Artemis
by Andy Weir
Mystery
Science Fiction
Suspense
Thriller
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Jasmine (Jazz) Bashara is a brilliant porter/smuggler living in Artemis (moon colony) who makes really poor life choices. When she agrees to sabotage some harvesters for one of her clients in return for a million slugs (a sort of moon-based credit system), Jazz has no idea that the company she’s violating is a front for the mob, and that her life will soon be made more complicated by assassination attempts made upon it. She manages to keep her cool. Knowing that turning to what constitutes the “law” in those parts will only get her deported, Jazz attempts to track down the killer herself and figure out what’s really going on. This can’t be about aluminum production. With the help of her estranged father and some loyal friends (who stick to her despite her prickly personality) Jazz prepares to take on entities more powerful than herself with little more than her quick reflexes and nimble mind. Will those be enough? A fast-paced, suspenseful read with a gutsy, scrappy, abrasive protagonist who thinks fast on her feet and a colorful cast of diverse supporting characters. While Jazz may not live up to her potential in the same way as Andy Weir’s Mark Watney (“The Martian”) she’s got smarts and mental flexibility in spades.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
