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A review by powerduff
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
2.0
It didn't do much for me.
I wish I had more to say, but its true. I think the main issue with this one isn't the setting, which is well crafted (its always fun to see a realistic imagining of space travel) or even the mystery itself, which is interesting enough, but the characters.
I have a big issue with immensely rich main characters, especially when that wealth means they can basically coast through the story. Because that's basically what's going on here : there are no real reasons besides "I want to know what happened" motivating the characters to move the plot forward. It is quite clear that even if at the end of the story the mystery isn't solved, they will go on on their merry ways because they have infinite money and the ability to just bully the people who do not agree with them (which they don't refrain from doing in the story). The stakes are kinda weird, is what I'm trying to convey I suppose. They tend to make the main character more unlikable, and not in a good way, more in a "please, stop being such a Karen" way. I get that the author was trying to create a fair representation of what PTSD does to someone (and those are arguably the best scenes in the book) but it does not mesh well with the overall feel good, easy-reading vibe the book seems to be going for.
I wish I had more to say, but its true. I think the main issue with this one isn't the setting, which is well crafted (its always fun to see a realistic imagining of space travel) or even the mystery itself, which is interesting enough, but the characters.
I have a big issue with immensely rich main characters, especially when that wealth means they can basically coast through the story. Because that's basically what's going on here : there are no real reasons besides "I want to know what happened" motivating the characters to move the plot forward. It is quite clear that even if at the end of the story the mystery isn't solved, they will go on on their merry ways because they have infinite money and the ability to just bully the people who do not agree with them (which they don't refrain from doing in the story). The stakes are kinda weird, is what I'm trying to convey I suppose. They tend to make the main character more unlikable, and not in a good way, more in a "please, stop being such a Karen" way. I get that the author was trying to create a fair representation of what PTSD does to someone (and those are arguably the best scenes in the book) but it does not mesh well with the overall feel good, easy-reading vibe the book seems to be going for.