Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakened #1) by Jane Lindskold

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

Artemis Awakening is the start of a new series by New York Times bestseller Jane Lindskold. The distant world Artemis is a pleasure planet created out of bare rock by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…but there was always the possibility of danger so that visitors could brag that they had “bested” the environment.

The Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world. Stranded on Artemis after crashing his ship, he encounters the Huntress Adara and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.

Artemis Awakening is an interesting start to a new series by Jane Lindskold.  I love the premise.  The Empire created Artemis as a pleasure planet.  The location was know to only a few and when the Empire went to war the location was lost. Now after over 500 years one man, Griffin Dane, has re-discovered the location.

Worldbuilding:  Lindskold got that right from the beginning.  From the very first pages I knew that the humans and some animals were changed and that Artemis was a created world made for the pleasure of a select few.  As the story progressed more facts about Artemis were woven into the story making the world more and more complex.

Characters:  The story started out very character driven.   I had a very good sense of  Griffin and Adara.  They started out as the main characters but the focus changed as the story progressed.  It became more action driven and the focus expanded to include Terrell and the Old One Who Is Young as additional main characters.  There are numerous side characters who are part of the action.  Some like Bruin are fleshed out but others are not.  My favorite character is Sand Shadow, Adara's enhanced puma.  She is such a cat.

Plot:    Griffin is stranded and wants a way to go home.  He thinks the Old One Who Is Young might have he information he needs to call for help.  When they discover the Old One is not what he seems a rescue mission becomes the focus of the book.  This is where it becomes more action driven than character driven.  Look for the planet to have some surprises for both the reader and the characters.  One problem is solved but another is left for the next book in the series.

Writing:  This is my first time to read a book by Lindskold and her writing impressed me.  Everything flows without any interruptions.  I was hooked from page one.  While I was surprised at how the focus changed it was handled in a very smooth manner.  Everything is set up for additional adventures on Artemis.

I went to Lindskold’s web site and saw where Artemis Invaded has been turned into Tor.  I assume that is book #2. There was not a release date mentioned.

Tor released Artemis Awakening by Jane Lindskold in 2014.