The plot had engaging details. I loved the incorporation of science into the plot. Fun twists. This was not a lengthy book.
Artemis
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 44,198 ratings
Price: 26.21
Last update: 12-31-2024
About this item
The best-selling author of The Martian returns with an irresistible new near-future thriller - a heist story set on the moon.
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself - and that now her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Bringing to life Weir's brash, whip-smart protagonist is actress Rosario Dawson (Marvel's The Defenders, Sin City, Death Proof). With the breathless immediacy of one realizing they're one cracked helmet visor away from oblivion, Dawson deftly captures Jazz's first-person perspective – all while delivering sarcastic Weir-ian one-liners and cracking wise in the face of death. And with a cast of diverse characters from all walks of life calling Artemis home, Dawson tonally somersaults to voice Kenyan prime ministers, Ukrainian scientists, and Saudi welders. It's a performance that transports listeners right alongside Jazz, matching her step for step on every lunar inch of her pulse-pounding journey.
Top reviews from the United States
Noel5.0 out of 5 stars action packed sci-fi
Kevin T. Keith4.0 out of 5 stars Hard Life in Hard Vacuum - a Rip-Roaring Lunar Caper
Taught and engaging thriller set in an intriguing, demanding environment. Fun, fast read and a well-worked-out caper threaded through the technical constraints of its lunar setting. Another Weir home run.
The excitement of Andy Weir's brilliant "The Martian" was the grinding technical challenges its protagonist had to meet, and his ingenuity in doing so. The plot was essentially nothing more than an extended series of DIY plans under conditions that seemed impossible. "Artemis" highlights the same technical mastery but works it into a more traditional story-line - essentially a heist caper set in the underworld of cutthroat corporate competition in the unusual setting of the essentially piratical economy inside the air domes of the first-ever lunar colony. This gives the book more of a sense of narrative flow, but also de-centers the technical material that so fascinated many of Weir's fans in the first book. Although this book works very well in melding its multiple avenues of background knowledge - technical, economic, cultural, and personal - they serve to dilute one another so that the detailed exegesis of welding in lunar vacuum is intercut with the dynamics of clan- and guild-based feudal economies, complicated by the intergenerational religious and personal politics of the protagonist's family, the developmental economy of a frontier outpost with no atmosphere, the chemistry and physics of smelting lunar ore, the protagonist's relationship with her ex-boyfriend's new boyfriend, the running of a smuggling operation between planets, and finally the basic plot of corporate sabotage. Readers who find one of these storylines more interesting than the others will find that 80% of the book is about extraneous issues. Neal Stephenson pulls this kind of complicated didactic narrative off with aplomb; Weir is a worthy runner-up, but this book doesn't have the heft of, say, "The Baroque Cycle" (which it very slightly resembles), or the light-hearted drive of "The Martian". The early-stage libertarian economy of the colony resembles that of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," but is worked out with much greater economic sophistication. The technical detail is fascinating and carefully considered (do you know how to light a welding torch in outer space? - read this to learn!). The unforgiving physicality of living in such a searing environment pervades every page (how do you control a fire, or an air leak, on the moon? - in both cases, by sacrificing however happens to be inside the closest airlock). Though I think it is less gripping than Weir's previous work, "Artemis" is a fun and exciting read, and the protagonist is a brilliant character with a sassy personality not unlike that of the main character of "The Martian".
As to the actual plot: "Jazz" (Jasmine) is a menial laborer in Artemis, the first and only lunar colony. She works as a porter, hand-delivering packages between the handful of pressure domes that make up the city; this also gives her access to the cargo delivery shuttles, which she uses to operate a small side-business in smuggling. She is widely recognized as exceptionally smart and resourceful, but chooses to isolate herself and refuses any assistance from her father, a successful welding-business operator. She is approached by a wealthy resident with an offer of riches in exchange for helping him to acquire the ore-processing concession from the one major corporation in the city. How she goes about it, what the consequences are, exactly what technical processes are required at each stage of the complicated plot, and how she, and the city, came to be what they are, are gradually unfolded. In the end, Jazz is nearly dead and nearly broke, but has an exciting future ahead of her. It will be interesting to meet her again.
