After taking a break from reading this was a great book to start again with. It has brilliant humour and twists in the story that keep dragging you in for more 10/10 highly recommend

Fast paced, high octane and highly entertaining - I absolutely love this novel and would like to recommend it to everyone. Andy Weir has managed to exceed expectations with this second novel, and The Martian is a hard act to follow. Set on the Moon in the not too distant future, Jazz is a smuggler with a conscience - she gets caught up in a plot to sabotage that nearly costs her her life, and the lives of everyone around her.

Andy Weir has proven not to be a one hit wonder. We have yet another hilarious protagonist to follow around on a more traditional sci-fi adventure this time. Weir's vision of the future is an optimistic one in parts, a refreshingly diverse future as we see from Jazz - the main character, and her group of not necessarily friends, but acquaintances. This time the story is a heist, and you immediately get the impression Jazz (as a relatively small time smuggler in her spare time) is in way over her head, and Weir's sense of humour makes it all the better for it. The story has a large emphasis on family too, which slowly builds and becomes really heart-warming as the story progresses. At one point there's an sort of impromptu family therapy session which just made me smile so much.

I'm not usually a big sci-fi person, but this was great! It introduced the concepts, politics and details of the world naturally, gave you an introduction to the main character, Jazz, and the people around her seamlessly and had a really compelling story. It's fairly fast paced but doesn't feel rushed and is incredibly enjoyable. I recommend it as a great first sci-fi read if you haven't previously got into the genre (like me) and it's not overly long either.

Jazz is a criminal... Jazz is an aspirational young woman trying to make ends meet... Jazz is a product of the society she grew up in… Jazz is an essential member of her society… Andy Weir’s eagerly anticipated follow up to The Martian does not fail to deliver. Jazz is a woman in her mid 20’s who has lived on the moon since the age of 6. Following a fall out with her dad she earns a meagre living as a porter whilst smuggling contraband for some of the wealthier Artemis residents. Jazz takes on what appears to be the perfect crime but soon finds herself caught up in a plot to control the future of the colony. Artemis is not only a fun heist with science bits, it’s also an interesting exploration of how a society really works. Think Ocean’s Eleven meets the game Civilisation, in space! This is really Jazz’s story and she narrates with a wonderfully sassy and sarcastic style. I loved that there is a diverse cast of supporting characters and it’s great to see a strong young female character take centre stage. I really enjoyed the book but there was a little too much scientific description for me in places. At the point when the heist is taking place the pace really slowed down as we’re told in great detail how welding works in space and so on. However, like The Martian, it’s this attention to detail that really adds credibility to the story and so this is just a minor and personal point. Artemis is a fun, roller-coaster adventure with a great cast of characters. Highly recommended.