City News
Artemis by Andy Weir
Reviewed by Shaan
With Artemis, a book set in the time period of lunar colonization, Andy Weir creates another fun story with a similar vibe to The Martian. The readers follow Jazz (short for Jasmine) Bashara, who lives on Artemis, a large and self-sustained moon base. Artemis has five spheres that are half-buried underground. Artemis looks like five domes from the outside. Jazz works as a porter and smuggler. Jazz gives wealthy people cigarettes and other illegal items. Jazz works very hard to try to pay off the debts that severely restrict her lifestyle. Then one day, one of her bigger clients offers her a deal that could pay for her debts and allow her to live a more comfortable lifestyle. The job has the propensity to get her a place bigger than a coffin, food that tastes good, and more. The job gets more complicated than Jazz expected. Jazz soon finds herself in a bigger confrontation than she could have imagined. Jazz finds herself in an intense struggle for the future of Artemis, one that could completely change the moon base forever.
This book has a great deal of comedy, and it has the same sarcastic style of writing that made The Martian so good. The book explains the entire situation on the moon base very well, and Andy Weir spends a lot of time developing the setting. The detail put into the description makes readers feel like they actually live on Artemis, going through the same situations that Jazz experiences. The book has lots of action, and the story leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. Also, Andy Weir explains many scientific parts of the story very well. In the few scenes that involve welding, Jazz talks about how when welding, one must saturate the metal with an unreactive gas such as neon or argon to prevent the metal from oxidizing. I never would have found this information on my own, but it fascinates me nonetheless. Jazz’s quick wit makes the book much more enjoyable. Jazz constantly faces strife with humor and valor, and her character makes it a really fun book to read. I like all of the humor in the novel, and the plot is full of intrigue.
In my opinion, this is a really good book. It cannot compare to The Martian, but it still gives me a laugh. The story makes sense, and I really like the characters. I think that the author did a fantastic job of making a story that holistically explains the concept of living on the moon. I really feel like I am truly in the same situation, and the details provided help me understand the infrastructure of Artemis.
I rate this book a 10/10 because I really liked it. The storyline was creative, and I thought that the plot was well developed. I thought it had humor, and kept the reader engaged throughout the novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction novels and to anyone who enjoys a good laugh.