Title: Artemis
Author: Andy Weir
Date/year published: 2017
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: e-pub, borrowed from local library using Libby app and read on Kindle
Why did I choose to read it: Have read other Weir books (The Martian) and enjoyed them.
Synopsis: Jazz lives on the moon, in Artemis, a bubble city (the only lunar city). She’s a porter and smuggler ’cause life on the moon is expensive. Jazz has the opportunity to make some extra money, but the job goes sideways and now she must trust her luck (which isn’t always good) to survive and uncover just how far the city’s corruption runs.
Thoughts:
Weir’s books are very scientific with bogging the reader down. He even addressed some issues that people like me think of when watching/reading science fiction (gravity – they can’t just flit back and forth between Earth and the moon, can they?) Some Sci-fi books become overly technical as a way of describing the mechanics of what is happening. While I appreciate that, it does make a difficult read for me. Not so with Weir.
The tension between Jazz and her father, as well as her associates, was well written and believable. It was easy to see the romance blooming (don’t worry, it’s not a romance book, just part of the story) and envision her bouncing around the city, climbing into cubbies, and sneaking through airlocks. Also, despite the bland environment – even Jazz admits there isn’t much to look at on the moon – the descriptions are vivid.
A tale of corruption, it was fun to watch the pieces fall into place and see Jazz’s growth as she repaired a few relationships while working out who the bad guys were.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Re-read? Possibly. Especially if I wanted to read something with which I was already familiar (like when I fly and I can’t concentrate).
Recommend. Yes. Especially for sci-fi fans and fans of interplanetary colonization. Also, I know there are many people who don’t like fiction because it’s just that, fiction. Weir might be a good bridge for those readers.