Artemis

Title: Artemis

Author: Andy Weir

Published in: 2017

Date read: 15th August 2025

Score: 4/5

Genre: Science fiction, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Artemis" by Andy Weir, published in 2017, is a science fiction thriller that follows in the footsteps of his wildly successful debut, "The Martian," by offering a highly detailed and scientifically grounded look at life in space. This time, the setting is Artemis, the first and only city on the Moon.

The protagonist is Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara, a witty, sarcastic, and highly intelligent young woman who works as a porter (essentially a delivery person) in Artemis. Life on the Moon is expensive, and Jazz is constantly struggling with debt. To make ends meet, she supplements her meagre income with a side gig as a smuggler of various illicit goods – mostly harmless contraband like luxury cigars or forbidden foods. She's good at it, using her engineering smarts and knowledge of Artemis's systems to get by.

Jazz lives a rather cynical and isolated existence, keeping most people at arm's length, including her devout Muslim father, a welder in Artemis, with whom she has a strained relationship. Her closest confidantes are her Earth-based smuggling partner, Kelvin, and her brilliant but socially awkward scientist friend, Martin Svoboda.

The plot kicks off when Jazz is approached by Trond Landvik, a wealthy Norwegian businessman and regular client. Trond offers Jazz an astronomical sum of money – enough to erase her debts and secure her future – to commit an act of industrial sabotage. His plan is to disable the anorthite harvesters of Sanchez Aluminium, a rival company that produces oxygen (a vital by-product of aluminium smelting on the Moon). Trond wants to take over their oxygen production.

Despite her reservations, Jazz accepts the job. She meticulously plans the sabotage, using her knowledge of the Moon's surface, engineering principles, and a cleverly devised "alibi machine" from Svoboda to make it look like she's in her living quarters while she's actually performing the dangerous EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) on the lunar surface.

However, things quickly go awry. She successfully sabotages some of the harvesters but is spotted by a camera, forcing her to flee before completing the job. Upon returning to Artemis, she discovers that Trond has been murdered, and she has unknowingly stumbled into a much larger, more dangerous conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.

Jazz finds herself embroiled with a powerful Brazilian crime syndicate, O Palácio, who are behind Sanchez Aluminium and want to control the Moon's resources. A ruthless assassin named Marcelo Alvarez is now after her, believing her to be connected to Trond's death and a threat to their operations.

To survive, Jazz is forced to use all her cunning, resourcefulness, and scientific ingenuity. She forms an unlikely team of allies, including Svoboda, her father, and even her estranged ex-friend, Dale. They must unravel the complex plot, evade the syndicate's assassins, and ultimately find a way to save Artemis from falling under the control of organized crime.

The novel is packed with Weir's trademark scientific detail, explaining the physics of low gravity, the mechanics of lunar construction, and the intricate systems that keep Artemis functioning. It features thrilling action sequences, witty dialogue, and a compelling female protagonist who, despite her flaws, is incredibly smart and resilient.

"Artemis" is a fast-paced, high-stakes heist story set in a meticulously crafted lunar city, where Jazz must outsmart criminals, scientists, and even the city's administration to survive and protect her unique home.

Comments:
I bought this in a Kindle 99p deal, I jumped at it because I have read two amazing books by Andy Weir. This is a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, however, it is not as good as the other two.

Books that we've read by Andy Weir (3):
The Martian (2011), Artemis (2017), Project Hail Mary (2021)