andy-weir

Artemis

Guest Post Blog

This is a Guest Post by Rob Whiteley.

So Andy Weir’s new book, Artemis, stoked my interest from the moment I saw the cover, and read the dedication. The novel is dedicated to all of the Apollo Command Module pilots, i.e. the 7 Apollo astronauts whose job it was to not walk on the Moon. They were impressive people, who didn’t get the glory of the Armstrongs and Aldrins. They just flew the ships that got everybody home. But I digress.

Artemis is a story about a caper involving working-class citizens of the first Lunar city. Jazz Bashara is the main protagonist of the story, which is told from her first person perspective. Her voice is interesting. She is Saudi by birth, but is a firm rejectionist of pretty much any religious or cultural tropes from her homeland. She is an accomplished smart-ass, and a first-rate smuggler, but is a down-and-outer who seems to have relationship issues.

The Martian

Book Notes

"I failed to appreciate just how closely Weir's humour matches yours."

Okay, I really don't know how, after a number of really good friends all tell me "You would really enjoy this book," I hadn't read the book yet. Maybe because it was near the bottom of the stack? Maybe because the recommendations came during a really sad, really emotional time of my life? Maybe because I had another fourteen books already in progress?

I don't know. Let's just go with girls are dumb and chalk it up to experience.

This book is fantastic.

I laughed out loud. I didn't roll my eyes at any of the science, though, to be honest, I was predisposed not to roll my eyes after reading many reports about how Weir researched everything to make sure what he wrote was plausible. I read the book slowly because I wanted to savour just how much I was enjoying it. And I was enjoying it. I very rarely read books as slowly as I did with this one.

Did I mention the laughing part? Weir's humour is so close to my humour as to be indistinguishable, I'd say. I can't believe this was a first novel.

Loved it. Highly recommend it. Will be reading it again. Worth all the hype is it getting. Glad I have it in hardback (will have to buy another copy to loan out, this one is staying with me).