Artemis by Andy Weir

Official blurb- Jazz Bashara is a criminal.Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first

My blurb- moons worst bandit encounters catastrophes while on the job.

I really enjoyed  The Martian so I was rooting for Artemis to be a good sophomore novel from Weir. It fell short but wasn't terrible. The protagonist, Jazz, was likable and dripped sarcasm - unfortunately she had the humor of a middle school boy. (Don't believe me? Here's a little snippet: “Billy, I’ve swallowed better-tasting stuff that came out of people.”) I actually gave this book a bit if a head start over The Martian because Jazz is a girl- and I generally enjoy reading from a girls perspective vs a boys. Overall it was the plot that fell short for me and the excessive scientific jargon was unnecessary.

It seems so silly to say this but The Martian was more realistic than Artemis! I know, I know, we're not living on Mars and at least we've been to the moon. But read this and then tell me you disagree! I think Weir did a decent job of "world building" in the book, but there was just something about it that didn't line up with reality.  It was almost as if he was trying to hard to make it believable.  Like Jazz scientifically explaining welding... over and over and over again.  Got it, Jazz, while I have never personally welded, I own a television and get the general concept.

Also, fair warning - Jazz is the WORST criminal. I mean, she's awful. I cannot believe she was the best Artemis had to offer for this super secret elite job. So you may find yourself thinking that repeatedly while you're reading. (if only Artemis had Oceans 11...or 8... but I guess story would've been anticlimactic).

Svoboda. I know you just reread that word. Jazz's love interest.... I hope by now you guys know how I feel about main characters having names I can't easily pronounce. I definitely found myself saying his name totally differently halfway through the book. I couldn't picture him in my head at all but he was funny.

SPOILER AHEAD.

Maybe my biggest pet peeve was the "mayor" of Artemis who was some sort of mega world builder. (I would hate to play against her in Settlers of Catan). She kept giving Jazz an "out" and knew all about her life- I thought FOR SURE there was going to be a "twist" and she was actually Jazz' s mom. Well, that twist never came....(so I guess that was its own surprise?) I have no idea why this powerful lady was so gung-ho about Jazz, so if you figure it out let me know!

When to read it:

I wouldn't buy this, or readily recommend it, but it's enjoyable for a slow cold day. There's literally no reason the weather would need to be cold when you're reading this, but outerspace is cold so I feel like that fits the vibe well.

Happy reading,

.Dux.