I just finished "Artemis" and I loved it. And here is why!

Submitted by hgaterms t3_yruakr in books

So, I just finished the book "Artemis" and I loved it! By the half-way point the murder-action-mystery got real intriguing and I couldn't stop reading. I burned through the second half of the book this evening. I'm probably in the minority, but I'm willing to bet that someone feels the same way about the book that I do: Namely, it was a fun book to read while your cat sits on your lap and holds you hostage.

I went into this story blind. I had heard through the grapevine that this was Andy Weir's weakest novel, but that it was still on the podium. Weir writes sarcastic characters who are hyper smart who also find themselves in exciting scenarios that require meticulous planning to get them out of the jam. That's kind of his schtick and Artemis is no different. But that is why I keep coming back to his books in the first place -- I love that style.

Anyway, I also love how believable the world building was. Andy Weir does that so well. He researches the shit out of everything for his novels. I can totally see a Lunar Las Vegas in the year 2067 where employees are just like today's casino staff or cruise ship workers.

Even though the character of Jazz is very much a "men writing women" trope, I still enjoyed it for what it was. And I appreciated that Weir was stepping out of his literary comfort zone and trying something different. I think the lessons he learned from writing "Artemis" is what helped him refine his characters and story for "Project Hail Mary" (and that's what made PHM such a knock-out book in my opinion.)

So over all I give Artemis a 7/10. The action was fun, the world building was top notch, but the characters needed more refinement.

Would I recommend this book to others? Yes.
Will I read it again in the future? Also, yes. I plan on downloading the audiobook and giving it a listen. I heard Rosario Dawson does a great job with the novelization.

Side note -- Andy Weir has this weird literary quirk where a character will "pinch their chin" in contemplation when talking to another character. I tallied this phrase 3 times in "Project Hail Mary," once in "The Martian", and 5 in "Artemis." Ha ha!

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thisisnttakeone t1_ivvtcq9 wrote

I really feel like this is his worst book.

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[deleted] t1_ivvu77e wrote

[removed]

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thisisnttakeone t1_ivvujm1 wrote

The entire premise of Artemis just really sucked lol

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxlsem wrote

I think the premise of a moon heist murder-mystery sprinkled with espionage is awesome. The character development is what was lacking.

There was just too many "Josh Wheton-esq" quips during heightened tension scenes that really undercut the sincerity of the story. The overall plot really suffered because of that.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivvv008 wrote

I know he wrote a novella called Randomize. Hell, I know he even wrote a book a long time ago called "Theft of Pride" under the pen name Jack Sharp. It was never published though. You can only download the 243K file and read it on your eReader/computer. When I have time I'll tackle those 2 stories and see where Artemis truly ranks, LOL

So far I would say from best to worst is:

  1. Project Hail Mary

  2. The Martian

  3. Artemis

  4. The short story: The Egg

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MsSapirWhorf t1_ivwsj4g wrote

I won't stand for this The Egg erasure.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxlvin wrote

Hey, I didn't say the Egg was bad! Remember, I liked Artemis. They are all good stories, LOL

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MsSapirWhorf t1_ivy88a0 wrote

Seeing as we're actually the same person in different parts of our journey, I forgive you 😇

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frustratedComments t1_ivvniik wrote

I enjoyed it as well but found it weaker than the Martian and PHM. I don’t find he writes female characters well.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivvs3me wrote

Oh I 100% agree that it is far weaker than The Martian or Project Hail Mary. This was very much his sophomore book.

That being said, fans were making this book out to be like some kind of "Twilight" level bad! Oh heavens, no. If this book were written by any other author it would have been much better received. I think everyone's expectations for an Andy Weir story was sky high and they expected something much stronger based on his previous books.

Were they let down? Yes. Is it a bad book? No, not at all.

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Final_Alps t1_iwkoiph wrote

“Sophomore book”. I thought that to myself a few times reading Artemis.

