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sweekune 's review for:
The Fated Sky
by Mary Robinette Kowal
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5/5
Often the sequel or second book in a series tends to be less enjoyable than the first but boy does The Fated Sky buck that trend. Dr Elma York, aka The Lady Astronaut, joins a team on humanity's first expedition to Mars.
- The characters in The Calculating Stars were very well done but The Fated Sky just makes that better. The setting of this book restricted the number of side characters and seems to have allowed those that remain to have more depth and facet to them. I particularly enjoyed how the relationships between the Mars mission crew panned out as a group of people confined together for a long time.
- The crushing reality of space travel is shown in all its beautiful and horrifying detail. Kowal does not shy away from the negative aspects and dangers of space travel and the raw emotions of the characters on this journey were amazing. I love books that hypothesise the realities of space travel rather than rose-tinted romps through the galaxy.
- As in the previous book, Kowal weaves in actual historical events and society in a way that is very believable. Racism, Apartheid, polio, terrorism, political radicalism, Dr Martin Luther King, sexism, gender roles: all that and much more are mixed into the narrative incredibly well.
Although you would need to read the first book to understand a lot of the plot, The Fated Sky is an amazing book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys realistic sci-fi with lots of human elements.
Often the sequel or second book in a series tends to be less enjoyable than the first but boy does The Fated Sky buck that trend. Dr Elma York, aka The Lady Astronaut, joins a team on humanity's first expedition to Mars.
- The characters in The Calculating Stars were very well done but The Fated Sky just makes that better. The setting of this book restricted the number of side characters and seems to have allowed those that remain to have more depth and facet to them. I particularly enjoyed how the relationships between the Mars mission crew panned out as a group of people confined together for a long time.
- The crushing reality of space travel is shown in all its beautiful and horrifying detail. Kowal does not shy away from the negative aspects and dangers of space travel and the raw emotions of the characters on this journey were amazing. I love books that hypothesise the realities of space travel rather than rose-tinted romps through the galaxy.
- As in the previous book, Kowal weaves in actual historical events and society in a way that is very believable. Racism, Apartheid, polio, terrorism, political radicalism, Dr Martin Luther King, sexism, gender roles: all that and much more are mixed into the narrative incredibly well.
Although you would need to read the first book to understand a lot of the plot, The Fated Sky is an amazing book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys realistic sci-fi with lots of human elements.