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.