Jazz lives on the moon. She's on her own after she and her father split. She is making it, but barely. She smuggles contraband into Artemis, the city on the moon. When the opportunity arises for her to make real money -- like being set for life -- she goes for it, even though it's an impossible task. Things don't go well and Jazz gets in deeper and deeper, but if there is one thing she is, it's tenacious.
Jazz is also very intelligent - one might even say she's a genius. The obstacles she must overcome are huge, and some of her schemes are inconceivable. But the stakes are high, so after convincing a few others to help her she goes for it. And misses.
Artemis is not marketed as a young adult book, but the main character is a teenager, so I think teens will enjoy this. Weir once again doesn't shy away from some scientific explanations for what is happening. You can enjoy the science, but if not there is still plenty of story around it to "skip" it. One thing I missed, as compared to The Martian, is the humor. Jazz is a pretty serious character, not given to seeing the humor in her situation as was Watney.
The story definitely kept my interest, and it moves at a fast pace. Artemis has a complete ending, but I wouldn't be surprised if we join Jazz again on some more adventures. I, for one, would enjoy that.
Published by Crown, November 14, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
387 pages
Rating: 4/5
I heard an interesting interview with the author about this book on Fresh Air with Terri Gross (NPR).
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