“By the way, we also hate it when people . . . call Artemis “the city in space.” We’re not in space; we’re on the moon. I’m mean, technically, we’re in space, but so is London.”
Andy Weir made waves with The Martian. His follow-up novel took readers to a different yet familiar place: the moon.
Artemis promised another thrilling science fiction ride, but this time with a heist at its core.
Jazz Bashara isn’t your typical hero. She’s a smuggler living in humanity’s first lunar colony, and she’s got bills to pay. When an opportunity for a massive payday lands in her lap, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
But does the book deliver on its premise? Does it capture the same magic that made Weir’s debut such a success? Let’s break down what works, what doesn’t, and whether this moon-based thriller is worth the read.
Artemis Plot Summary: Jazz’s Wild Moon Heist Breakdown
Jazz Bashara isn’t living her best life on the moon. She’s broke, stuck hauling luggage as a porter, and running petty smuggling gigs on the side.
When wealthy businessman Trond Landvik offers her a fortune to wreck his competitors’ aluminum smelters, she jumps at the chance without thinking it through.
Big mistake. Her so-called simple job spirals into chaos. She gets caught on camera, triggers a string of murders, and suddenly finds herself hunted by O Palácio, a ruthless crime syndicate.
Even worse, she stumbles onto a conspiracy that threatens Artemis’s entire oxygen supply.
Now Jazz has to fix the mess she created.
With help from her ex-boyfriend Dale, tech genius Svoboda, and her estranged father Ammar, she’s racing against time to save the city and maybe, just maybe, redeem herself.
List of Key Characters in Artemis
Jazz’s lunar heist pulls together a colorful crew of allies, enemies, and complicated family ties that shape the story’s twists and turns.
- Jazz Bashara: The story’s sharp-tongued anti-hero makes her living through smuggling and porter work. She’s broke, reckless, and desperate enough to take dangerous jobs without considering consequences.
- Ammar Bashara: Jazz’s traditional father works as Artemis’s top welder. Their strained relationship adds emotional weight as Jazz tries to earn his respect while hiding her criminal activities.
- Kelvin Ngugi: Artemis’s ambitious mayor becomes Jazz’s unlikely ally. He balances political pressure with genuine concern for the city, making tough calls when the oxygen conspiracy threatens everyone.
- Trond Landvik: The wealthy industrialist hires Jazz for the sabotage job that kicks off the chaos. His business rivalries and hidden motives drive much of the plot’s central conflict.
- Dmitri “Svoboda”: Jazz’s quirky friend provides crucial technical expertise throughout the heist. His engineering knowledge and loyalty help her navigate increasingly complicated and dangerous situations involving city infrastructure.
- Rudy DuBois: The no-nonsense security chief keeps Jazz under constant scrutiny. He represents the law she’s constantly breaking, creating tension as she tries dodging consequences while saving the city.
Major Themes of Artemis by Andy Weir
Beneath the heist thrills and moon-city setting, Artemis explores deeper ideas about survival, morality, economic systems, and what it means to belong somewhere.
1. Survival in Extreme Environments
Life on the moon demands constant vigilance. Every character lives one airlock malfunction away from death. Weir emphasizes how fragile human existence is in space, where simple mistakes can be fatal, and self-sufficiency isn’t optional; it’s mandatory for survival.
2. Economic Inequality and Class Struggle
Artemis mirrors Earth’s wealth gaps. Rich tourists enjoy luxury while working-class residents like Jazz scrape by. The novel questions whether humanity can escape economic injustice, or if we’ll just recreate the same broken systems wherever we go.
3. Redemption and Second Chances
Jazz constantly tries to outrun her past mistakes. Her strained relationship with her father and her criminal record haunt her throughout. The story asks whether people deserve redemption and if they can truly change after making terrible choices repeatedly.
4. Technology and Innovation
Scientific advancement drives every plot point. From aluminum smelting processes to life-support systems, technology shapes Artemis society. Weir shows how innovation solves problems but also creates new vulnerabilities when powerful people control essential resources.
5. Family and Belonging
Jazz struggles to find her place in Artemis and within her own family. Her father’s disappointment weighs heavily. The novel explores how home isn’t just a location; it’s about acceptance, connection, and proving yourself to people who matter most.
Who is Andy Weir? Author Behind Artemis Novel
Andy Weir didn’t follow the traditional author path to success.
Before becoming a bestselling novelist, he worked as a computer programmer and self-published his debut novel chapter by chapter on his personal website.
The Martian changed everything. What started as a free online story became a publishing phenomenon, then a blockbuster film starring Matt Damon.
Weir’s background in science and programming shows in his writing; he’s known for meticulous research and technical accuracy.
With Artemis, Weir tackled a new challenge: moving from a solo survival story to a heist thriller with multiple characters. He wanted to explore what a realistic lunar city might look like, complete with economic systems, social dynamics, and the everyday problems of living off-world.
His signature style of mixing hard science with accessible storytelling remains intact, though critics debated whether he successfully replicated the magic of his debut.
Artemis Goodreads Ratings and Real Reviews
Goodreads readers gave Artemis mixed reactions, praising the heist action and Jazz’s humor while debating whether it matched The Martian’s brilliance.
| Site | Average Rating | Key Sentiment |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.90/5 | Fun heist, snarky Jazz; some call it “shallow” vs. Martian |
| Amazon | 4.2/5 | Strong on action/humor; mixed character depth |
| Book Marks (Critics) | Mixed (2.5/4 equiv.) | Tech detail shines; plot “lumpier,” lacks heart |
| NYT Reviews | Positive lean | Witty caper, echoes Martian science |
What Readers Actually Think
Goodreads users split sharply on Artemis. Some readers praised Jazz’s humor and the fast-paced heist plot, with one reviewer noting they
“love the character of Jazz. She’s funny and does crazy things but never anything to hurt anyone.”
Others found her personality grating and forced.
The harshest criticism focused on Jazz’s voice feeling too similar to Mark Watney from The Martian. One disappointed reader gave 1.5 stars, explaining,
“Jazz is basically Mark Watney… You can tell Weir really struggled to adapt his writing style in order to write from the perspective of that most alien of all species – THE WOMAN.”
Many felt the heist plot couldn’t match The Martian’s survival stakes. As one review stated:
“I couldn’t understand why we were supposed to give a damn about this heist.”
The cultural representation also drew mixed reactions, particularly Jazz’s Muslim background and how Weir handled those details.
Final Verdict
Artemis won’t replace The Martian in most readers’ hearts, but it offers something different. Weir trades survival tension for heist thrills, swapping Mars’s isolation for a moon city’s messy social dynamics.
Jazz Bashara divides opinion. The technical details shine as expected, though welding specifications replace potato farming.
Is it worth reading? If you’re craving hard science fiction with humor and don’t mind a flawed protagonist, absolutely. Just adjust expectations; this isn’t about life-or-death survival. It’s an underdog story set against humanity’s lunar frontier.
Sometimes, a fun moon heist is exactly what science fiction needs. No grand statements required.
