In Andy Weir's debut novel, he showed us what it would be like if you lived on Mars. In his latest book, he shows us what it's like to live in a colony on the moon.
Artemis is the story of Jazz Bashura, a smart woman who rolls her eyes any time someone talks about how much potential she has and who has turned her job as a porter (basically, a local delivery person) into a gig as a smuggler. She dreams of living a comfortable life with the least possible effort.
So when an opportunity comes up to make a cozy lifetime's worth of money in one act of corporate sabotage, the dollar signs convince her to do it. Unfortunately for her, all her perfect planning goes wrong with the placement of one boulder, and she has to think on her feet to save her project, her life, and eventually, the city of Artemis itself.
Again Andy Weir makes science accessible, as Artemis requires lost of explanations on how things like gravity, breathing, and firefighting would work on the moon. And again, Weir creates a main character who is self-confident, smart, and more than a little snarky. Those who had issues with Mark Watney in The Martian will not be a fan of Jazz either. If you're worried about that but still want to read the book, I'd suggest trying the audio version. Everyone I've heard from is raving about Rosario Dawson's performance. That might help soften the sarcasm.
Artemis, while being a novel of world-building (literally) on the moon, it still deals with issues of race, international politics, and corporate greed. While race matters less on the moon, Jazz is an Arabic woman, the nation of Kenya is in charge of Artemis, and billionaires can be just as money-grubbing in space as on Earth, so this novel may not be as escapist as you want.
All that being said, Artemis is a fun, entertaining heist story told by a smart narrator with an attitude. I recommend it to everyone who enjoyed The Martian, either the book or the movie, and I look forward to seeing where Mr. Weir takes us next.
Galleys for Artemis were provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.