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cowboylikestoread43's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Ableism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury
lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
One of the best books I have ever read!
Phenomenal disability rep for a character with agency? Check.
An adorable service dog? Check.
A swoon-worthy love interest? Check.
Interesting world building and futuristic technology that seems grounded in reality? Check.
World building that centers gender-neutral language (joyfriend, spouse) and assumptions (Mx., they) until informed otherwise as part of a naturalized pronoun introduction? Check.
A murder mystery with twists that kept me guessing and turning the pages? Check.
Honestly, this book has it all!
Phenomenal disability rep for a character with agency? Check.
An adorable service dog? Check.
A swoon-worthy love interest? Check.
Interesting world building and futuristic technology that seems grounded in reality? Check.
World building that centers gender-neutral language (joyfriend, spouse) and assumptions (Mx., they) until informed otherwise as part of a naturalized pronoun introduction? Check.
A murder mystery with twists that kept me guessing and turning the pages? Check.
Honestly, this book has it all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Minor: Physical abuse, Ableism, and Sexism
The graphic kidnapping is actuallykatievh's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Ableism, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Classism
astropova's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
Loved it! The setting was so cool and the mystery/investigation had so many twists and turns.
Though I was starting to get a little annoyed with Tesla constantly bulldozing over people - like I get that you don't trust the security officers, but you should at least listen to your own retired detective spouse, since knowing how this all works is his literal job. There were so many moments when "very smart" Tesla was missing something important while she was ranting at people. And then she gets self-conscious about not acting "too privileged" - you either do or don't care how you appear, you can't have it both ways. It felt a little disingenuous and annoying, since otherwise she was such a cool character.
Though I was starting to get a little annoyed with Tesla constantly bulldozing over people - like I get that you don't trust the security officers, but you should at least listen to your own retired detective spouse, since knowing how this all works is his literal job. There were so many moments when "very smart" Tesla was missing something important while she was ranting at people. And then she gets self-conscious about not acting "too privileged" - you either do or don't care how you appear, you can't have it both ways. It felt a little disingenuous and annoying, since otherwise she was such a cool character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Ableism, and Kidnapping
never_enough_bookmarks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Ableism, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Gore, and Drug abuse
laurareads87's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I liked The Spare Man, but not as much as the author's Lady Astronaut books which I *really* like. What worked for me was the setting - a multiple-ringed luxury cruise spaceship! - and the way it creates a 'locked room' around the murder mystery. I also liked how Kowal represented a future where sharing pronouns is normalized (and using gender neutral pronouns and honorifics when unknown is the default). I appreciated the representation of disability. What didn't entirely work for me were the characters - many felt rather flat. I thought there was some effective misdirection and a few great twists in the plot, but a few too many brand new elements, some of them rather cliche, were introduced right at the very end to make the mystery work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Ableism, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
athryn's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I buzzsawed through this in 2 days. Really fun, inspired by 1930s screwball comedies (you can tell from the title) about a murder mystery on a Space Cruise Ship on the way to Mars. I will say that I found the main character to be a little grating with her pile of issues, but I still enjoyed it and the rest of the characters (especially Gimlet!) to be great. Plus, there's a cocktail recipe at the start of each chapter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Chronic illness, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
nostoat's review
fast-paced
5.0
Disability rep! Service dog! Murder! Space! All the elements of a very good story. I enjoyed this book a lot and read it so fast I barely realized I was 60% through when I stopped to do something. Definitely some content warnings for this one, besides y'know, the murder. At times the situations on page hit so hard I was physically tense while reading them. The ending is perfect in the murder mystery "everyone gets their due" way, both good and bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Ableism
Someone is said to have overdosed on opiods and alcohol, but was really poisoned. Detailed and highly accurate representation of PTSD after a space accident.displacedcactus's review against another edition
mysterious
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? No
This is a relatively fun mystery set on a space cruise. The sci-fi elements are relatively light; for the most part the mystery could have been set on an actual cruise ship, but the space setting makes for fun window dressing, and the advanced technology takes turns helping and hampering the characters.
Your enjoyment of this book will probably be largely influenced by how you feel about ultra-wealthy characters. Tesla Crane is the heir to a major tech company, off on a luxurious cruise with her new husband, a retired private detective. She definitely uses her wealth, privilege, and high-powered lawyer as a bludgeon throughout the story.
That said, Tesla is also disabled. A terrible accident left her with a spine held together by pins and rods, chronic pain, reduced mobility, and PTSD. The author has extrapolated from current scientific advancements to come up with some ideas with how Tesla would manage these in a futuristic setting. She also has a very cute service dog.Gimlet the dog does end up in some peril but she is OK in the end! The dog survives!
I appreciate that this book presents a queernorm future, with gay couples and non-binary people present throughout the ship, and normalization of sharing pronouns.
As always, I like how Kowal writes established couples, giving us a strong central relationship that underpins the story, without needing to develop a romance alongside a plot.
Tesla and her husband Shal have some charged banter and clearly have a healthy sex life, but there's no explicit on-page love scenes. I'd say this probably falls at the mild end of a PG-13.
Your enjoyment of this book will probably be largely influenced by how you feel about ultra-wealthy characters. Tesla Crane is the heir to a major tech company, off on a luxurious cruise with her new husband, a retired private detective. She definitely uses her wealth, privilege, and high-powered lawyer as a bludgeon throughout the story.
That said, Tesla is also disabled. A terrible accident left her with a spine held together by pins and rods, chronic pain, reduced mobility, and PTSD. The author has extrapolated from current scientific advancements to come up with some ideas with how Tesla would manage these in a futuristic setting. She also has a very cute service dog.
I appreciate that this book presents a queernorm future, with gay couples and non-binary people present throughout the ship, and normalization of sharing pronouns.
As always, I like how Kowal writes established couples, giving us a strong central relationship that underpins the story, without needing to develop a romance alongside a plot.
Tesla and her husband Shal have some charged banter and clearly have a healthy sex life, but there's no explicit on-page love scenes. I'd say this probably falls at the mild end of a PG-13.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma and Violence
Minor: Ableism
kiaras's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Car accident, Confinement, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Chronic illness, Violence, and Ableism
Minor: Suicide and Classism