Had a much harder time getting into the latest novel by Andy Weir. Thank you for the ARC!

If ever a book was written to be filmed, this is it. Fast-paced and humorous, with a likable, sarcastic heroine and moon-based action.

Jazz (Jasmine), a 20-something who has spent most of her life at the lunar city of Artemis, is a smuggler and would-be EVA-tour guide (a profession which is hard to get into but pays big rewards for giving vacationers tours of the original moon landing site). Jazz is a wise-ass. She's smart, but unable to settle down to a life as her father's welding partner, for all her expertise. Instead she struggles to provide a tiny bedroom for herself, sharing crowded bathrooms and having no money to spare. But her smuggling has brought her a productive contact: a billionaire who will pay her a huge sum to permanently wreck an installation owned by a competitor. Being the jack-of-all-trades that she is, she comes up with a plan, and therein lies the tale. Jazz is a bit too scathing in her humor for my taste, and it's not really believable that she can pull this off, but hey, action movies aren't meant to be realistic, after all.

If you enjoyed "The Martian", give Andy Weir's new book a go. Or wait for the inevitable film: it will be fun.

Great follow up to The Martian. A little over the top at the end, but entertaining.

Rating: 4.5/5

The book started a little slow, but I started today at only 23% of the book read and I finished it - so once the story line picked up, it picks up and doesn't stop and I had to know what was going to happen and possibly forgot to feed myself dinner. While the trope of smart girl who doesn't live up to potential because of a boy can be slightly over done, Jazz still ends up being the person everyone needs - even if they don't want to admit that they do. Her personality is entertaining and I related to her more than once - the relationships develop well, though some do kind of develop quickly because the characters take longer to come together. A begrudging relationship with her father is portrayed very well and Weir does an excellent job of writing the story and holding back details so that I needed to keep reading to find out what happened in the past and in the future. Weir provides a lot of detail on the science side of how everything functioned - to me, it didn't necessarily mean a lot and I can't be the judge of whether it was accurate, but it sounded accurate to me from the base understanding I do have.

Honestly, I would have given the book 5 stars except for a very minor reason - we know the character is 26 years old because he tells us. But Weir has Jazz address the reader occasionally, addressing a reaction the reader might have to something she narrates - and the way the conversation happens makes it seem more like we're dealing with a 16-year old. It never quite jived with the rest of the character to me. That said, I loved the actual story enough that after the first time, I just rolled my eyes at it and moved on.

I know people enjoyed The Martian movie and I'm far more likely to want to pick up the book and read it now, because this one was very well written.

As posted on Goodreads:

Big thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. It didn't affect my opinion, I sincerely loved this book.

Artemis is worthy follow up to The Martian. It's a story told in the first person by a moon-dwelling smuggler who's too smart by half. She's also pretty damn sassy. Weir can seriously tell a story like the best of them, he and Scalzi have a way of writing science fiction that blends the science with fun and excitement. There are certain lines in the book that definitely could be pandering to the readership (1-7-0-1 and Han Solo pants stand out) but they could just as easily have been shout outs by an honest fan - and that's how I choose to read them.

Now, onto the details:
Setting
Artemis is a neat and (arguably) realistic portrayal of how an early moon colony might actually look. Seriously though, it was a really cool setting to explore through Jazz's eyes and I would love to see another story or three in this setting. I'd particularly like to see how Artemis will look after the events of this book.

Plot
A fun, fast-paced story that's as much character-driven as it is plot-driven. The plot kicks into gear early on, but you learn along with Jazz that all is not as it appears.

Characters
A solid cast of entertaining and believable characters. Each was distinct and likeable in his or her own way, even the assholes. Especially the assholes.

Writing Style
Excellent. Weir's writing is easy to read and generally colloquial. Even the info-dumps don't feel forced because of the way he writes. There are definitely times where it feels a bit dumbed-down, but generally the trade-off (i.e. good writing vs condescension) is worth it.

Highly recommend this book! And will definitely see the movie if this gets made.

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Did you love The Martian? If you did then you are going to love this book too. 

The book takes place in Artemis which is a city in the moon. The main character is Jasmine Bashara, or Jazz to friends. She is of Saudi background and moved to the moon with her dad when she was six years old. Jazz works as a porter but also has some dubious business dealings on the side to complement her meager earnings. An opportunity comes up that might get her out of poverty but she finds herself entangled in a heist where she will need to make use of all of her wits and knowledge to survive.

The story is told from the point of view of Jazz and also in the form of past emails that give a background story of the main character. Jazz is a highly likable, kick-ass, in-your-face heroine. 

