• Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Wading Through...

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut #1)

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tor Books 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 431

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

Overall, this book just didn’t quite land with me. I was so caught up in the weird innuendo scenes between Nathaniel and Elma and the in-your-face sexism and anti-semitism that I had trouble really connecting to the rest of the story and characters. By setting the book in the 1950s, I knew that there was going to be a lot of -ism, but the storyline really never seemed to get past it in anyway. Even Elma herself constantly exhibited micro-aggressions towards her colleagues. I expected to see growth and really didn’t get much of any. And the marriage between Nathaniel and Elma constantly annoyed me. I realize that it’s still the 1950s, but come on. We get weird foreplay scenes and then fade to black almost every other chapter. We get to see Nathaniel support Elma, but then also constantly question her abilities and role. It was like watching a very infuriating tennis match. I was not a fan of them at all. And then we get to the storyline. While I was glad that we didn’t dwell on the immediate death and destruction caused by the meteorite, I feel like the it was quickly forgotten as we focused on the day-to-day running of the space program. I wanted a bit more about what was happening to the world. We get a few tiny snippets, but Elma mostly dismissing them. I would have liked to hear more about how the impact had affected people around the world instead of focusing on the small cast of characters in Kansas City. On a last note, the pacing was really slow in the middle. I was struggling to stay with it and not turn to other books. Unfortunately, I just don’t think that this story was for me at all.

Lady Astronaut

  • #1 The Calculating Stars

  • #2 The Fated Sky

  • #3 The Relentless Moon

Spring Reading Challenge.png
star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

service model.jpg stolen.jpg lovesickness.jpg frankenstein.jpg jujutsu5.jpg jujutsu6.jpg jujutsu7.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg water moon.jpg liminal.jpg sensor.jpg tombs.jpg
tags: science fiction, Mary Robinette Kowal, Spring TBR List, Nerdy Bookish Friends, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 04.14.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal

12160890.jpg

Title: Glamour in Glass

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tor 2012

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 334

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Second in Series

Mary Robinette Kowal stunned readers with her charming first novel Shades of Milk and Honey, a loving tribute to the works of Jane Austen in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence. This magic comes in the form of glamour, which allows talented users to form practically any illusion they can imagine. Shades debuted to great acclaim and left readers eagerly awaiting its sequel. Glamour in Glass continues following the lives of beloved main characters Jane and Vincent, with a much deeper vein of drama and intrigue.

In the tumultuous months after Napoleon abdicates his throne, Jane and Vincent go to Belgium for their honeymoon. While there, the deposed emperor escapes his exile in Elba, throwing the continent into turmoil. With no easy way back to England, Jane and Vincent's concerns turn from enjoying their honeymoon…to escaping it.

Left with no outward salvation, Jane must persevere over her trying personal circumstances and use her glamour to rescue her husband from prison . . . and hopefully prevent her newly built marriage from getting stranded on the shoals of another country's war.

A good second volume in this series. I don't think this will be one of those series that I rave about to everyone I meet, but I am enjoying myself. I love the mix of fantasy and Regency. I love the descriptions of using glamour and the results of the efforts. I enjoy the characters although both of the main characters can be trying at times. I did enjoy the moving of the setting to France. Interesting little volume. 

The Glamourist

  • #1 Shades of Milk and Honey
  • #2 Glamour in Glass
  • #3 Without a Summer
  • #4 Valour and Vanity
  • #5 Of Noble Family
Series 2018.jpg
library 2018.jpg
DYkQPpaW0AEeP9k.jpg

Next up on the TBR pile:

service model.jpg stolen.jpg lovesickness.jpg frankenstein.jpg jujutsu5.jpg jujutsu6.jpg jujutsu7.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg water moon.jpg liminal.jpg sensor.jpg tombs.jpg
tags: Mary Robinette Kowal, fantasy, 4 stars, I Love Libraries, Finishing the Series, Seasonal Series
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 03.30.18
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

8697507.jpg

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey (The Glamourist #1)

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tor 2010

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 306

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy - Red in a Day; A to Z - S; I Love Libraries

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane's skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody's suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right-and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical of this book when I first started reading. Based off of the blurbs from the back, I was unsure of how this book could live up to a description of it being a cross between Jane Austen and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.  And yet, the volume delivered on the promise. I was immediately drawn into a seemingly Austen-like world except for the fact that magic in the form of glamours is real. I connected to Jane and dove straight into her world. I ended up speeding through this book, finishing it in less than 24 hours. I just had to see what became of Jane and Melody and Beth, what Mr. Vincent created, who the scoundrel was, and how everything would be resolved in the end. This volume can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad and excited to read the rest of the series soon.

The Glamourist

  • #1 Shades of Milk and Honey
  • #2 Glamour in Glass
  • #3 Without a Summer
  • #4 Valour and Vanity
  • #5 Of Noble Family
MMD.jpg
library 2018.jpg
A to Z 2018.jpg

Next up on the TBR pile:

service model.jpg stolen.jpg lovesickness.jpg frankenstein.jpg jujutsu5.jpg jujutsu6.jpg jujutsu7.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg water moon.jpg liminal.jpg sensor.jpg tombs.jpg
tags: Mary Robinette Kowal, 5 stars, fantasy
categories: Book Reviews
Monday 02.26.18
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Powered by Squarespace.