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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't normally read science fiction but someone I talk to on social media recommended and I thought I'd give it a try.
It's a mystery, too. And I do read that genre which was helpful.
As a mystery it works really well. The way trauma and disability is woven into the plot is well done. Pseudonyms and other masking techniques also used to good effect.
It's a mystery, too. And I do read that genre which was helpful.
As a mystery it works really well. The way trauma and disability is woven into the plot is well done. Pseudonyms and other masking techniques also used to good effect.
A fun and breezy read, which I enjoyed.
But not up to the very high quality level of the Lady Astronaut series.
It was fun that craft cocktails play a recurring role in a book set ~100 years in the future.
But there wasn't so much there there
But not up to the very high quality level of the Lady Astronaut series.
It was fun that craft cocktails play a recurring role in a book set ~100 years in the future.
But there wasn't so much there there
I did finish this, but I didn’t really enjoy it…it’s just both so ridiculous and annoying. Between the drinking (I’m not a drinker so the recipes at the beginning of each chapter did nothing for me), the ridiculous service dog (it’s nice to have a service dog represented, but Gimlet didn’t act a lot like a service dog), Tesla’s steamrolling over people with her privilege, her completely and constantly disregarding her lawyer’s advice, and crazy red herrings, it just didn’t do it for me.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was fine. A whodunit in space. It kinda was noir-y but I wanted it to be more so. The plot was intriguing and it definitely kept me interested, but the main character is a billionaire that solves all her problems with money and asking to speak to the manager and that’s just not what I’m looking for in a protagonist.
Ultimately disappointed but was fine. Didn’t hate it but was never excited about it.
Ultimately disappointed but was fine. Didn’t hate it but was never excited about it.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
For lovers of The Thin Man series, and fans of The Thrilling Adventure Hour
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
After loving the Lady Astronaut books, of course I had to read The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal as well.
There's much to like about it: a SF mystery plot on a cruise space ship bound for Mars, where both recycling and different spin gravity levels play a role. A gender-neutral society where everyone's introduced with their pronouns and all physical characteristics (white, bald, fat, athletic, blue-haired...) are equally neutrally described. Recurring pub quiz trivia questions.
A disabled protagonist, whose disabilities are depicted realistically and are in part relevant to the plot. A lawyer whose colorful language sprouted #TeamFantine on Twitter. There's much to like, I wanted to like it, and I liked much about it.
But in the end, I have to say it wasn't for me.
Maybe it's just that I'm not a dog person and couldn't believe almost everyone in this book is. Maybe it's because the constant drinking weirded me out and made me uncomfortable.
But the main reason I couldn't get into it was that I just couldn't care enough about those rich people and their problems. The protagonist is a likable character who's gone through a lot, but I found myself much more interested in the lower tiers of that society: who works on a spaceship as a concierge and why? Who are the technicians, the bartenders, and the entertainers? We get tantalizing glimpses of them, but I really would have liked to see a "lower decks" view.
There's much to like about it: a SF mystery plot on a cruise space ship bound for Mars, where both recycling and different spin gravity levels play a role. A gender-neutral society where everyone's introduced with their pronouns and all physical characteristics (white, bald, fat, athletic, blue-haired...) are equally neutrally described. Recurring pub quiz trivia questions.
A disabled protagonist, whose disabilities are depicted realistically and are in part relevant to the plot. A lawyer whose colorful language sprouted #TeamFantine on Twitter. There's much to like, I wanted to like it, and I liked much about it.
But in the end, I have to say it wasn't for me.
Maybe it's just that I'm not a dog person and couldn't believe almost everyone in this book is. Maybe it's because the constant drinking weirded me out and made me uncomfortable.
But the main reason I couldn't get into it was that I just couldn't care enough about those rich people and their problems. The protagonist is a likable character who's gone through a lot, but I found myself much more interested in the lower tiers of that society: who works on a spaceship as a concierge and why? Who are the technicians, the bartenders, and the entertainers? We get tantalizing glimpses of them, but I really would have liked to see a "lower decks" view.