#heinlein

Cover illustration by Richard Powers

There’s a lot to like about Andy Weir’s Artemis. Sci-fi plus crime thriller; spunky protagonist (who, yes, admittedly sounds a lot like the protagonist of Weir’s other novel, The Martian). Set in humanity’s first lunar city, the novel follows Jazz Bashara through a heist that could set her up for life—or set Artemis on a path towards its doom!

I found Jazz to be assertive and entertaining. There’s a bit of cliche in her backstory—brilliant and intelligent, but not living up to her full potential. But her voice and her attitude make her likeable, and her relationships with others keep things interesting, and in particular her relationship with her father. Jazz also has a pen pal on earth, Kelvin, who we get to know through messages that intersperse each chapter. These start off in the past, but eventually catch up to the present, which means we learn about Jazz’s past mistakes and personal growth. But as the past meets present, Kelvin has an impact on the narrative itself. I thought this was quite a clever device.

I thought the hard science was great, and I found the book to be genuinely educational, much like The Martian. The physics, from how welding works to oxygen production, are described in a way that makes the possibilities of living on the moon seem real. Maybe someone with more knowledge about the science might be able to pick holes in it, but for a layman I enjoyed it.

At the heart of the story is a heist. This was well structured, escalating naturally from Jazz’s smalltime smuggling operations to a huge conspiracy. In true sci-fi fashion, Weir uses the setting to create constraints and opportunities that make the crime thriller vibes feel truly unique. Isolation, life support, limited escape routes—all these play a big part.

And, of course, I enjoyed the nods to Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (my favourite: we don’t actually like to be called loonies). And Weir is able to navigate the setting in a way that feels new, thinking more about the economics of the situation that the politics.

Also Some Kind of Hero makes me sob like a baby

Oh yeah the lyrics at the end make it pretty clear -- the LunarDome he returns to is a international (or at least Russian + American) project, so one of the ghost/heroes he saw was Tropey Russian. I'm more confused why he saw the apparitions as women, since all but one of the names are clearly male:

And he forgot it all until he got to Lunardome He passed beneath the hologram that stands above the door And recognised the faces there, he’d seen them all before Gus, and Ed, and Roger made him hold to hope and try The Russians, Ronald, Christa too, they wouldn’t let him die

OH WAIT I'M DUMB. Those names are referencing the deaths in Apollo 1, Challenger, Soyuz 1, Soyuz 11. Thanks @ Genius lyrics for pointing that out. (Still doesn't explain the reverse-valkyrie portrayal of the heroes in the song though...)