Artemis Book Review: Andy Weir Went to the Moon and Brought the Fun

Rating: ★★★★★

"Artemis" Book Review:

If The Martian was Andy Weir proving he could make science entertaining, Artemis is Weir proving he could build a whole city and then blow parts of it up. It's not as tight as The Martian. The protagonist isn't as universally lovable as Mark Watney. But it's a blast, and the lunar city of Artemis is one of the most well-engineered pieces of science fiction worldbuilding in recent years.

Jazz Bashara is a twenty-six-year-old smuggler living in Artemis, the first and only city on the Moon. She grew up there, knows every corridor and airlock, and makes her living running contraband alongside her legitimate job as a porter. When a wealthy businessman offers her an enormous sum to sabotage the operations of Sanchez Aluminum — the company that controls the lunar city's aluminum smelting and, by extension, its oxygen supply — Jazz takes the job. It goes wrong. Spectacularly.

Weir does for the Moon what he did for Mars: he makes the science feel real without making it feel like homework. Jazz's knowledge of lunar physics, EVA procedures, and the engineering of a pressurized city is woven into the plot rather than delivered as lectures. When things go sideways — and they go sideways constantly — the solutions are always grounded in real science, which makes the tension legitimate rather than manufactured.

Rosario Dawson narrates, and she brings Jazz to life with an energy and attitude that perfectly matches the character's smart-mouthed competence. Outstanding casting.

Four stars. It's lighter than The Martian, and some of the dialogue tries too hard to be clever, but the city of Artemis and the heist-gone-wrong plot are worth the ride.

If You Liked Artemis, Try:

- The Martian by Andy Weir — If you somehow haven't read this yet, it's Weir's masterpiece: one man, one planet, and the science that keeps him alive.

- Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey — Space opera where the politics of space stations and asteroid mining drive the story. Same blue-collar space vibe.

- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein — The original lunar colony revolution novel. Artemis is clearly in conversation with it.

From Luke Stoffel's Bookshelf

If this book review resonated with you, check out The Stardust Pirates — a queer YA horror where, like Jazz, the protagonist knows every hidden passage and secret of their isolated world, using that knowledge to survive on a Philippine island where the engineering is siren magic and the heist is staying alive. thestardustpirates.com (https://thestardustpirates.com)

From Luke Stoffel's Bookshelf

If you enjoyed this book review, check out Boy Refracted — a story of a rogue AI told through fractured perspectives, like holding a prism up to a life and watching the same person split into every version of themselves they've ever been. Learn More: Boy, Refracted

Boy, Refracted by Luke Stoffel