Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.  Also, I have linked the book cover to Amazon.  If you buy the book through this link, I will get a small fee.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
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. 

Review: 
Artemis, by Andy Weir, is about a small town that just happens to be on the moon.  It is a city with it's share of problems:  income disparity, misfits, obnoxious tourists, and corruption.  This book was wonderfully fun, and I loved the small town feeling, the main character Jazz, along with large doses of intrigue, action, and humor. 


Small Town Feeling:

I love books about small towns.  All the characters have a history together, and it is a treat to uncover all the backstories.  This small town just happens to be on the Moon, so there is even more of a feeling of shared purpose among the residents.

As lovely as it is to live in a place with a sense of community, it can also be a drag for those who don't fit in.  Everyone knows your business and once you develop a reputation, it is nearly impossible to get a fresh start.  With just a few poor choices (or maybe many), Jazz has a reputation as a trouble maker.  And no one, from her father, to the city's constable, will let her forget it, either.

The book also had some smart speculation on what a society on the moon would look like.  There would still be rich and poor, corruption, vigilantly justice, and other societal issues, even on the moon.

Main Character:
The main character of this book is a smart, self-reliant, woman of color!  I appreciated all the small touches that brought this character to life.  Even though she is a lapsed Muslim, she still has many cultural connections to Saudi Arabia, where she was born.  Her ethnicity wasn't just mentioned to tick off a diversity box!

Everyone in town knows that Jazz had amazing potential as a younger person, but she made some very poor choices as a teen.  She is still trying to live down her bad reputation.  She also has a difficult relationship with her devout Muslim father, and is bitter over a terrible breakup.  But she is also proud and will not ask for help resolving her problems.  I admired her self-sufficiency, but also cringed when her stubbornness prevented her from connecting with others.

Intrigue:
In such a closed economy there is bound to be a little corruption, right?  Various groups have  monopolies on different industries.  The one that has the biggest grip on the city is the company who manufactures aluminum in the town.  Apparently, oxygen is a by-product of aluminum production (who knew?) and rather important to the vitality of Artemis.  When Jazz is hired to disrupt the aluminum smelting process by a competitor, a series of events unfold that expose an intricate web of lies that keep the town running.  Will Jazz take the fall, or will she use her wits to uncover what is behind everyone's interest in aluminum?

Action:
One of the signatures of an Andy Weir novel is the McGyver-like problem solving skills the characters use to escape danger.  The author's use of scientific attention to detail creates a sense of realism to the novel.  There are many scenes where being on the Moon creates life-threatening problems for Jazz.  But she is able to use her brains (and sometimes her fists) to figure out the solution.  This was so fun to read, and I hear there will be a movie coming soon.  Based on my reading, this will make a very exciting film.

Humor:
This book is narrated by the main character, Jazz, and is full of humor (and a lot of swearing!).  While her observations of small town life are witty and astute, this book is not a comedy.  But I laughed throughout reading this story. 


via GIPHY

 

                                                                    

Rating: 




Release Date:  November 14th, 2017

Genre:  Science Fiction

Publisher:  Crown Publishing Group

Page Length:  384 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  ARC E-book

Recommendation:  Full of action, suspense, and humor, this is Andy Weir at his best.  A page-turning delight!