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The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Guys, why is this just not it? Honest question.
The Martian Contingency is book four in the Lady Astronaut series. I started out really liking The Calculating Stars, and the series premise overall is incredible.
It's alternate history science fiction starting in the 1960s, when a massive meteor slams into the Atlantic ocean, instantly wiping out most of the east coast and dooming humankind to a slow but inexorable climate-change death.
The first book centers on Elma, a scientist and mathematician who joins the effort to make it to outer space in order to save humanity. She faces obstacles both scientific and social/cultural on her way to becoming the Lady Astronaut, and it's a Hidden Figures/Interstellar mash-up that I completely enjoyed.
Book four returns to Elma as the protagonist, only now it's sixteen years later and she and her husband are part of what is intended to be the first wave of permanent colonization of Mars. They face the expected issues and setbacks, of course, but there's also something strange going on - a dangerous secret kept between the members of the first Mars expedition, that Elma isn't being told.
For some reason, this book felt like it took all the minor annoyances present in book one (Elma and Nathaniel's relationship consisting of 100% awkward rocket-themed sexual puns and fade-to-black sex scenes, somewhat lackluster relationship work in general) and turned them up to eleven. Meanwhile, everything fun in book one (the science! the danger! the math problems! the overcoming society's doubt, scorn, and roadblocks!) got turned way, way down.
It takes a long time for The Martian Contingency to even introduce the first big problem. Before that point, all we have is Elma doubting herself, Elma noticing the first Mars expedition crew's shadiness and being lied to about it, Elma making cultural connections with her coworkers of all faiths and races, Elma continuing to doubt herself, Elma doing chores, Elma and Nathaniel making cringey innuendo puns and multiple closed-door sex scenes, etc.
When the problem actually happens, it was a huge relief. Finally! A space problem to solve! But for some reason the space problems even in the second half of the book remain on the periphery of the story. The women get sent to the orbiting space station, while the men remain on-planet.
Supposedly, this is a good thing because it means the women will get to do all the spacewalks. And we do get to see Elma do one spacewalk! Other than that, the amount of time we get to see anyone actually addressing any plot issue or solving any problem is miniscule, and these problems are political and PR problems. I'm not even mad at that, though, because I LOVE political and PR problems compared what we actually do get to see.
We get way too much discussion of how upset all the men are that they won't get to have sex while separated, and how the lack of condoms is such a huge issue for the colonists. We get to see Elma baking at least three times, and the women celebrating cross-cultural holidays together at least twice. We continue to be treated to plenty of Elma's self-doubting moments.
And I want to clarify that I don't hate baking, or self doubt, or cross-cultural holidays! All of these things could be enjoyable! I love a multifaceted main character, and cast bonding! The problem is that when this takes the lion's share of the wordcount and the actual plot is happening in the margins of the story, it becomes frustrating. And this series continues to fail to convince me that the characters have strong relationships and care about each other.
There were approximately two times I was compelled by this book: 1) the disaster that puts Nathaniel in danger, and 2) the reveal of what happened during the first Mars expedition.
Both of those were good moments that held the strong place in the forefront of the narrative where they needed to be. Everything else fell mostly flat for me, which was not only disappointing but also kind of shocking. This story and this world have such an incredible premise that it should be impossible to miss such a slam-dunk.
(Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!)
The Martian Contingency is book four in the Lady Astronaut series. I started out really liking The Calculating Stars, and the series premise overall is incredible.
It's alternate history science fiction starting in the 1960s, when a massive meteor slams into the Atlantic ocean, instantly wiping out most of the east coast and dooming humankind to a slow but inexorable climate-change death.
The first book centers on Elma, a scientist and mathematician who joins the effort to make it to outer space in order to save humanity. She faces obstacles both scientific and social/cultural on her way to becoming the Lady Astronaut, and it's a Hidden Figures/Interstellar mash-up that I completely enjoyed.
Book four returns to Elma as the protagonist, only now it's sixteen years later and she and her husband are part of what is intended to be the first wave of permanent colonization of Mars. They face the expected issues and setbacks, of course, but there's also something strange going on - a dangerous secret kept between the members of the first Mars expedition, that Elma isn't being told.
For some reason, this book felt like it took all the minor annoyances present in book one (Elma and Nathaniel's relationship consisting of 100% awkward rocket-themed sexual puns and fade-to-black sex scenes, somewhat lackluster relationship work in general) and turned them up to eleven. Meanwhile, everything fun in book one (the science! the danger! the math problems! the overcoming society's doubt, scorn, and roadblocks!) got turned way, way down.
It takes a long time for The Martian Contingency to even introduce the first big problem. Before that point, all we have is Elma doubting herself, Elma noticing the first Mars expedition crew's shadiness and being lied to about it, Elma making cultural connections with her coworkers of all faiths and races, Elma continuing to doubt herself, Elma doing chores, Elma and Nathaniel making cringey innuendo puns and multiple closed-door sex scenes, etc.
