for something similar, obviously.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of Artemis to review!
I haven’t read The Martian, but I definitely enjoyed my first look at Andy Weir’s writing.
I’m all here for heist stories and the fact that this was set on the moon just made it even more fun! Though I’ve taken my share of college physics and science course, most of the technical stuff flew over my head, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed Jazz’s character. Though she’s flawed (aren’t we all?) and a bit snarky, she had plenty of redeeming qualities for me to still route for her.
One other thing I absolutely loved about this book was the diversity. That’s something that really should be commonplace by now, but considering that it isn’t yet, it’s definitely worth mentioning.
There was a lot of “chin pinching” which just happened to be the repeating phrase of this book that made me giggle every time I read it.
Overall a fun heist, space story!

Man, Weir certainly knows how to write a fun story! This one is made to be turned into a movie, complete with slightly dodgy science and a great heist story line. I was little put off by everyone telling us just how smart Jazz was, including Jazz, and it would have made her a little more likeable if she demonstrated her smarts instead of having to tell us about it all the time. I did enjoy that she was a POC main character, and that her relationship with her father felt authentic. Will I recommend it? For sure - it's a fun read.

I was fortunate enough to receive an early review copy of Andy Weir's first novel since The Martian. It feels like the first book after a big success can be one of those make it or break it points in a writer's career. My first impression is that I wasn't disappointed. The story was original and well thought through. The story itself covers a fairly short period of time and focuses on Jazz, the anti-heroine of Artemis at a pivotal time in the first city on the moon. In some ways, it is a bit of a coming of age story, as Jazz goes from teen angst to finding her place in society. On the other hand, it is a little bit The Martian set on the moon with a female protagonist. It worked, but I think the next book needs a main character that isn't MacGuyvering things for most of the story. It is interesting and entertaining but I would love to see more depth in the characters and setting up a true story arc, with the occasional MacGuyvering to keep things moving.

If you liked The Martian, you will like Artemis.

A different feel from The Martian, but just as awesome. I really appreciated how he brought the sarcastic conversational style into play again in a new field. Can't wait for more!

One of the hallmark tropes of the Golden Age of Science Fiction is colonies on the moon. You couldn’t swing a cat in a lunar lander without hitting a 1950s moon colony. Artemis reminds me a lot in vibe and atmosphere of these books, like what Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress could have been if we had more accurate knowledge of lunar and astro chemistry and physics in the 1950s. That’s not to say that it’s similar in style or to say it’s better—rather, Andy Weir captures some of the themes and ideas that Golden Age SF explored with these tropes. Artemis examines how the economy of a moon colony might work (or not) and its hypothetical relationship with organizations back on Earth, but with reference to semi-rigorous ideas about available resources and actual challenges of life on the moon.

Let’s start with the elephant. I feel sorry for Weir, because the success of The Martian has heaped impossible expectations upon Artemis. There is just no way it can live up to that first book. Indeed, I’m going to dodge this discussion by declaring Artemis neither better nor worse than The Martian, merely different. I suspect that some people will prefer the former, and some people will prefer the latter. In achieving difference, though, I think Weir has managed the best possible scenario. Nothing is worse than trying to bottle the same lightning with one’s second book.

Both The Martian and Artemis feature extremely competent protagonists who are happy to explain clever science-based gambits to the reader. In some respects, both Mark Watney and Jazz Bashara are fighting for their survival in inimical environments, although one is slightly more isolated than the other. That’s about where the similarities end, however. The Martian is a pure survival thriller, and I’d argue it’s slightly less enjoyable than Artemis simply because the outcome is either “he dies” or “he survives”—it isn’t all that complex. In contrast, Artemis is an intricate economical thriller, and that is much more the science fiction I enjoy. I can totally see how other people would come to the reverse conclusion (but those people are wrong—er, differently minded).

I’m ambivalent about Jazz’s involvement with Trond Landquivst, both her motivations and the nature of her commission. It’s not quite a “thief with a heart of gold” type mission; it is very self-serving and at the very least amoral. But I guess that’s what makes her interesting and gives her a redemptive ark. She’s somewhat like Peter Quill in this regard: she certainly thinks she’s all that, even while she’s flunking EVA mastery tests.

Weir’s characterization and creation of a voice for Jazz are, neither of them, particularly deft. His writing skills haven’t developed markedly from The Martian. But this is even more evident now that he’s writing a non-white, non-male protagonist. Jazz is basically a textbook example of a man trying to write a woman narrator who is confident in her sexuality and her independence, trying to make her a smartass, and failing so hard I, a dude, must cringe.

It’s a shame, because this mars an otherwise interesting plot. In particular, I love how well Weir uses the various minor characters—the way Bob, Dale, and even Kevin all have these roles to play that ultimately intersect with Jazz’s final, self-determined mission. Weir keeps raising the stakes, transforming what is originally a selfish mission by Jazz into something that will determine the future of her entire home. The fact she keeps making spectacular mistakes along the way only makes it more interesting.

I suspect that if you liked The Martian, you will also like Artemis, whether or not you agree with my comparison of the two, above. Artemis has different goals and a very different atmosphere to it, however, and in my opinion that’s all to the good. Aside from the clunky voice of the main character, this novel has a solid plot, an excellent setting, and the kind of science-based storytelling that Weir likes to infuse into his books. I’m quite pleased that he was not a one-hit wonder.

I loved "The Martian" and had quite high expectations for "Artemis". Unfortunately, I decided to quit reading at about 12%. There are two major problems with this book. The first one is its protagonist. Mr. Weir unfortunately belongs to that group of male novelists who cannot write a believable woman. Jazz Bashara thinks and talks like a man, an immature one at that. Not only could I not relate to her, she annoyed me at every word. And a protagonist that is irritating to the reader is a sure death verdict to the book.

Had I loved the protagonist, however, I still would not be able to continue. The fact that Mr. Weir is a scientist first and a writer second is painfully clear in his prose. He cannot help, but explain in incessant and yawn-inducing detail how things work-or-don't-work on the Moon. The reader stumbles upon these physics lessons in every paragraph and is immediately taken out of the story. Which, by the way, at 12% in, I'm still not sure what it is.

It's a DNF for me.

I was intrigued by the premise for the beginning of the book, but the protagonist was so grating that I could not finish it. My library will still purchase a copy because of the success of the author’s book The Martian, but I can not recommend it.

Like many readers, I was really looking forward to reading Artemis based on how much I liked Andy Weir’s first book The Martian. However, Artemis did not live up to my expectations. I had a hard time connecting with and rooting for the main character Jazz Bashara throughout the book and because of this I didn’t really care about the story or what happened to her in the end. It made getting through what should have been a fast paced thriller eager tedious for me. I liked the setting and found myself believing that a city on the moon could easily exist right now based on the auhor’s descriptions and knowledge of life in space, but beyond that I felt like the book was just so-so. However, I will still be recommending Artemis to my customers at Barnes & Noble this holiday season as I think many readers will find it entertaining. It will make a great gift for readers interested in science, space novels, science fiction, or thrillers.