The excitement of Andy Weir's brilliant "The Martian" was the grinding technical challenges its protagonist had to meet, and his ingenuity in doing so. The plot was essentially nothing more than an extended series of DIY plans under conditions that seemed impossible. "Artemis" highlights the same technical mastery but works it into a more traditional story-line - essentially a heist caper set in the underworld of cutthroat corporate competition in the unusual setting of the essentially piratical economy inside the air domes of the first-ever lunar colony. This gives the book more of a sense of narrative flow, but also de-centers the technical material that so fascinated many of Weir's fans in the first book. Although this book works very well in melding its multiple avenues of background knowledge - technical, economic, cultural, and personal - they serve to dilute one another so that the detailed exegesis of welding in lunar vacuum is intercut with the dynamics of clan- and guild-based feudal economies, complicated by the intergenerational religious and personal politics of the protagonist's family, the developmental economy of a frontier outpost with no atmosphere, the chemistry and physics of smelting lunar ore, the protagonist's relationship with her ex-boyfriend's new boyfriend, the running of a smuggling operation between planets, and finally the basic plot of corporate sabotage. Readers who find one of these storylines more interesting than the others will find that 80% of the book is about extraneous issues. Neal Stephenson pulls this kind of complicated didactic narrative off with aplomb; Weir is a worthy runner-up, but this book doesn't have the heft of, say, "The Baroque Cycle" (which it very slightly resembles), or the light-hearted drive of "The Martian". The early-stage libertarian economy of the colony resembles that of Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," but is worked out with much greater economic sophistication. The technical detail is fascinating and carefully considered (do you know how to light a welding torch in outer space? - read this to learn!). The unforgiving physicality of living in such a searing environment pervades every page (how do you control a fire, or an air leak, on the moon? - in both cases, by sacrificing however happens to be inside the closest airlock). Though I think it is less gripping than Weir's previous work, "Artemis" is a fun and exciting read, and the protagonist is a brilliant character with a sassy personality not unlike that of the main character of "The Martian".
As to the actual plot: "Jazz" (Jasmine) is a menial laborer in Artemis, the first and only lunar colony. She works as a porter, hand-delivering packages between the handful of pressure domes that make up the city; this also gives her access to the cargo delivery shuttles, which she uses to operate a small side-business in smuggling. She is widely recognized as exceptionally smart and resourceful, but chooses to isolate herself and refuses any assistance from her father, a successful welding-business operator. She is approached by a wealthy resident with an offer of riches in exchange for helping him to acquire the ore-processing concession from the one major corporation in the city. How she goes about it, what the consequences are, exactly what technical processes are required at each stage of the complicated plot, and how she, and the city, came to be what they are, are gradually unfolded. In the end, Jazz is nearly dead and nearly broke, but has an exciting future ahead of her. It will be interesting to meet her again.
Erin B.3.0 out of 5 stars Rosario Dawson does a phenomenal job narrating the audiobook
This was my first audiobook & my first book by this author. I had heard great things about Weir’s other book The Martian so I had high hopes for this one. Although I did enjoy this book, it fell short for me. I gave it 3 stars because I liked it but I didn’t love it or feel like it was special. (Potential plot spoilers in review)
First, I would like to say that Rosario Dawson did a phenomenal job of narrating this book! Listening to her bring these sometimes flat and underdeveloped characters to life by utilizing different voices and accents was a joy. If it wasn’t for her lively narration, I don’t know if I would have finished this book.
The premise for this book had so much potential. It sounds interesting enough, a colony on the moon with a strong female protagonist. We are introduced to Jazz, who is struggling to support herself financially. She is somewhat of criminal (a smuggler) who has a good business reputation for being honest which was instilled in her by her now estranged father. Although the reason for their estrangement was explained & the ending provided some resolution between Jazz & her father, their relationship and the significance of their estrangement was never fully explored. The plot is about Jazz being hired to sabotage a company so that her client can easily buy them out. Jazz is offered a lot of money to complete this dangerous and illegal task. Along the way she finds herself in trouble of deportation to Earth and her life is in danger from gangsters (yes actually mafia type thugs) for retaliation of her role in the company’s sabotage.