When the problem actually happens, it was a huge relief. Finally! A space problem to solve! But for some reason the space problems even in the second half of the book remain on the periphery of the story. The women get sent to the orbiting space station, while the men remain on-planet.
Supposedly, this is a good thing because it means the women will get to do all the spacewalks. And we do get to see Elma do one spacewalk! Other than that, the amount of time we get to see anyone actually addressing any plot issue or solving any problem is miniscule, and these problems are political and PR problems. I'm not even mad at that, though, because I LOVE political and PR problems compared what we actually do get to see.
We get way too much discussion of how upset all the men are that they won't get to have sex while separated, and how the lack of condoms is such a huge issue for the colonists. We get to see Elma baking at least three times, and the women celebrating cross-cultural holidays together at least twice. We continue to be treated to plenty of Elma's self-doubting moments.
And I want to clarify that I don't hate baking, or self doubt, or cross-cultural holidays! All of these things could be enjoyable! I love a multifaceted main character, and cast bonding! The problem is that when this takes the lion's share of the wordcount and the actual plot is happening in the margins of the story, it becomes frustrating. And this series continues to fail to convince me that the characters have strong relationships and care about each other.
There were approximately two times I was compelled by this book: 1) the disaster that puts Nathaniel in danger, and 2) the reveal of what happened during the first Mars expedition.
Both of those were good moments that held the strong place in the forefront of the narrative where they needed to be. Everything else fell mostly flat for me, which was not only disappointing but also kind of shocking. This story and this world have such an incredible premise that it should be impossible to miss such a slam-dunk.
(Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!)
Paper Girls, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The ending! I thought it was pretty satisfying.
Paper Girls, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's good, but I'm being forced to conclude that comics just give me less than 1/3 the investment I would have in an actual book.
Paper Girls, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the first one where it seems like we're finding out some answers!
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Awful in every way. 4.5 stars.
I'm not sure what to say about this.
It's a vampire story of the old west, where a Blackfoot Indian man-turned-vampire preys on buffalo hunters and other enemies of his people. But it's also not nearly that simple.
It's a triple-nested epistolary-format story. In the near-present, a scholar works to preserve the newly-discovered journal of her many-times great-grandfather. In the early 1900s, that grandfather, an elderly Lutheran preacher in an isolated Montana town, records his own diary entries alongside the story of a mysterious Blackfoot man who visits his church weekly. Finally, after the diary's mysterious end, we return to the near-present day for the final denouement.
The vampire lore is highly interesting. I'm not usually a vampire story person, but I'm familiar with 2 styles of vampire: Dracula, and the 2010s pop vampires. This book's version is unlike either style, and introduces complications to the vampire condition with fascinating, horrible consequences. There are no loopholes in this universe available for a vampire who wishes to be "good."
By 5% in, I was hooked. By 50%, I was slightly freaked out because things had escalated SO much, but there was still half the book left! By 75%, I had intended to take a break to get necessary daily tasks done, but was unable to do so. I had to read the whole thing straight through to the end, because there was no way I could set it down at that point.
This book is painful in almost every possible way. The evil of American westward expansion and the slow-motion Indian genocide. Good Stab's own personal pain as he grapples with the monster he's become. The all-pervasive gore, blood, guts, decaying corpses, body horror, mutilation, and viscera as he deals out violence everywhere he goes. The loathsome dread and shame of the old preacher as he hides from his past.
It's deeply grim, but absolutely gripping and impossible to look away from. I loved it and was repulsed all at the same time.
The only moment of fun came from the OG vampire. His vibe was evil, of course, but in a way so dissonant to the rest of the story's tone that he was almost a breath of fresh air while he was around. (Honorable mention to the time Good Stab went undercover as a statue. That wasn't funny, really, but it was almost funny.)
The ending when we find ourselves back in the near-present was another strong tonal shift, but continued to be entirely insane and horrifying. Overall, this book had me in a chokehold from the very first chapter, and I definitely recommend it if you're a person who enjoys horror.
I'm not sure what to say about this.
It's a vampire story of the old west, where a Blackfoot Indian man-turned-vampire preys on buffalo hunters and other enemies of his people. But it's also not nearly that simple.
It's a triple-nested epistolary-format story. In the near-present, a scholar works to preserve the newly-discovered journal of her many-times great-grandfather. In the early 1900s, that grandfather, an elderly Lutheran preacher in an isolated Montana town, records his own diary entries alongside the story of a mysterious Blackfoot man who visits his church weekly. Finally, after the diary's mysterious end, we return to the near-present day for the final denouement.
The vampire lore is highly interesting. I'm not usually a vampire story person, but I'm familiar with 2 styles of vampire: Dracula, and the 2010s pop vampires. This book's version is unlike either style, and introduces complications to the vampire condition with fascinating, horrible consequences. There are no loopholes in this universe available for a vampire who wishes to be "good."
By 5% in, I was hooked. By 50%, I was slightly freaked out because things had escalated SO much, but there was still half the book left! By 75%, I had intended to take a break to get necessary daily tasks done, but was unable to do so. I had to read the whole thing straight through to the end, because there was no way I could set it down at that point.
