REVIEW: Artemis

Artemis
Author: Andy Weir

Jasmine Bashara -- Jazz to her friends -- lives on the moon. Artemis is the first city on the moon. It's a great place for spoiled billionaires and wealthy tourists to visit. Safe, plenty of space, most of the amenities....and it's on the freaking moon! But Jazz lives there....she's lived in Artemis since she was six years old. It isn't a vacation for her....but home. She sleeps in a little cubby hole, has to walk down the hall to the bathroom but dreams of having a larger living space with actual rooms and a microwave. She does a bit of smuggling and fringey business to make ends meet and save up some cash for her life improvement plans.....a girl has to eat, right? She doesn't hurt anybody....she just ensures that people have those comforts or items they feel are lacking. A little ethanol or other contraband items never hurt anyone....and they put slugs (money in Artemis) in her account. Again, girls gotta eat.  Then suddenly she offered a job.....a single job that will bring her more than enough money to change her life. All she has to do is damage some equipment.....just a bit of sabotage without getting caught. Of course she can do it. But, little does she realize that the job is actually a bid to take over control of Artemis, and Jazz will have to put her wits to the test to save herself and everyone else.

I loved Weir's The Martian. And I jumped at the chance to read this newest book. I liked it -- it was completely different than what I thought it was going to be. But, the story is great & Jazz is a quirky, strong, resilient character. Not to mention some seat-of-your-pants action as well. A fun space romp! I liked the fact that Jazz is a bit of a fringe-y character.....she's a smuggler, an opportunist. But she doesn't hurt anyone....she's not a thief or a scavenger. She just sees opportunity and goes for it. She has her network of friends who help her complete jobs, and knows how to work behind the scenes of Artemis to make a living. But then things get out of hand......and she has to put her wiley ways to work in order to stop a dangerous scheme. That's all I'm going to say.....avoiding giving anything away. No spoilers from me!

Fun read. Lots of action and great characters!

For more information on the author and his books, check out his website: http://www.galactanet.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crown Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**