We are given a glimpse into Jazz but we never really get to know her. She experiences some growth & personal changes but overall she remains guarded throughout the book. Jazz is a genius that can easily learn complex things in a short amount of time (a few hours for what typically takes the average smart person years of studying to understand at that level). Despite all of her intelligence and vast skill set, she is a self proclaimed F-up. She constantly uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism and her promiscuity is mentioned several times.
This book has lots of excitement and action packed scenes which should keep readers on the edge of their seats, but they were always dulled and overshadowed by Weirs constant description of the mechanics and science behind everything (and I mean everything: from how the air is made and filtered for Artemis, how the residents are protected from space vacuums and radiation from the sun, to how and why you must use certain gases and metals during welding). Weir should have spent less time describing things that most lay people wouldn’t understand or even care to learn about and should have spent more time describing Jazz’s relationships (or lack there of) with the other characters.
We are introduced to several characters that could have truly been intriguing, but like with Jazz, we are only given the barest of glimpses at them when they are interacting with Jazz. We are never given the opportunity to see what makes them tick. I would have liked to have learned more about a few of these other characters and to see Jazz’s relationships with them explored further.
The last two chapters of the book were the best. I even got teary eyed at the end of chapter 16. The ending was not very believable, but I liked it because it left the door open for a potential sequel.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook but if I had to read through all of the boring explanations about science & mechanics, this book would have been a DNF for me. I would have enjoyed the book more if it were easier to connect with Jazz & the other characters. If you like space themes & don’t really care for romance, you probably will enjoy this book (or audiobook).
First, I would like to say that Rosario Dawson did a phenomenal job of narrating this book! Listening to her bring these sometimes flat and underdeveloped characters to life by utilizing different voices and accents was a joy. If it wasn’t for her lively narration, I don’t know if I would have finished this book.
The premise for this book had so much potential. It sounds interesting enough, a colony on the moon with a strong female protagonist. We are introduced to Jazz, who is struggling to support herself financially. She is somewhat of criminal (a smuggler) who has a good business reputation for being honest which was instilled in her by her now estranged father. Although the reason for their estrangement was explained & the ending provided some resolution between Jazz & her father, their relationship and the significance of their estrangement was never fully explored. The plot is about Jazz being hired to sabotage a company so that her client can easily buy them out. Jazz is offered a lot of money to complete this dangerous and illegal task. Along the way she finds herself in trouble of deportation to Earth and her life is in danger from gangsters (yes actually mafia type thugs) for retaliation of her role in the company’s sabotage.
We are given a glimpse into Jazz but we never really get to know her. She experiences some growth & personal changes but overall she remains guarded throughout the book. Jazz is a genius that can easily learn complex things in a short amount of time (a few hours for what typically takes the average smart person years of studying to understand at that level). Despite all of her intelligence and vast skill set, she is a self proclaimed F-up. She constantly uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism and her promiscuity is mentioned several times.
This book has lots of excitement and action packed scenes which should keep readers on the edge of their seats, but they were always dulled and overshadowed by Weirs constant description of the mechanics and science behind everything (and I mean everything: from how the air is made and filtered for Artemis, how the residents are protected from space vacuums and radiation from the sun, to how and why you must use certain gases and metals during welding). Weir should have spent less time describing things that most lay people wouldn’t understand or even care to learn about and should have spent more time describing Jazz’s relationships (or lack there of) with the other characters.
We are introduced to several characters that could have truly been intriguing, but like with Jazz, we are only given the barest of glimpses at them when they are interacting with Jazz. We are never given the opportunity to see what makes them tick. I would have liked to have learned more about a few of these other characters and to see Jazz’s relationships with them explored further.
The last two chapters of the book were the best. I even got teary eyed at the end of chapter 16. The ending was not very believable, but I liked it because it left the door open for a potential sequel.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook but if I had to read through all of the boring explanations about science & mechanics, this book would have been a DNF for me. I would have enjoyed the book more if it were easier to connect with Jazz & the other characters. If you like space themes & don’t really care for romance, you probably will enjoy this book (or audiobook).