This book is painful in almost every possible way. The evil of American westward expansion and the slow-motion Indian genocide. Good Stab's own personal pain as he grapples with the monster he's become. The all-pervasive gore, blood, guts, decaying corpses, body horror, mutilation, and viscera as he deals out violence everywhere he goes. The loathsome dread and shame of the old preacher as he hides from his past.
It's deeply grim, but absolutely gripping and impossible to look away from. I loved it and was repulsed all at the same time.
The only moment of fun came from the OG vampire. His vibe was evil, of course, but in a way so dissonant to the rest of the story's tone that he was almost a breath of fresh air while he was around. (Honorable mention to the time Good Stab went undercover as a statue. That wasn't funny, really, but it was almost funny.)
The ending when we find ourselves back in the near-present was another strong tonal shift, but continued to be entirely insane and horrifying. Overall, this book had me in a chokehold from the very first chapter, and I definitely recommend it if you're a person who enjoys horror.
Paper Girls, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Hmm, this is the most interesting installment yet. The girls are transported to some prehistoric time, and learn more about what started this whole mess.
Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
The time travel adventure continues, this time with Erin meeting several versions of herself. Older Erin is very interesting, and I loved her discussion and hug with younger Erin. What exactly is going on still remains confusing, but we begin to see hints.
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I'm not sure how to rate this! It's a fun story of four paper delivery girls in the 80's who get swept up in time travel shenanigans. The illustrations are lovely to look at and the colors pop off the page. It's great, but I've always struggled to really connect with graphic novels and this is no exception.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
This was a surprising and somewhat mysterious read.
I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book, but I was wrong. It's a compilation written by a neurologist of some of his most unusual, thought-provoking cases, meant to illustrate the endless complexity of the human body and how inextricable the working of the body is from the working of the human spirit. I think it does accomplish this goal quite well.
However, the author's forward conveys the idea that he ended up writing these abridged case studies for a general audience mostly because there was no appetite for them in the scientific literature of the day. As such, it is much denser in its focus on the mysterious science behind the patients' various strange issues than I would expect from the typical pop science/pop psychology book. Sometimes Sacks will take care to explain what he means, and sometimes he will drop a six-syllable scientific term as if he expects us all to already know it.
This book is also from the 1980s. That doesn't remove the interesting nature of its content, but it does mean that there are a lot of outdated terms and concepts used. I'm not sure how much of the actual scientific theory I can take away from this, since I have no idea how the discipline has advanced in the last forty years. I would love to read a modern version.
I hope we have advanced in our understanding and treatment of patients like these, but I suspect that there will always remain something elusive in our understanding of the interplay of brain, body, and spirit.
I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book, but I was wrong. It's a compilation written by a neurologist of some of his most unusual, thought-provoking cases, meant to illustrate the endless complexity of the human body and how inextricable the working of the body is from the working of the human spirit. I think it does accomplish this goal quite well.
However, the author's forward conveys the idea that he ended up writing these abridged case studies for a general audience mostly because there was no appetite for them in the scientific literature of the day. As such, it is much denser in its focus on the mysterious science behind the patients' various strange issues than I would expect from the typical pop science/pop psychology book. Sometimes Sacks will take care to explain what he means, and sometimes he will drop a six-syllable scientific term as if he expects us all to already know it.
This book is also from the 1980s. That doesn't remove the interesting nature of its content, but it does mean that there are a lot of outdated terms and concepts used. I'm not sure how much of the actual scientific theory I can take away from this, since I have no idea how the discipline has advanced in the last forty years. I would love to read a modern version.
I hope we have advanced in our understanding and treatment of patients like these, but I suspect that there will always remain something elusive in our understanding of the interplay of brain, body, and spirit.
Exiles by Mason Coile
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Interesting. This book surprised me.
A blend of sci-fi, mystery, and horror, this story follows the three-person crew of the first manned mission to Mars. They're supposed to arrive and be greeted by the robots sent ahead of time to prepare their base, but when they finally get there, something is wrong. The robots are acting strange, and an alien threat lurks outside. Or does it?
It's a quick book, and you never have a chance to get bored. The mystery piqued my interest immediately, and the pace never lets up. I love sci-fi, but I don't love horror, so ultimately I think I'm not the target audience here. However, though this isn't the kind of thing I would go looking for to read, I did enjoy this story more than I expected to.
A blend of sci-fi, mystery, and horror, this story follows the three-person crew of the first manned mission to Mars. They're supposed to arrive and be greeted by the robots sent ahead of time to prepare their base, but when they finally get there, something is wrong. The robots are acting strange, and an alien threat lurks outside. Or does it?
It's a quick book, and you never have a chance to get bored. The mystery piqued my interest immediately, and the pace never lets up. I love sci-fi, but I don't love horror, so ultimately I think I'm not the target audience here. However, though this isn't the kind of thing I would go looking for to read, I did enjoy this story more than I expected to.