Joe’s review of The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut Universe, #1) > Likes and Comments
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Oh goodness. Sounds like quite the page-flipper. It's never good when a book brings to mind a much better version of itself! Fair and astute review, Joe.
Robin wrote: "Oh goodness. Sounds like quite the page-flipper. It's never good when a book brings to mind a much better version of itself! Fair and astute review, Joe."
I appreciate you commenting on my reviews even when they involve female astronauts or meteors or material that fall outside your usual wild rumpus, Robin. Your comments are always a pleasure.
Good review. I'm about halfway through, and have been tempted to flip through the rest. All the makings of several great novels: social issues, world-building, hard sci-fi. But it doesn't add up to much. I appreciate the attempt to address mental illness, but it's hard to take "stage fright" all that seriously when the world is literally ending around these characters. Just seems like a trivial, superfluous plot device that distracts from a strong premise.
Jim wrote: "I appreciate the attempt to address mental illness, but it's hard to take "stage fright" all that seriously when the world is literally ending around these characters. Just seems like a trivial, superfluous plot device that distracts from a strong premise."
Thanks, Jim! This is probably my biggest complaint with the novel. Giving the protagonist a case of the yips when the world was ending around her seemed like really small potatoes. It was very trivial.
Nice review, thanks for saving me from the book. The author is off the mark with the comment regarding ""Then know this. The United States Congress was in session, both the House and the Senate. Our federal government was nearly entirely wiped out. The Pentagon, Langley ... " In 1952.
On August 4, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing $46 million for construction of a CIA Headquarters Building.
I know it's supposed to be an alternative history, but come on. And nobody who lives around it, knows anything, or works there ever calls is "Langley".
I liked the first few chapters, but it feels like it's taking forever to get anywhere and something about Elma is just so annoying. Maybe it's her describing in painful detail the shades of brown of all the Black characters....
Shana wrote: "I liked the first few chapters, but it feels like it's taking forever to get anywhere and something about Elma is just so annoying. Maybe it's her describing in painful detail the shades of brown of all the Black characters..."
I hope it gets better for you, Shana. I like historical fiction or alternate historical fiction but think authors often don't know what they're writing and that was sort of the case here.
I'm thinking of giving up. I have a massive pile of books to read and there's only so much time to read
Shana wrote: "I'm thinking of giving up. I have a massive pile of books to read and there's only so much time to read"
I agree. You might like Becky Chambers' space operas. I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and thought that was pretty fantastic, and I'm not a big science fiction reader. Or, you might like people like me not adding more books to your leaning towers.
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Robin
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Jun 09, 2019 07:34AM
Oh goodness. Sounds like quite the page-flipper. It's never good when a book brings to mind a much better version of itself! Fair and astute review, Joe.
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Robin wrote: "Oh goodness. Sounds like quite the page-flipper. It's never good when a book brings to mind a much better version of itself! Fair and astute review, Joe."I appreciate you commenting on my reviews even when they involve female astronauts or meteors or material that fall outside your usual wild rumpus, Robin. Your comments are always a pleasure.
Good review. I'm about halfway through, and have been tempted to flip through the rest. All the makings of several great novels: social issues, world-building, hard sci-fi. But it doesn't add up to much. I appreciate the attempt to address mental illness, but it's hard to take "stage fright" all that seriously when the world is literally ending around these characters. Just seems like a trivial, superfluous plot device that distracts from a strong premise.
Jim wrote: "I appreciate the attempt to address mental illness, but it's hard to take "stage fright" all that seriously when the world is literally ending around these characters. Just seems like a trivial, superfluous plot device that distracts from a strong premise."Thanks, Jim! This is probably my biggest complaint with the novel. Giving the protagonist a case of the yips when the world was ending around her seemed like really small potatoes. It was very trivial.
Nice review, thanks for saving me from the book. The author is off the mark with the comment regarding ""Then know this. The United States Congress was in session, both the House and the Senate. Our federal government was nearly entirely wiped out. The Pentagon, Langley ... " In 1952.On August 4, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing $46 million for construction of a CIA Headquarters Building.
I know it's supposed to be an alternative history, but come on. And nobody who lives around it, knows anything, or works there ever calls is "Langley".
I liked the first few chapters, but it feels like it's taking forever to get anywhere and something about Elma is just so annoying. Maybe it's her describing in painful detail the shades of brown of all the Black characters....
Shana wrote: "I liked the first few chapters, but it feels like it's taking forever to get anywhere and something about Elma is just so annoying. Maybe it's her describing in painful detail the shades of brown of all the Black characters..."I hope it gets better for you, Shana. I like historical fiction or alternate historical fiction but think authors often don't know what they're writing and that was sort of the case here.
I'm thinking of giving up. I have a massive pile of books to read and there's only so much time to read
Shana wrote: "I'm thinking of giving up. I have a massive pile of books to read and there's only so much time to read"I agree. You might like Becky Chambers' space operas. I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and thought that was pretty fantastic, and I'm not a big science fiction reader. Or, you might like people like me not adding more books to your leaning towers.
