Artemis

By: Andy Weir

Narrated by: Rosario Dawson

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Martian returns with an irresistible new near-future thriller - a heist story set on the moon.

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.

Bringing to life Weir's brash, whip-smart protagonist is actress Rosario Dawson (Marvel's The Defenders, Sin City, Death Proof). With the breathless immediacy of one realizing they're one cracked helmet visor away from oblivion, Dawson deftly captures Jazz's first-person perspective – all while delivering sarcastic Weir-ian one-liners and cracking wise in the face of death. And with a cast of diverse characters from all walks of life calling Artemis home, Dawson tonally somersaults to voice Kenyan prime ministers, Ukrainian scientists, and Saudi welders. It's a performance that transports listeners right alongside Jazz, matching her step for step on every lunar inch of her pulse-pounding journey.

©2017 Andy Weir (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Everything you could hope for in a follow-up to The Martian: another smart, fun, fast-paced adventure that you won't be able to put down." (Ernest Cline, New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One)

"An exciting, whip-smart, funny thrill-ride…. one of the best science fiction novels of the year." (Booklist)

"Narrated by a kick-ass leading lady, this thriller has it all – a smart plot, laugh-out-loud funny moments, and really cool science." (Library Journal)

"[A] superior near-future thriller.... Weir leavens the hard SF with a healthy dose of humor." (Publishers Weekly)

"[Narrator Rosario] Dawson makes Jasmine sound like the lovable rogue she is.... Dawson makes listeners care about a diverse cast of characters with quirky mannerisms." (AudioFile)

Thin plot stuck on the moon

Compared to the seamless originality and gusto of The Martian, this is a patch-job of unlikeable caricatures of cultural groups in a lack-luster story. The science is believable, but nothing else warrants the waste of good intelligence on this bunch of characters or the shallow plot.
The narrator was stellar, the only thing that breathed any life into this mess.

Jazz! Save The City!

Though I can't give Artemis a full five-stars, it comes pretty close. It's just that it starts off a tad slowly (even though the opening scene is a toe-curling brush with death), and while I did listen to it mostly cover-to-cover, I had no problem putting it away to get my sleep.
Still, one hair-raising scene follows another in typical Andy Weir fashion and Jazz gets into so many scrapes, finds herself in mishaps and mayhem galore, that it's very engaging.
Expect a lot of science (which may be dumbed-down as even I was able to follow it, and I'm kinda an idiot...) which is enthralling. Chemistry, physics, fiber optics, you name it. Even beer can't just be beer on the moon; there's a science to going to your favorite pub to throw back a few.
Rosario Dawson turns in a brilliant performance as she navigates her way through Jazz's many emotions, many turns of character. Whether she's questioning the chaos she's been thrown into with a quizzical, "Uhm...?", or she's figuring out brilliant, science-inspired solutions, Dawson makes Jazz rock. And she does a spectacular job with all the other characters (all of whom are finely and amusingly drawn).
Though you might'nt find it to be as gut-sucking, in-your-face as The Martian, it's still a really fun listen. Primarily because Jazz is such a sassy heroine who can be self-deprecating as well. Not to mention always ready with a clever quip!

Teenage Angst Book

If you like teenage angst books this is the book for you. As for me I could not stand this book. It was a struggle to finish.

Narration, not so good

It is unfortunate that some authors or publishers feel they need to hire a famous actor to do the narration as if it's no particular skill, just being an actor is good enough, It's not. There are many, many top audiobook voice actors. It is an art form different from acting for stage or movies.

Rosario Dawson does her best, but for me doesn't add anything to the novel. In fact, the narration detracts from it. Words are unintelligible sometimes because her voice falls off as if she's in rapid conversation, and some words are not distinctly pronounced. Inflection is there, but seemingly at random with no rhyme or reason to it.

A top audiobook narrator knows when a dramatic voice is necessary and when it isn't Too many books which should be great listens are not because the publisher or writer feels they should have a big name actor do the work now. Instead, I suggest they just get a great audiobook narrator.

Eh.....

This book felt like the author tried to recapture the tech savy feel of the Martian without the backing of exciting and engaging characters.

Follow up to The Martian does not disappoint!

What can I say? Andy Weir is now officially the newest addition to my favorite authors list. Excellent performance by Dawson as well! Engaging, suspenseful, great science fiction, characters, and dialog.

If only I hadn't read The Martian first. . .

This novel is very good. I liked it almost as much as The Martian. I didn't. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Having said that, I loved the book. And the narration was spot-on.

Enjoyable book

To state the obvious, this is not The Martian. But Andy Weir has produced a pretty good follow-up to one of the best sci-fi books in modern history, so nothing to complain about. This is not an easy feat, as Ernest Kline showed by following up the fantastic Ready Player One with the horrible Armada. The story is straightforward, with the usual MacGyverisms we expect from Andy Weir. The most enjoyable aspect of the book though was Rosario Dawson's narration. I'd never heard her read a book before, and she blew my mind.

Decent, but disappointing.

I liked this story, and I wanted to like it more because a heist on the moon sounded great. I had never read The Martian, but saw the movie (no comparison, I'm sure), but the premise sounded interesting enough I pre-ordered this book.

It was... good. But I found myself wondering throughout the book why I really cared. The protagonist found herself in a situation that, for me, was hard to follow, and ultimately, I wasn't invested in. The surrounding characters weren't fleshed out, certain ones were introduced early and then disappeared until a later convenient time. I was intrigued by the conflict, but ultimately, I didn't see much reason why I should be invested in this girl and her plight.

The science/physics added realism and I enjoyed it, but sometimes it felt like it went on too long and my attention-span shorted out. That's just a personal issue, however. But if you also find yourself zoning out during long-winded science ramblings, be informed.

The dialogue was abysmal. I understand it was written almost as if the character was retelling it to you in conversation, but it left a lot to be desired. Sometimes, the dialogue seemed more fitting a teen fiction, was surprising considering the protagonist was a 26 year old female who essentially had to grow up fast, living on the moon. There were a lot of cringe-worthy moments.

Rosario Dawson's narration was great. She had more range than I expected, and her accents, while starting to sound similar by the end, really helped immerse me in the story more.

TL;DR: Great narration, ample amounts of science/physics for realism, semi-interesting story, but lacked character development, a likable protagonist, and had too much mediocre dialogue.

Fun, tight story

It's a fun quick, easy listen that's well read. Not as complex as alot of sci-fi but that's what I liked about it. Very accessible without being dumbed down.