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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
It has become clear to me that I must be the Mary Robinette Kowal's target audience. I loved the lightheartness, the sweetness, and the future she describes. She can do no wrong.
A whirlwind of a murder mystery! Recommended for even those who don’t normally read sci-fi!
If I had known the main character was fabulously wealthy and this would be a plot point in a "woe is me" way I probably would not have picked it up! Also I find sci fi where people introduce themselves with their pronouns... a little exhausting. You're telling me we have space cruises but no one's thought of a better way to advertise their gender than the same imperfect way we do in 2025? This seems like a perfectly Fine book just not what I'm looking for atm.
I liked this book purely for wanting to know 'whodunnit.' Chosen as a result of a recommendation from a book site that I periodically peruse, this book was listed in the Sci Fi category. To that end, the author held true to the description. I liked the 'About the Science' section at the end of the book, and appreciated how the gravity and related forces on the ship had an impact on the nature of the tale.
However, while I had no idea who did, indeed, do it, I found the result a bit uninspired. While interesting and not guessable, it also felt a little like a convenient way to tie the mystery together and address questions that were difficult to answer without this type of resolution. I guess it's a trade-off between a clever "ah ha" type of ending and one that felt like a solution that would work for lack of any other possibilities.
In addition, at some point I felt that the story line was getting repetitive, which made it less interesting to read. Or maybe I was just getting dizzy from Tesla's dialing up and down of her DBPS, and from the various rotations inside the space craft.
However, while I had no idea who did, indeed, do it, I found the result a bit uninspired. While interesting and not guessable, it also felt a little like a convenient way to tie the mystery together and address questions that were difficult to answer without this type of resolution. I guess it's a trade-off between a clever "ah ha" type of ending and one that felt like a solution that would work for lack of any other possibilities.
In addition, at some point I felt that the story line was getting repetitive, which made it less interesting to read. Or maybe I was just getting dizzy from Tesla's dialing up and down of her DBPS, and from the various rotations inside the space craft.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This is a decent plot buried within layer upon layer of ideology. I can only hope this was written as an experiment with a cautionary note.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was so looking forward to this (noir in space!) but it just was so boring and I didn't care for any of the characters (well, except for Gimlet, I think this would have benefitted from being written from her perspective). The mystery itself was all over the place, as was the narrative, the conclusion was very confusing and lackluster, and the constant moving between the different ship levels and places was disorienting and confusing.
This would have benefitted form being a tv show instead of a novel (the general vibes and the cruise ship concept reminded me a lot of Avenue 5).
This would have benefitted form being a tv show instead of a novel (the general vibes and the cruise ship concept reminded me a lot of Avenue 5).
I don't normally love mysteries. I'm annoying and read so many when I was little I could figure them out too fast. I literally had no idea what was going on in this one but it was super fun.
People I told about the book asked if I was making each cocktail as I started each chapter.... And I would have died. But I'm going to go back and make some of them
People I told about the book asked if I was making each cocktail as I started each chapter.... And I would have died. But I'm going to go back and make some of them
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s…a lot. This is an attempt at a sci-fi version of THE THIN MAN…and there’s just non-stop catastrophes, aka murders. Then suddenly boom, it’s solved and over, and with a wildly unsatisfying and painfully flat ending. Deeply disappointed by just how much I’ve disliked books by MRK other than GHOST TALKERS, which was an extraordinary and brilliant book.
Dang it! I wanted to absolutely love this. Mysteries along the lines of, "Someone in this mansion has just been murdered, and somebody here must have done it!" are the best, and if the mansion in question is an art-deco spaceship filled with characters constantly drinking 1920's-era cocktails, so much the better! However, while there were plenty of things to enjoy - an extremely cute dog, a pleasant spread of gender identities, and the delightfully irate lawyer, Fantine, who stole every scene she video-called into - I don't think this mystery, as a whole, quite lived up to the sparkle of its premise. The pacing was a little slow around the middle, and many of our cast of secondary characters/suspects could have used a touch more shine. Still, the writing was solid, landing this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me.