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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2 stars out of 5.
Couldn't get into this one at all despite it having all the elements I tend to like, particularly the Nick and Nora Charles vibe the main characters were giving me. It was very wooden, not engrossing at all. Barely kept my attention at all. I've enjoyed other books by this author, finding her writing to be strongly character driven, which I love. Frankly if I didn't know better, I would've guessed that this was a debut novel. Probably would've given Kowal a slightly higher rating if it had been.
Then there was Tesla. Unlike Nora Charles who was kind to everyone, no matter their place in life, Tesla had a bit of underlying entitlement that annoyed me every time it came up. Okay, you have more money and accompanying power than anyone else, but that's no excuse. That may also be an issue that dragged my enjoyment down. *shrugs*
As to the mystery itself, it was okay. Could've had tighter plotting, but I've read worse. I didn't find it that hard to guess what was going on pretty early on, but that doesn't necessarily hurt my opinion of a mystery, even one held in space. So I'll give that a pass.
My end thoughts? This really didn't need to be in space. Might've even worked better if it was on a ocean liner set in the 1920s, after the Great War, but before the buildup of things leading to World War II. Would I recommend it? Well, I wouldn't go out of my way to discourage anyone opting to read it, but this particular book wouldn't be one I would immediately think of to mention to friends.
Couldn't get into this one at all despite it having all the elements I tend to like, particularly the Nick and Nora Charles vibe the main characters were giving me. It was very wooden, not engrossing at all. Barely kept my attention at all. I've enjoyed other books by this author, finding her writing to be strongly character driven, which I love. Frankly if I didn't know better, I would've guessed that this was a debut novel. Probably would've given Kowal a slightly higher rating if it had been.
Then there was Tesla. Unlike Nora Charles who was kind to everyone, no matter their place in life, Tesla had a bit of underlying entitlement that annoyed me every time it came up. Okay, you have more money and accompanying power than anyone else, but that's no excuse. That may also be an issue that dragged my enjoyment down. *shrugs*
As to the mystery itself, it was okay. Could've had tighter plotting, but I've read worse. I didn't find it that hard to guess what was going on pretty early on, but that doesn't necessarily hurt my opinion of a mystery, even one held in space. So I'll give that a pass.
My end thoughts? This really didn't need to be in space. Might've even worked better if it was on a ocean liner set in the 1920s, after the Great War, but before the buildup of things leading to World War II. Would I recommend it? Well, I wouldn't go out of my way to discourage anyone opting to read it, but this particular book wouldn't be one I would immediately think of to mention to friends.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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:
Yes
I’m unimpressed.
So the whole point of this book is to write a sci-fi murder mystery set on a cruise ship in space. That’s cool as hell! I was so psyched to start reading this, and the cover only added to my anticipation.
First of all, Tesla and Shal are alcoholics. Let’s get that out of the way. They brought a traveling bar with them, and they use it frequently. They are consuming copious amounts of alcohol throughout the entire book, probably upwards of six drinks a day. Each chapter begins with a cocktail recipe. They’re alcoholics, and I will brook no arguments about this.
Second of all, despite Tesla’s claims to the contrary, she absolutely uses her wealth and privilege to degrade and bully others. The number of times I winced while she was harassing innocent employees during one of her (not so) valiant attempts to solve the murders, has to have numbered in the thousands. Speaking of annoying things Tesla did, let’s talk about her service dog, Gimlet. Tesla also uses Gimlet as a tool to be used in her own manipulation. Gimlet is supposed to be a service dog, yet it feels like there are more scenes of Tesla sending Gimlet to be petted by someone they’re trying to get information out of than there are of Gimlet actually working. And Gimlet’s role in the unveiling of the murderer was nothing short of preposterous. (Spoilers) The murder was solved because someone didn’t like dogs. Okay, fine, some people don’t like dogs. That’s okay. I understand that. I myself am very picky about the dogs I do and don’t like. There was nothing to indicate that what’s-his-face liked or disliked dogs at all. That Time magazine cover was thrown in there as a Hail Mary. This gave the same energy as the Shadow and Bone series, when Alina decided Tamar was a lesbian because she didn’t find Mal attractive. Like sure, the base of the idea is there, but then you took it and ran with it in a direction that made no sense.
And the prose! The prose was awful! The word “buttocks” was used way too much to be novel, and I found myself annoyed by Tesla’s diction. Every time she described her pain, it was always something like, “red starbursts” or “green fireworks.” That’s fine to use once or twice, but when it’s on every single page, it gets old quickly. It got to the point where if I read a color followed by a synonym of explosive, I knew I was good to skip the next paragraph or so. I would have appreciated better descriptions of Tesla’s pain.