The book is similar to The Martian in the sense that the characters need to apply their scientific knowledge to survive. The author describes their actions in a down-to-earth, interesting, and easily-understandable way. The information is not only related to physics but also to chemistry and economics.

Overall, I loved the book and highly recommend it to lovers of sci-fi, suspense, and overall interesting, fast-paced books. 

Thanks to NetGalley, Andy Weir, and the Crown Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted on goodreads and blog.

About the author:
Twitter (https://twitter.com/andyweirauthor?lang=es)
Website (http://www.andyweirauthor.com/)

Last note:
The author did an incredible job explaining scientific terms in an interesting way, it's not easy but he delivered again. There were cultural references too, the book was just so interesting.

I was so excited when I saw review copies were available for this book. I really loved The Martian. The movie was good but the book was just wonderful. So, I have to admit, my expectations for this one were very high. Honestly, the story wasn't as good but it was still fun and compelling enough that I didn't want to put it down. I will probably be buying a copy to add to my collection.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I basically describe it as Veronica Mars meets Macgyver Meets the Martian. Or "Company Town" meets The Martian.

Fabulous characers, VERY different rom the martian in that the science is more narrative and less info=dumpy, but man did I love it.

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley – thank you to the publisher!

4.5 stars.

I think I get very lucky when I select sci-fi to read. My last three books in this genre have been incredible, but I must say – this tops the cake.
Awesome female character – check;
Impossible heist – check;
Unforeseen twists and turns – check;
Impeccable writing – check; and last but not least
Sarcasm – check (I LOVE my narrators sarcastic – hey I’m a New Yorker! It’s like oxygen to me).

The story is about a young woman, who has disgraced herself in her father’s eyes and really messed up in her teenage years. She now has to scrape by doing all types of jobs just to keep her afloat – including smuggling illegal items into Artemis (the colony on the Moon). So when an opportunity lands into her lap to make 1 million slugs (the currency on the Moon), she takes it. Unbeknownst to her, the heist attracts the attention of something much bigger and now Jazz has to, not only save her own life, but those around her.

The story is extremely well written, but I warn you now – if you do not like heavy physics and chemistry – stay away. I was absolutely abysmal in those two subjects in my school days – but what my teachers didn’t know is that I actually liked to learn the subjects – I just hated the tests. I quite enjoyed how Mr. Weir explained everything; it was easy to follow and made sense.

Then there was the characters themselves. I LOVED Jazz, she is extremely smart, snarky and sarcastic. She felt incredibly real to me. I loved to see the flashback to her younger days where we learn what happened between her and her dad. Mr. Weir presented a very well thought out dichotomy between the teenage Jazz and adult Jazz. Sure she still struggling and some of her stubbornness still remains, but that is her underlying character. At first I thought that she did not have much character growth – but the more I read on, the more apparent it because that Jazz, the badass Jazz, is nothing but character growth. Mr. Weir tackles incredible issues with this character – what it is to be a woman, to be a daughter, to be a friend and to be a Muslim. Jazz, not only has to save everyone, but she also has to learn who she is and come to terms with it. And Mr. Weir makes her journey feel real – at least as real as it can be at a colony on the Moon. Furthermore - I loved how diverse the colony was.

Then there is the heist itself – it kept me guessing the entire book. I honestly did not know what to expect by the end and I loved every moment of the anticipation.

If you love strong female leads, heavy science and fast pace – do yourself a favor and read this book.

This was a lot of fun. It's got the same science-y problem solving and MacGyvering as <i>The Martian</i> and a wisecracking protagonist, only this time the protagonist is a young woman of Saudi origin who smuggles contraband into the moon base called Artemis.

Unsurprisingly, Artemis is a carefully developed setting. Weir has thought through issues of how the low gravity and resource limitations might affect the structure's design, oxygen supply, food supply, and the economic reasons why someone would bother building a moon base in the first place. Artemis feels like the kind of place that could exist in the future.

The plot unfolds slowly at first. I spent the first quarter or so of the book wondering where this was going to go. It has a good payoff in the end, though. The heavy info-dumping was obvious and felt a bit clumsy, but at the same time, it did provide valuable world building information.

I liked the side characters more than the protagonist. Jazz is funny, smart, and capable, but also angry, bitter, lazy, and generally makes a lot of poor life decisions. She's the kind of person who would be toxic and exhausting to deal with in real life.

Eyeroll-worthy bits: there is way more discussion of boobs and Jazz's sex life than is warranted in a book where a) she doesn't even have sex for the duration of the story and b) it's not relevant to the plot at all. There's also a questionably written gay character. Having the gay guy make certain stereotypical comments about gay people does not make it ok.

