Released November 2017 by Audible Studios.
Listened July 2020.
Jazz Bashara is one of the nicer kinds of criminals. Yes, she may see smuggling as a legitimate way to supplement her pay as a porter, but she is fair and has a strict code of conduct - and when you live on Artemis, the first and only city on the Moon, life can be tough.
When Jazz is offered the chance to get rich quick, by undertaking a risky and very illegal mission for one of her best clients, she jumps at the chance - and so inadvertently sets in motion a course of events that will have enormous consequences for everyone in Artemis.
So much for the perfect crime...
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The Martian was one of my absolute favourite reads from last year, so when I saw this audio book in the Audible members' sale it really caught my eye.
I wasn't sure at first, as this one is very different from The Martian - even though they are both space tales - as this one is set in the Moon base, Artemis, and is much more a crime caper than I was expecting.
The story revolves around Jazz Bashara, a smuggler masquerading as a legitimate delivery person in Artemis. She has spent most of her life on the Moon base and is trying to amass enough money for a cushy lifestyle. She may operate on the wrong side of the law (although Artemis is pretty lawless), but she is smart and has a strict code that makes her very popular with her clients. She has a cheeky sort of charm about her, which is very likeable, and she has a great sense of humour.
When Jazz is offered the chance to make a lot of money by undertaking a daring mission for one of her regular, and very wealthy, clients, she decides to take grab the chance to upgrade her life - even if it means operating outside of her comfort zone. Unfortunately, there is a lot more at stake than Jazz knows, and her actions uncover a conspiracy to take over control of Artemis, and spark a chain of events that put her life in danger.
I soon found myself completely absorbed in this story, which is narrated by the actor Rosario Dawson, who handles all the accents pretty well (although her English accent leaves a lot to be desired!). It is beautifully paced and the excitement ramps up very nicely, to the thrilling ending.
This is one of those stories that would make an excellent mini-series, should it be picked up by the likes of Netflix, as it has a great leading lady and a good range of strong characters in the rest of the cast - and it certainly has plenty of scope for a sequel or two as well.
If you like a space story, with a bit of a difference, with a good mix of adventure and science, then this should hit the spot. Perhaps not as good as The Martian, but still absorbing and very satisfying.
Artemis is available in print, ebook and audio formats from your favourite book retailer now.
From the audio cover:
The best-selling author of The Martian returns with an irresistible new near-future thriller - a heist story set on the moon.
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself - and that now her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Bringing to life Weir's brash, whip-smart protagonist is actress Rosario Dawson (Marvel's The Defenders, Sin City, Death Proof). With the breathless immediacy of one realizing they're one cracked helmet visor away from oblivion, Dawson deftly captures Jazz's first-person perspective – all while delivering sarcastic Weir-ian one-liners and cracking wise in the face of death. And with a cast of diverse characters from all walks of life calling Artemis home, Dawson tonally somersaults to voice Kenyan prime ministers, Ukrainian scientists, and Saudi welders. It's a performance that transports listeners right alongside Jazz, matching her step for step on every lunar inch of her pulse-pounding journey.
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself - and that now her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Bringing to life Weir's brash, whip-smart protagonist is actress Rosario Dawson (Marvel's The Defenders, Sin City, Death Proof). With the breathless immediacy of one realizing they're one cracked helmet visor away from oblivion, Dawson deftly captures Jazz's first-person perspective – all while delivering sarcastic Weir-ian one-liners and cracking wise in the face of death. And with a cast of diverse characters from all walks of life calling Artemis home, Dawson tonally somersaults to voice Kenyan prime ministers, Ukrainian scientists, and Saudi welders. It's a performance that transports listeners right alongside Jazz, matching her step for step on every lunar inch of her pulse-pounding journey.
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