Artemis by Andy Weir is an adult science fiction novel that takes place on the moon.
Jazz Bashara doesn’t follow a straight path–she’s one for shortcuts and bending the rules. Life on the moon isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if you aren’t rich but for Jazz it’s still home and has been since she was six. So running a small smuggling operation to bring in some additional cash isn’t the worst thing she could do, right? Not when she’s barely surviving on her salary as a porter.
When Jazz is given the chance to make a ton of money on a single, all-but complicated and potentially life ruining job, she jumps at the chance to change her life forever. But planning the perfect job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when Jazz finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy and being hunted by the mob.
What has Jazz gotten herself into and how will she get out of it and save Artemis at the same time?
Artemis has Weir’s usual narrative flair. Jazz is a master of snarky sass without making everyone want to kick her ass. This is not an easy thing to achieve and Weir makes it look effortless. That being said, Artemis didn’t capture me like The Martian did. The latter made me laugh but had a nice balance of plausible science and excitement. Whereas Artemis didn’t quite hit that balance for me. I liked the Ocean’s Eleven feel of the story but something was just missing for me.
The world building was well done. I really felt like a city on the moon was plausible and I could totally see it being a tourist trap or taken over by the wealthy. I don’t know why but I keep thinking Disney World but on the moon. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the politics we get.
Although, I like the narrative snark, did anyone else feel like Jazz was basically a female Mark Watney without the desert island and the countdown clock? I didn’t even realize Jazz was a girl until a few pages in. She could have been a bit more original.
This was an enjoyable read but didn’t feel entirely original to me. Not bad but not Weir’s best. This one gets 3 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-