I appreciate he tried to write a female protagonist, but I did not buy it. Not sure whether Wier heroes just read off when they are women of he is just not great at writing women. Like - would Jazz be less annoying as a young man? Was I annoyed because of my prejudices - because Jazz was a young woman and not a man? I kept thinking that while reading the book.

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QubitBob t1_ivwkdjn wrote

I recently read Artemis and I find your summary/review spot-on.

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akira2bee t1_ivwmal7 wrote

Me too! I mean, I read it last year, but I completely enjoyed everything except his female character writing, but to be honest, I've definitely read worse and never did it feel like he was purposefully trying to be bad at writing women or anything, it was really just a subtle weakness that I was honestly really refreshed to see in a book. Often I like to look at an authors work and see how they improve, and this book I could tell was him trying to improve that skill. I honestly applauded him for that.

Not many writers try to go out of their comfort zone to improve themselves

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxmawn wrote

I def rolled my eyes with Jazz's attitude and "Marvel Universe" quips that came at a rapid fire pace from all the characters even during the most serious scenes.

I feel like Andy Weir really took the valid criticisms to heart (too much swearing from The Martian, too many sarcastic quips from every character in Artemis, lack of a female voice) and refined all that for Project Hail Mary. A good author grows as he writes, and I feel like he's done that.

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balconybitch t1_ivy68ur wrote

Good for you! I liked it too.

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kukulakala t1_ivwfvf1 wrote

I didn't like the book nor do I enjoy Weir's writing style but I find it hilarious the HATE boner people have for this book despite it just being The Martian if Watney was a (equally terribly-written) girl, with some boring welding thrown in. Also it's objectively slightly better written. I know people hate to hear this but just reeks of misogyny to me.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxn7hz wrote

> but I find it hilarious the HATE boner people have for this book

I know, right? That is why I waited so long to pick up this book. Even my closest friends (who are literary trash reading nerds said "you can skip this book").

I expected this to be an abortion of a novel like "Ready Player Two" or some such nonsense.

Artemis is fine. It's not winning any awards, but I still had a good time reading it.

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Final_Alps t1_iwkpf3t wrote

I kept thinking this whole reading the book. I have apparently been living under a rock and missed that this book ever came out - found it while looking for Hail Mary at my local library.

But your summary is spot on. I kept thinking “Jazz is annoying but she really is not that different from Watney - just a) woman b) not a “nerdy scientist”

I kept thinking - would I have been less annoyed by Jazz if she were a he? I am sure it’s part of it.

And also - as OP mentioned I think there were a few too glaring “men writing women” moments. Eh Weir is also likely just not that good at writing women.

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smalltreesdreams t1_ixltsty wrote

I definitely didn't hate Artemis but I didn't enjoy it as much as The Martian and definitely not as much as Project Hail Mary.

I do think it's partly because the main character is a woman but not because I hate women (I am a woman) but rather because Andy Weir is worse at writing them. It feels like he gets carried away with trying to create this trope-y "bad ass chick" character and as a result she is kind of annoying.

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Particular-Error-873 t1_ivwmd5x wrote

Oxy acetylene can't cut aluminium. Other than that I enjoyed it.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxncm4 wrote

I grew up on Star Trek physics logic. If it sounds scientific enough, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story. It helps that I don't know shit about fuck when it comes to chemistry.

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GFVeggie t1_ivxdoss wrote

I'll have to give it another try. I've tried twice to get into it and only get about 20 pages.

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hgaterms OP t1_ivxng3i wrote

I have heard great things about the audiobook. If you wanna take another crack at it, I've always suggested an audiobook as a good second approach. Having the story read to you just hits different sometimes.

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GFVeggie t1_iw00ple wrote

I've got the audiobook. I bought it to use at the gym pre-Covid.

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midorixo t1_ivvnhya wrote

🤔 I'll have to pay attention when i tackle the audiobook

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hgaterms OP t1_ivvtymy wrote

That's why I have to be very selective about what books I listen to when I do hobbies, clean, or drive on my commute. If I need to pay attention, I can only sit and snuggle up in a blanked on the lazy-boy chair.

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