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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
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:
Complicated
There's a new Nick & Nora (and Asta) in town.
The Spare Man is a generally light, often funny and occasionally hilarious romp and a riff on the 1930s classic detective couple of D. Hammett (and the movies adapted from his novel) transposed into a late 21st century improbable-but-cool luxury cruise spaceship travelling from the Luna colony to the Martian one, with onboard the honeymooning former roboticist and crazy rich heiress Tesla Crane and her recently retired famous detective husband Shalmaneser Steward (named after the biblical king or the supercomputer in John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar - you decide).
On a twelve day honeymoon, the Happy Hour loving newlyweds soon find themselves inextricably embroiled in a series of murders that threaten to ruin their private escapade and sex life.
On a foundation of (basic but accurate) hard sci-fi, unsurprising from the author of the Lady Astronaut, but not so common in the lighter types of science-fiction where handwavium tends to reign supreme, Kowal adds her own layers of fun experiences of leisure cruises (her spaceship wouldn't be out of place in the fleet of The Expanse's Jules-Pierre Mao), a dash of satire of the rich and famous, a lot of 30s glamour and builds a rocambolesque classic whodunnit that's pretty solid and that pays homage to several tropes. The characters largely follow archetypes of the genre, with modern twists (and a lot of inclusivity, notably). The very privileged main duo is a tad irritating at the start but grows on you as the story goes on. The animal companion is, of course, absolutely charming and her relationship with her human is often very touching. Plot twists, each more bonkers than the last, keep you on your feet (at various gravities) until the final reveal. And Kowal even manages to integrate the Physics of space travel into the detail of the murders, or using notably transmission delays as a frequent source of hilarious moments (and there's even a very tongue-in-cheek "flippy-poo" from the Club Med style announcer. I can see a few too serious hard sci-fi readers shudder.)
Clearly intended above all to be sheer fun (I suspect for the author too, who wrote it during the pandemic), the novel still manages to touch with great sensibility on issues like disabilities (with pretty miraculous but barely fictional science) and trauma, or to put on display all the power and some of the pitfalls of privilege (largely leaving the reader to make their opinion, as the narrative presents only Tesla's own perspective on things).
While for many this will not reach the heights of Mary Robinette's speculative sandbox in the Lady Astronaut stories, it's also a completely different novel and taken for what it is, a cozy mystery in space that sparkles and goes down smoothly like a good cocktail, it's a really fun and quick read.
Now let's see if Ms. Kowal and Tesla will manage to convince Shalmaneser to come out of retirement and launch the Steward and Crane agency to go on further adventures.
The Spare Man is a generally light, often funny and occasionally hilarious romp and a riff on the 1930s classic detective couple of D. Hammett (and the movies adapted from his novel) transposed into a late 21st century improbable-but-cool luxury cruise spaceship travelling from the Luna colony to the Martian one, with onboard the honeymooning former roboticist and crazy rich heiress Tesla Crane and her recently retired famous detective husband Shalmaneser Steward (named after the biblical king or the supercomputer in John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar - you decide).
On a twelve day honeymoon, the Happy Hour loving newlyweds soon find themselves inextricably embroiled in a series of murders that threaten to ruin their private escapade and sex life.
On a foundation of (basic but accurate) hard sci-fi, unsurprising from the author of the Lady Astronaut, but not so common in the lighter types of science-fiction where handwavium tends to reign supreme, Kowal adds her own layers of fun experiences of leisure cruises (her spaceship wouldn't be out of place in the fleet of The Expanse's Jules-Pierre Mao), a dash of satire of the rich and famous, a lot of 30s glamour and builds a rocambolesque classic whodunnit that's pretty solid and that pays homage to several tropes. The characters largely follow archetypes of the genre, with modern twists (and a lot of inclusivity, notably). The very privileged main duo is a tad irritating at the start but grows on you as the story goes on. The animal companion is, of course, absolutely charming and her relationship with her human is often very touching. Plot twists, each more bonkers than the last, keep you on your feet (at various gravities) until the final reveal. And Kowal even manages to integrate the Physics of space travel into the detail of the murders, or using notably transmission delays as a frequent source of hilarious moments (and there's even a very tongue-in-cheek "flippy-poo" from the Club Med style announcer. I can see a few too serious hard sci-fi readers shudder.)
Clearly intended above all to be sheer fun (I suspect for the author too, who wrote it during the pandemic), the novel still manages to touch with great sensibility on issues like disabilities (with pretty miraculous but barely fictional science) and trauma, or to put on display all the power and some of the pitfalls of privilege (largely leaving the reader to make their opinion, as the narrative presents only Tesla's own perspective on things).
While for many this will not reach the heights of Mary Robinette's speculative sandbox in the Lady Astronaut stories, it's also a completely different novel and taken for what it is, a cozy mystery in space that sparkles and goes down smoothly like a good cocktail, it's a really fun and quick read.
Now let's see if Ms. Kowal and Tesla will manage to convince Shalmaneser to come out of retirement and launch the Steward and Crane agency to go on further adventures.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There were many things I liked about this book, dog included, but as a whole, it didnt stand up. Possibly because it is a longer version. The idea is great - honeymoon in space, going to Mars, when a murder happens! What a sweet idea. But it just doesnt land the way I hoped it would. Maybe I knew too much about the film it is based on and was going in with too much comparison already, so it fell short and I was disappointed. Not a horrible book, just not what I was expecting or hoping.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Recommended by Erica. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sspare%20man%20kowal__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
This was a solid space murder mystery. I enjoyed the plot, but my favorite thing about this book was the disability representation and the seamless gender-inclusive world-building. It was such a pleasure to take part in this world.