Artemis

I was so excited to get my hands on this and began listening immediately.I really enjoyed the first half of the book.........that rather quickly changed.I don’t know if the success of the Martian (which I loved) and the movie (which was pretty good) went to Andy’s head or what.The book felt drawn out and the plot continued to get weaker as it went on.The details about the living conditions and life on the moon were great.The main character was very likesble.Rosario Dawson did a FANTASTIC job narrating.

The story fell quite short of the expectations I had going into this book. The characters as well as the main inner dialogue was lacking in a lot of ways.

Weir produced this second novel in record time I suppose, to capitalize on the fame generated byThe Martian.And therein lies the problem, readers like me expected a polished, adult, scientific themed, "bang up" story.This is anything but.I felt at times I was listening to a young adult novel. The protagonist,Jazz sounded like a hyper spoiled teenager with an attitude.There was just enough obligatory scientific background scattered throughout, to satisfy Andy Weir fans.But, I really struggled to listen to this book.I also disliked the reader immensely.I had my doubts Weir could come up with a masterful book so soon after the release of the Martian,it is confirmed.

Expected so much more. This really isn’t a sci-fi book. The author never misses the opportunity for sexual innuendo. There really isn’t a good story is just a lot of self talk from a teenage want to be

I loved “The Martian”, so I got “Artemis” right away. The science of moon life is fun and interesting and the pace is fast. I had a hard time liking Jazz, the main character. She is sarcastic and makes all the wrong decisions. It was hard to keep rooting for her even when she was doing something good. All in all, this book was a quick read with a few good chuckles and interesting ideas. I just missed the good guy character of Mark from “The Martian”.

Book falls short of my expectations based on my fondness for “The Martian”. Two major problems. First, the main character is not compelling. She is shallow, one dimensional and callous. Her use of foul language is a turn off. The author could have found another way to exemplify that character trait. I couldn’t generate much empathy for the character. Second, the narrator was below average. Her narration distracted me and made it difficult to listen but for short stretches of time. In general, the book reads more like a screenplay rather than a novel. The extended descriptions in the book provide critical details for a set designer. I wonder why?Despite my disappointments, I did get through the book and found it interesting and entertaining. It may be the hype surrounding the book and the excellence of Mr. Weir’s Martian work set too high a bar for “Artemis”.

I loved The Martian but Artemis appears to be a rush job. Lots of redundant bickering between characters takes up space. Some technical story line but nothing like Martian. I persevered to the end. Waste of time and money.

Unlike the Martian, Artemis struggles to find it's voice and path through it's thin plot. Where Andy Weir excels in writing about the technical mechanics of space habitation he struggles with interpersonal relationships and writing in a female voice. Not to say this is a terrible book but it's not an equal to his last. One major part of the book bothered me from start to finish. Mr Weir chooses to forgo a world where NASA is the host agency and invents the Kenyan Space Corporation. When read by the narrator it ALWAYS sounded like KFC. I'm sure this wasn't Mr Weir's intent but it made me repeatedly think of the 1993 movie Demolition Man where, after the great franchise wars of 2030, Taco Bell has become the only restaurant.