Jazz Bashara works as a porter and petty smuggler in Artemis, the only permanent human colony on the lunar surface. Struggling to survive on a low income, she accepts a dangerous job from a wealthy businessman to sabotage a local oxygen production facility. When the mission fails, Jazz becomes trapped in a corporate conspiracy involving industrial monopolies and organized crime. The plot moves through vacuum-sealed corridors and lunar plains, using real-world chemistry, engineering, and welding techniques to solve life-threatening mechanical failures.
Readers who value hard science fiction grounded in physics and logistics will appreciate the technical accuracy of life in a low-gravity environment. Those looking for a tense heist narrative find a protagonist who relies on scientific calculations rather than lucky guesses. The book provides a detailed look at the economics of space colonization and the practical limitations of lunar infrastructure. You finish the story with a clear understanding of how human civilizations might realistically manage oxygen, heat dissipation, and labor on the moon.
Insights from Artemis
“I’m a porter. It’s a polite word for 'luggage monkey'.”
Jazz works five jobs and still barely pays rent. It hits hard that even on the moon, being poor is an exhausting full-time job.
“The thing about the moon is, it’s actively trying to kill you.”
Living in a bubble of air makes you realize how fragile everything is. One loose bolt or a bad welding job ends the world for everyone.
“He’s a good man. I’m a good person. We’re just different types of good.”
The relationship between Jazz and her dad is so messy. They love each other but can't find a way to bridge that gap in their values.
“In Artemis, you don't pay for what you use. You pay for what you take.”
Everything in Artemis has a price, even the air you breathe. It makes you look at a simple deep breath differently.
- Published
- 2017
- Publisher
- National Geographic Books
- ISBN
- 9780525532101
- Language
- EN
