"Artemis"

“Artemis”

Written by Andy Weir

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

 

“Artemis” is a very well-crafted, researched, and interesting novel, but unfortunately, I was highly disappointed with the plot, main characters, and most of the dialogue.

Andy Weir, most notable for his first novel, “The Martian” is a writer, scientist, and all-around brain. Weir creates complex and strong science fiction, which cannot always be understood, for those who do not understand complex science. His first novel was easier to understood, because his character, Mark Watney, explained everything that he was doing in his Sol diary. However, Jazz Bashara, main character of “Artemis” explained very little.

Jazz’s motivations in “Artemis” were interesting. Growing up as a poorer individual, whose parents worked their way up into success, Jazz was not particularly motivated to succeed. After she and her parents moved to Artemis, the first colony on the moon, she seems to have fallen a little from grace. As an adult, Jazz is a smuggler, working illegally to move items to the moon from her sources on Earth. Jazz becomes embroiled in a government conspiracy, as she takes on a difficult and highly dangerous mission.

Heist stories are not within the realm of my interest. Space and science fiction are interests of mine, however, I struggle to understand most of the science aspects in this story. This is a “me problem”, but I wish that I was able to understand the story more. Thus, I do understand that to enjoy the extent of the story, you might need to be more science-minded than I am, but I felt that there is a select group of science fiction readers that could understand every aspect of this story.

Elements of “Artemis” are highly interesting and appealing to learn about. I enjoyed learning about the world within this story more than I enjoyed the story. We learn about the currency, locations, laws, politicians, and history that would exist after we humans live on Earth. Catching up on this fantastic piece of science fiction was really enjoyable. The world of “Artemis” was so unique and well-created, especially the different factions of people and the cities in which they lived. Unfortunately, the plot let this story down for me. I hope that Weir continues Jazz’s life in following books, because I did see some potential for sequels. However, if it was created maybe a little less complex and with a different type of story, I think I could really enjoy a continuation.

In conclusion, I was not a big fan of this story. I like reading modern science fiction, and I absolutely plan to continue reading future works of Weir. I rated this book at 3 out of 5 stars. Weir’s comedy and great dialogue still absolutely shone through, and I’d love an adaptation, similar to the film made from “The Martian”.