Artemis

I received a galley of this book from NetGalley to read and review. My comments and opinions are in no way influenced by this.

It's tough to follow up a hugely successful debut novel, and unfortunately I found Artemis a bit disappointing. I enjoyed the action that picked up in the second half of the book as well as the secondary characters, but I don't understand why Weir decided to write from his main character Jazz's perspective. It's not that I think that white, cisgender men can't write convincing female POC characters, but it was tough to rally behind Jazz since she wasn't a convincing voice. Since the book is told primarily from her first-person point of view, it was really distracting that the voice was off and unconvincing. The choice to select an Arab woman as the main character and main voice of the story seems a bit odd and I'm not sure that it added to the story.

It also felt like the evolution of Kenya coming to colonize the moon and the governance - or lack thereof - on Artemis

I also wish Weir had built this world a bit better. You get snippets of the politics and economics on the moon, but only in degrees. The book bills itself as a near-future space thriller that involves a heist on the moon, yet it feels more political than anything else. I also found it somewhat unbelievable that living on the moon would come with as few legal and tax-related restrictions as it did.

I loved The Martian for its humor and wit, and Artemis tried to recapture elements of that. The jokes felt flat and forced, which was another distraction from the plot at hand.

Ultimately I think that fans of The Martian will enjoy this book - it has the science, an interesting and action-packed plot, and a unique setting. But I had a very hard time accepting Weir's choice to write from Jazz's perspective and I suspect that will be a concern for others.