You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
A delightful murder mystery in space that was inspired by Nick & Nora. I recommend having an alcoholic or zero-proof cocktail on hand when you sit down to read. (Mary Robinette Kowal provides drink recipes with every chapter.)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5* i think i had high expectations for this book and it fell a little short. some parts felt a little tedious and repetitive ie. gimlet was cute but a macguffin and idk! it was fun but a little repetitive
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Murder mystery on a transport to Mars! I too really liked the premise but overall I was a bit disappointed by the novel. Let's tackle this neatly:
1) I disliked both main characters and I feel like "our honeymoon cut short because of stuff happening but we're still so horny" has been explored enough in "Calculating Stars". Both characters felt unfinished to me, even annoying, and way over the top.
2) As I'm not disabled myself, I cannot really rate the representation. But I found that the accident and then the disability were not executed well. The accident remained ominous like the entire background of our obnoxious main character and the unhealthy way she dealt with her chronic pain in combination with alcohol somehow felt unhealthy. Yes, the PTSD bits were well done, but overall it all felt...thrown together?
3) Yay, finally queer rep but this also felt out of place. Use of pronouns? Wonderful, but the main characters are still cis hetero and I felt like the futuristic but somehow 50s setting gone rogue didn't go well with the queerness vs. sexism. It's hard to describe.
4) The dog. I love dogs, but it was just too much and the dog started annoying me.
5) Murder mystery / detective work just boring and the Security on board infuriating.
6) Rich people privilege. I hated the lawyer. Terrible.
I'm disappointed...
3 Stars max
1) I disliked both main characters and I feel like "our honeymoon cut short because of stuff happening but we're still so horny" has been explored enough in "Calculating Stars". Both characters felt unfinished to me, even annoying, and way over the top.
2) As I'm not disabled myself, I cannot really rate the representation. But I found that the accident and then the disability were not executed well. The accident remained ominous like the entire background of our obnoxious main character and the unhealthy way she dealt with her chronic pain in combination with alcohol somehow felt unhealthy. Yes, the PTSD bits were well done, but overall it all felt...thrown together?
3) Yay, finally queer rep but this also felt out of place. Use of pronouns? Wonderful, but the main characters are still cis hetero and I felt like the futuristic but somehow 50s setting gone rogue didn't go well with the queerness vs. sexism. It's hard to describe.
4) The dog. I love dogs, but it was just too much and the dog started annoying me.
5) Murder mystery / detective work just boring and the Security on board infuriating.
6) Rich people privilege. I hated the lawyer. Terrible.
I'm disappointed...
3 Stars max
2023 Hugo Award finalist - Best Novel
A super rich and famous couple on a luxury cruise (to Mars)? - check; lots of drinking? - check; lots of sexual innuendo? - check; a cute dog? - check; a locked-room mystery? - check. Dashiell Hammett would be proud to know his book [b:The Thin Man|80616|The Thin Man|Dashiell Hammett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1321111302l/80616._SY75_.jpg|1336952] is still inspiring writers. Although this cozy mystery has lots going for it, including bits about hidden disabilities, PTSD, gender identity, and other important topics, ultimately it's just an ordinary mystery with some stock characters and too many contrivances to count. One of the big things I missed was more time spent getting to know the suspects and their possible motives for murder. There are some very interesting red herrings, but they're almost an afterthought, buried in an often confusing array of actions. The mystery's solution really isn't something that arrises organically from the investigation, but rather appears mostly out of luck. In books like this, the local police or security authorities are painted as inept, a trope that is not terribly believable. It's even harder in a science fiction setting, because there are often "magical" solutions to problems that readers can't see. Kowal does her best to contrive to minimize these advanced technological gimmicks, but can't get rid of them completely. This is a solid outing by a usually excellent writer, but not quite up to some of her previous efforts.
A super rich and famous couple on a luxury cruise (to Mars)? - check; lots of drinking? - check; lots of sexual innuendo? - check; a cute dog? - check; a locked-room mystery? - check. Dashiell Hammett would be proud to know his book [b:The Thin Man|80616|The Thin Man|Dashiell Hammett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1321111302l/80616._SY75_.jpg|1336952] is still inspiring writers. Although this cozy mystery has lots going for it, including bits about hidden disabilities, PTSD, gender identity, and other important topics, ultimately it's just an ordinary mystery with some stock characters and too many contrivances to count. One of the big things I missed was more time spent getting to know the suspects and their possible motives for murder. There are some very interesting red herrings, but they're almost an afterthought, buried in an often confusing array of actions. The mystery's solution really isn't something that arrises organically from the investigation, but rather appears mostly out of luck. In books like this, the local police or security authorities are painted as inept, a trope that is not terribly believable. It's even harder in a science fiction setting, because there are often "magical" solutions to problems that readers can't see. Kowal does her best to contrive to minimize these advanced technological gimmicks, but can't get rid of them completely. This is a solid outing by a usually excellent writer, but not quite up to some of her previous efforts.
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No