Artemis by Andy Weir: A Book Review

No. I was a smuggler, not a saboteur. And something smelled off about the whole thing. "I'm sorry, but this isn't my thing," I said. "You'll have to find someone else." "I'll give you a million slugs." "Deal."

Artemis is about Jazz Bashara and the first city on the moon: Artemis. Jazz is a poor smuggler, a genius with a potty mouth and - gasp - a heart of gold. Artemis is a city on the moon that is part tourist trap and part that-city-that's-next-to-a factory sort of thing. It has charms, but it has a lot of problems too.

Honestly? I was disappointed by this book. I didn't want to do this, but it's hard not to compare it to The Martian. Sure, the essentials of what made The Martian great is also present Artemis. Main character that is smart but also has penchant for going against orders. It has the scientific jargon that made The Martian interesting - even charming. The plot was definitely fast paced, and has a lot of interesting action.

And yet, this book did not live up to what The Martian reached. Jazz was supposed to be a genius, and there were times that she showed it - sure, but most of the discussion about her genius-ness came up only when other characters whined about her wasted potential. It became a case of show me, don't tell me.

Speaking of Jazz, is it just me or is there way too much sex for a book that doesn't involve sex scenes? Jazz felt so strange and I felt like it was because she doesn't feel like a real person - she felt like an adolescent imagination of a real adult woman.

Also, almost all of the characters - not just Jazz - felt like what a teenager thought adults should think and act. Everyone just seemed so 2D, and not like real people. They had very little charm to draw me in. Don't get me wrong - I didn't hate them, I was just apathetic.

Except Ammar Bashara, Jazz's father, because I loved that guy. A father that just wants what's best for his daughter, who kept making mistakes and the wrong choices. A gruff father figure that would do anything if it meant her daughter was happy? Yes - give me all of that.

So there are things I enjoyed about the book. The action, the letters between Jazz and Kelvin was a nice touch, the exciting ending, and even how almost all the characters had their own version of a happy ending.

I'm a big fan of happy endings.

Rating: 3/5