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A review by andyshute
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
4.0
I kept hearing good things about this and while the Lady Astronaut series hasn't quite floated my boat, this really does. A fine murder mystery whodunnit wrapped up in science fiction trappings, riffing on the book and expanded film series, The Thin Man.
It's an interesting challenge in the current climate, to set the main character as a member of the ultrarich elite. Sympathy towards Tesla is strained at times and Kowal treads a fine balance between how much her privilege is brandished as a weapon versus her being consciously aware of it or called out on it. Brave choices (obviously again, riffing on the above) and it generally works.
Likewise, the constant talk on alcohol personally wore on me a little. Clearly advanced future civilisations haven't managed to curtail harmful drinking. Still, the brief afterword discussing cocktails was thoughtful and reframed things a little for me.
The depictions of Tesla's chronic pain is another huge aspect of the character. It's handled brilliantly, never letting you forget this is a constant experience for her, never gone, never not factoring into any decision or movement she makes. It's exhausting, just like real life.
There are some many great aspects to this story and it's highly enjoyable, with an engaging group of characters and a satisfying ending (which I hadn't guessed). I'm keen to read more of their adventures in the future if they get written.
It's an interesting challenge in the current climate, to set the main character as a member of the ultrarich elite. Sympathy towards Tesla is strained at times and Kowal treads a fine balance between how much her privilege is brandished as a weapon versus her being consciously aware of it or called out on it. Brave choices (obviously again, riffing on the above) and it generally works.
Likewise, the constant talk on alcohol personally wore on me a little. Clearly advanced future civilisations haven't managed to curtail harmful drinking. Still, the brief afterword discussing cocktails was thoughtful and reframed things a little for me.
The depictions of Tesla's chronic pain is another huge aspect of the character. It's handled brilliantly, never letting you forget this is a constant experience for her, never gone, never not factoring into any decision or movement she makes. It's exhausting, just like real life.
There are some many great aspects to this story and it's highly enjoyable, with an engaging group of characters and a satisfying ending (which I hadn't guessed). I'm keen to read more of their adventures in the future if they get written.