The ending was disappointing. It came out of nowhere, and it was not fleshed out well. I think the author created too many characters to try and throw off the reader, and then struggled to find an ending for them all. (Like, wtf was that Ewan kidnapping side plot? Crazy sauce. Or Annie and Jalna? What was the point of them being in the story, other than being wholly unoriginal red herrings. Also, Annie’s comment about Tesla being seen as a sham in the robotics field both cracked me up and made me angry. Sometimes things go wrong, Annie. At the same time though, Tesla has an overinflated ego.)
Really, the only things this book has going for it are the setting and the inclusivity. (Especially regarding gender!) But that’s not enough to redeem it of its errors. We’re approaching a point where we’re allowed to pick and choose the diverse books we like- it’s no longer a matter of seizing upon the first possible novel we see ourselves reflected in and grasping on to it for dear life. We’re allowed to dislike media, even when we see ourselves in it. We’re allowed to let inclusive materials be bad. And this is a prime example of that philosophy. We can acknowledge what The Spare Man attempted to do. We can appreciate it. But that doesn’t mean it did it well, and that doesn’t create an obligation for us to enjoy it.
So the whole point of this book is to write a sci-fi murder mystery set on a cruise ship in space. That’s cool as hell! I was so psyched to start reading this, and the cover only added to my anticipation.
First of all, Tesla and Shal are alcoholics. Let’s get that out of the way. They brought a traveling bar with them, and they use it frequently. They are consuming copious amounts of alcohol throughout the entire book, probably upwards of six drinks a day. Each chapter begins with a cocktail recipe. They’re alcoholics, and I will brook no arguments about this.
Second of all, despite Tesla’s claims to the contrary, she absolutely uses her wealth and privilege to degrade and bully others. The number of times I winced while she was harassing innocent employees during one of her (not so) valiant attempts to solve the murders, has to have numbered in the thousands. Speaking of annoying things Tesla did, let’s talk about her service dog, Gimlet. Tesla also uses Gimlet as a tool to be used in her own manipulation. Gimlet is supposed to be a service dog, yet it feels like there are more scenes of Tesla sending Gimlet to be petted by someone they’re trying to get information out of than there are of Gimlet actually working. And Gimlet’s role in the unveiling of the murderer was nothing short of preposterous. (Spoilers) The murder was solved because someone didn’t like dogs. Okay, fine, some people don’t like dogs. That’s okay. I understand that. I myself am very picky about the dogs I do and don’t like. There was nothing to indicate that what’s-his-face liked or disliked dogs at all. That Time magazine cover was thrown in there as a Hail Mary. This gave the same energy as the Shadow and Bone series, when Alina decided Tamar was a lesbian because she didn’t find Mal attractive. Like sure, the base of the idea is there, but then you took it and ran with it in a direction that made no sense.
And the prose! The prose was awful! The word “buttocks” was used way too much to be novel, and I found myself annoyed by Tesla’s diction. Every time she described her pain, it was always something like, “red starbursts” or “green fireworks.” That’s fine to use once or twice, but when it’s on every single page, it gets old quickly. It got to the point where if I read a color followed by a synonym of explosive, I knew I was good to skip the next paragraph or so. I would have appreciated better descriptions of Tesla’s pain.
The ending was disappointing. It came out of nowhere, and it was not fleshed out well. I think the author created too many characters to try and throw off the reader, and then struggled to find an ending for them all. (Like, wtf was that Ewan kidnapping side plot? Crazy sauce. Or Annie and Jalna? What was the point of them being in the story, other than being wholly unoriginal red herrings. Also, Annie’s comment about Tesla being seen as a sham in the robotics field both cracked me up and made me angry. Sometimes things go wrong, Annie. At the same time though, Tesla has an overinflated ego.)
Really, the only things this book has going for it are the setting and the inclusivity. (Especially regarding gender!) But that’s not enough to redeem it of its errors. We’re approaching a point where we’re allowed to pick and choose the diverse books we like- it’s no longer a matter of seizing upon the first possible novel we see ourselves reflected in and grasping on to it for dear life. We’re allowed to dislike media, even when we see ourselves in it. We’re allowed to let inclusive materials be bad. And this is a prime example of that philosophy. We can acknowledge what The Spare Man attempted to do. We can appreciate it. But that doesn’t mean it did it well, and that doesn’t create an obligation for us to enjoy it.