10 things you need to know about Andy Weir’s Artemis

1. Artemis is the second novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian.

2. Like The Martian, the book is undated but set roughly seventy years in the future. This time we’re on the moon. 

3.  The title Artemis refers to the name of the first lunar city, population 2,000.

4. As in any city, there’s dirty politics and an underclass of workers, criminals and chancers.

5. You might be surprised by who is winning the space race…

6. The moon has 1/6th of the Earth’s gravity. Which means  that on the moon anyone can run faster, jump higher.. it's basically like being a superhero.   

7. Duct tape is back! But no potatoes. There is gunk though…

8.  Gunk is a food substance derived from algae and grown in vats. It’s made palatable (barely) by flavourings. It’s what most average people eat in Artemis.  (Unless you’re rich and can afford to import those potatoes).

9. The main character is Jazz Bashara. She’s a young criminal - witty, awesome and every bit as memorable as Mark Watney from The Martian.

10. Artemis is a standalone novel. It doesn’t feature Mark Watney - though we do wonder what would happen if Mark met Jazz in the future...