Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kinanik 's review for:
The Spare Man
by Mary Robinette Kowal
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
This book was both fun and frustrating. Mary Robinette Kowal does a great job building the 'secondary belief' in a future world that isn't too different from our own. The mechanics of a luxury space cruise that caters to three different gravity-level passenger groups is well explained, and you're constantly reminded that this couldn't be happening on a planet. The increasing ship-earth time delay (though the thought of having concurrent conversations with a six minute delay would drive my ADHD mad...), the Coriolis effect...
The constraints the protagonist faces were blunted by her immense wealth and status, which undermined some of the tension of the story. The mystery also resolved in a way I found unsatisfying; in my mysteries I like to try to deduce alongside the protagonist. Kowal did a good job dropping some hints, but the resolution (in my mind) relied on a novel technology not discussed elsewhere in the story...
A good sci-fi mystery, and enjoyable. But not perfect.
The constraints the protagonist faces were blunted by her immense wealth and status, which undermined some of the tension of the story. The mystery also resolved in a way I found unsatisfying; in my mysteries I like to try to deduce alongside the protagonist. Kowal did a good job dropping some hints, but the resolution (in my mind) relied on a novel technology not discussed elsewhere in the story...
A good sci-fi mystery, and enjoyable. But not perfect.