Artemis - by Andy Weir

While I did check the book, The Martian, out, I never got around to reading it. And I loved the movie.  So when Andy Weir's latest book, Artemis, came out, I checked it out from the library. And this time I actually read the book!

Set in the lunar colony, Artemis, it's the story of a small-time smuggler, Jasmine Bashara, or Jazz as she is known. Being a small 'town' everyone knows everyone else and she's just a good girl who happens to smuggle on the side. Until...

Now, this would be a GREAT movie! 

Action. Lots of it. Crooks and murder and all kinds of diverse characters. And lots of technology and politics. And Jazz trying to stay alive through it all, causing a lot of the mayhem herself, but still wanting to do the right thing.

Whew...the last few chapters, once things get going, take your breath away.

Couple of things I really like about the book. First, Jazz is female. And not only is she a smart, savvy female, but she is also Saudi Arabian. And while she is at odds with her father, it's done in a very believable way.

Second, the mechanics of Artemis and living on the moon. She has no desire to return to Earth. She's lived on the moon since she was six. She wants money so she can have a bigger place to live, but no desire to leave the moon. Weir does a great job of describing how Artemis works, both mechanically and socially.

Third, she is very likable. Or at least I liked her. She walks the fringes, but she has rules and morals. 

While I am like Weir, who recently said in an interview he had no desire to go into space himself, it does make me wish there was really an Artemis on the moon. But I wouldn't eat Gunk.