Book Review: The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Originally posted on 28 Nov 2022
- Title: The Spare Man
- Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
- ISBN: 9781250829160
Last year I read MRK’s Lady Astronaut series. I’m not usually a fan of speculative fiction but this series really worked for me. Therefore when I saw she had a new book out I grabbed it ASAP.
This one is a (sci-fi) mystery, another genre I usually don’t enjoy. It’s much more “mystery that happens to be set on a spaceship” than “spaceship where there happens to be a mystery.” But, yet again, MRK pulled me in.
Like the Lady Astronaut series, The Spare Man really leans into the science as well as ensuring other elements (such as details about service dogs) are accurate. I found this helped make the book more relatable and engaging. Sometimes a bit too engaging, as more than once I fell into the “just one more chapter” trap before bed.
The first Lady Astronaut book had a story that set up sequels. I didn’t feel that The Spare Man did the same, but I’d not be surprised to see MRK bring us more books featuring these characters. I’d welcome it (especially Gimlet and Maria). This book was fun and I’m sure follow-ups would be as well.