In summary, the setting was amazing, the plot was fun, but the characterization was iffy and the info-dumping felt a bit amateurish. Everyone who enjoyed the science in <i>The Martian</i> will enjoy it here.

I loved this book. It's the perfect blend of sci/fi and crime. It's been optioned for a movie as well. Be careful when you start reading it...I finally put it down at 3 am. It was worth a sleepless night!

"I knew what I had to do—I just didn’t like it. I’d have to blow the remaining two at the same time. Please don’t quote that last sentence out of context."
-from "Artemis"

You know, I read a lot of YA, sci-fi and fantasy, especially a lot of YA sci-fi/fantasy... Perhaps for my next review I'll branch out to another genre, I'm kind of in the mood for a dark, broody murder-mystery and - OH MY GOD, NETGALLEY IS OFFERING EGALLEY COPIES OF ANDY WEIR'S ARTEMIS, STOP EVERYTHING, GIMME NOW I NEED IT AAGH!

Which is exactly why, instead of branching out to a different genre, I'm sticking to my happy little science fiction / fantasy / YA rut. Because Andy Weir has a new book, goddamn it!

I loved The Martian. No, seriously, it is up there among my favorite books of all time. I own a physical copy, a kindle copy (it was a one-day deal!), and a copy in German. I also have the German audiobook, which I listen to while I do housework, because I really need to be reminded that, even though I have a BA in German, my German is terrible and I can only understand roughly 75% of what is being said. Definitely getting my money's worth out of that BA.

My point is, I really liked The Martian. It was one of those books where I was royally pissed that it ended and it didn't have an epilogue or a sequel in the works. I remember thinking "this book needs to be a movie" - a month later I go on the internet and there's a trailer. Sweet! I loves me some Matt Damon Space Poo-Potato Farming. It goes without saying that yes, I loved the movie, too, because Matt Damon. And we actually got an epilogue.

So I was already hyped when I heard Andy Weir was writing another book about a heist on the Moon. Because who doesn't want to read about a heist on the Moon? Moon bankers, probably. That can't be a very big market.

Anyway! Artemis is the story of Jazz Bashara: an arrogant smartass who still manages to be lovable and relatable. She cracks jokes endlessly, even in life-or-death situations (very much like Mark Watney in The Martian). Jazz made unfortunate decisions as a teenager and continues to do so now as a twentysomething. Her main goal in life is to get rich. Problem is, she's a porter/smuggler/criminal-for-hire, none of which are very lucrative. Space in the bubble-dome moon city of Artemis is very limited, and, as you can imagine, real estate is expensive. So Jazz lives in what she calls a "coffin" - think Japanese Capsule Hotel but for living. Welcome to being poor on Artemis, where real estate is so expensive, only the wealthy can have private bathrooms. Jazz has a talent for welding, but she refuses to do anything with it - much to the disappointment of her dad, a master welder. Jazz would much rather just get rich fast. So when one of her patrons, a wealthy but shady Norwegian businessman, offers Jazz a million slugs (I wish Weir had just called it Moon Money) to do a little corporate sabotage, she accepts. Because one million slugs.

Of course, everything goes wrong. Suddenly, Jazz is on the run from murderous gangsters and Artemis city officials. It just gets worse from there.

As this is a book by Andy Weir, there is lots of science. Lots and lots and lots of science. I am going to assume the science is accurate, because I'm not a scientist. I'm a librarian/grad student with too much time on her hands and a tumblr account. I am in exactly no position to critique the science in this book. My dad does welding/metalsmithing as a hobby, so I know what that looks like, but as to the science behind it...uh...I may or may not have spent most of my chemistry and physics classes reading novels under my desk... Anyway! Like The Martian, Artemis sometimes goes off on a "explain the science" tangent. I enjoy these tangents because, well, I kind of wish I had worked a little harder in science class, but not everyone likes it when the narrative is interrupted to explain how welding works. Especially if you are an actual scientist IRL and already know all that shit. I don't, so you won't hear me complain. This book is every bit as fun and exciting as The Martian - Jazz is hilarious and self-deprecating, and the Moon City of Artemis sounds like something that might actually exist someday. With a little more regulation than depicted in this book, hopefully. Seriously, how are there not age of consent laws on Artemis? That's just...ugh, no...

Anyway! Artemis is great - definitely worth reading if you enjoyed The Martian. I really hope Weir is planning a sequel or, at the very least, some more stories set on Artemis.

Also, I saw what you did there, Andy Weir, the Groundskeeper is totally Old Man Mark Watney, isn't it? Come on, it totally is, right? Please say it is, because I have already decreed it to be canon in my head and it would help if the author actually agreed...

Please tell me Artemis and The Martian take place in the same universe...that would seriously be the best thing ever.