Reviews - The Spare Man | The StoryGraph

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

1.1k reviews for:

The Spare Man

Mary Robinette Kowal

3.75 AVERAGE

whatisshelbyreading's review against another edition

1.0

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: Yes

This book was awful. I listened to part of it on audiobook and I swear it made it worse with her terrible voices. The main character Tesla was the most annoying character I’ve ever read. Talk about spoiled, rich, brat! If this wasn’t for a book club, I wouldn’t have finished it at all.

meganleighb's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional mysterious tense 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: Yes

rouge_red's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 11%

Read the first chapter. Felt a bit meh because of the humor and worried it would continue throughout. Gave it two more chapters. Turns out I was right to worry. I wanted to read a good mystery, but I don't want this type of lighter hearted tone in my mysteries, so dnf.

cdubiel's review against another edition

4.0

I loved the concept of this book - a murder mystery set in space. Tesla Crane is the protagonist - she's a famous engineer in hiding. She's on her honeymoon with her spouse, Shal, and she doesn't want anyone to know who she is. Tesla also has some injuries (which are explained later in the book) and she has a sweet service dog, Gimlet, who is also trained to be a therapy dog. When a body drops in a corridor, Tesla's spouse is the prime suspect. The investigation isn't so much your typical amateur sleuth story--Tesla kind of falls into it. Much of the first half is dedicated to investigating potential suspects. There is a lot going on, including several complicated red herrings. I felt like I needed a graph to sort everything out. It's twisty and fun for readers who like genre blends.

jonmhansen's review against another edition

5.0

This was delightful. Liked the character and the dynamic between the lead and her husband, the interplanetary cruise ship was intriguing, and I enjoyed the mystery (lotta suspects, a good thing). I don't know if this is intended as a series or not, but I wouldn't be disappointed if it was. On the whole: yes.