The Martian Author Andy Weir Answers 4 Questions About His Next Novel, Artemis

With his debut novel The Martian, Andy Weir experienced the kind of success that fuels a million NaNoWriMo fever dreams. Originally serialized on his website, it grew popular enough that he self published it. It became a word-of-mouth sensation, attracting the attention of Random House, not to mention Ridley Scott, who was keen to turn it into a movie. Foul-mouthed Matt Damon monologues about potatoes—and a fistful of Oscar nominations—soon followed.
What’s an author to do when the first book he publishes experiences such stratospheric success? Well, write another one, of course.
Yes, Weir might be daunted by the prospect of living up to…himself, but that hasn’t stopped him from writing a followup that promises to give readers more of what they loved about The Martian—well-researched, realistically depicted science, a captivating narrative voice, and a taut plot in which very smart people fight disaster using only their considerable brains—in another out-of-this-world setting, albeit one a little closer to home.

This November, Weir takes us into orbit in Artemis, a near-future heist story that takes place in the titular city on the moon. Artemis is a great place to visit if you’re a billionaire with cash to burn, but for those keeping the place running day-to-day, it’s no luxury vacation spot. Jazz Bashara is one such lowly denizen, and she makes ends meet by doing a little smuggling on the side. When a chance at a big score falls into her lap, she jumps on it—a finds herself caught up in a larger conspiracy that will ultimately determine who controls Artemis, and who will be on the outs in an environment not exactly receptive to human life.
The book was just announced this week, and already it has been optioned by Hollywood—so understandably, Andy Weir has been pretty busy. Still, we had a chance to ask him a few burning questions about what readers can expect from Jazz Bashara, lunar scientific accuracy, and living up to your own success.
Andy, you’ve already taken us to Mars. What fascinated you about going to the moon?
Because this story is about colonization, not exploration. And I think we will colonize the moon before we colonize Mars. While Mars has more raw materials, the moon is just so much closer, it’s considerably easier to colonize. Also, unlike Mars, the moon could be a tourist destination due to the comparatively short travel time to get there.
Was getting the science right tougher considering how much more we know about the moon?
Yes and no. We still have a lot of questions about the moon, especially questions about how much water is present, and where. Also, the information we do have on the moon is massive. So I had a lot of stuff to wade through to make sure things were accurate.
Mark Watney’s voice defined The Martian. Who can we look forward to meeting in Artemis?
Jazz Bashara. She’s another first-person-smartass narrator. But while Mark is just a hard-working scientist trying to stay alive, Jazz is a sneaky criminal trying to get ahead. Very different personalities and priorities.
What was the hardest part about writing a follow-up to The Martian, a book that made a crater on pop culture?
It’s pretty scary. It’s going to be a hard act to follow. I think I’ve done a good job, but in the end, all I can do is my best, and hope people like it.
Preorder Artemis, available November 14, 2017