July 2020 - The Calculating Stars [No Spoilers]

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

The no-spoiler thread, have fun!

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

I've read it not long ago, so I'll take part in spoilers thread when there are more readers. The book is interesting and a bit unusual compared with what I usually read

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

I can see how this book can get an unjustified pushback for the apparent "retro bashing" of the good old sexism. The same reason may give it an undue credit, but under the surface it has a lot going for it.

Those who will find it like just another case of more of the same, I urge you to give it a chance. It was a 3 star read for me at first but it won me over eventually.

I've started reading it a couple of days ago, just to get a headstart and ended up finishing it in two days.

[Kalin]

Did it get significant pushback? It won all the awards. I really found this one overhyped and didn't like a lot of things about it.

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

Kalin wrote: "Did it get significant pushback? It won all the awards. I really found this one overhyped and didn't like a lot of things about it."

Not an official pushback I guess, the critics and the oppression Olympics fan base ate it up. I can however imagine some fellas seeing it as a chick book, it's more than that though.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

It reads like a best seller with women characters to me. And science. Much less genre-like than most SF books to me

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

Kateblue wrote: "It reads like a best seller with women characters to me. And science. Much less genre-like than most SF books to me"

I completely agree about its 'less genre-likeness'

[Joe]

Been looking forward to reading this one! I've heard mostly good things.

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

Reading this does anybody else feel that it is very Heinlein-esque?

I find that the themes explored are very similar to the themes found in many of his books. The protagonist is working for the betterment of the human race, while facing their own struggles. The classic themes of overcoming adversity, personal development, leadership and individualism. Throw in a few cringy sex scenes, good science sequences, some politics and voila!

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

An interesting idea Art. I haven't viewed her work very RAH-like, except the same time period. She does have similarities though, as I now see. At the same time she heavily cites 'real world' with many real characters, unlike RAH

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

Oleksandr wrote: "At the same time she heavily cites 'real world' with many real characters, unlike RAH.."

That is very true. At times seems like a cop out too.

[Kalin]

Art wrote: "Throw in a few cringy sex scenes"

THE CRINGIEST! Egads. I read this book while working in a bookstore and read those scenes out loud to amuse/torture my coworkers. We could not figure out why they weren't nominated for the Bad Sex in Fiction award.

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

I actually thought sex scenes were nerdy funny. I have to admit, I don't usually like sex in my books, not as a prude, I just usually associate reading with other pleasures and if I need a stimulus and depending only on myself, seeking internet for some visuals is faster and more precise.. ofc, that's male view, dominated by sight to much greater extent

[Gabi]

LOL! Completely agree with the cringy sex scenes. They were horrible.

[Eva]

Oh god yes, so cringy and embarrassing!

I still really enjoyed it, though, and particularly appreciated that all of the technical details about flying, as well as all of the science totally checked out (she had several real astronauts collaborating on the book to make sure). It proved that ultra HARD science fiction can still feature engaging characters.

To anyone trying this for the first time: have fun! I did - despite the sex scenes which reminded me of repetitive dad jokes. :-D

[Kristenelle]

Now I have to read it for the sex scenes lol. I want to cringe with you all. I got mine from the tor book club and will probably start it in a couple days.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

I usually skip sex scenes no matter what I am reading. Not prudish, just--bored now. These, as I recall from last year, where thankfully SHORT!

[John]

7/5/20: I have started the novel. Here we go...

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

I think of many of the books on the subject of sexism, I find this novel the most successful. There were no role reversal, no forced bravado or a "tough guy gal" character which is basically a dude character with a female name.

I liked all the nuances of the protagonist's character, time-appropriate but not to the extent where it was too stereotypical.

I was wondering if the sequel had anything to offer, I'll provably try taking a look at it if I met all my reading goals for this month.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Art, I liked the sequel, but not as much as this one. Don't wait too long--it's a direct sequel--no, actually, a continuation. It was written as one book and just kept getting longer, I read somewhere, so she broke it in half. Though if I recall properly, this first book is slightly longer.

[Kat]

Art wrote: "Reading this does anybody else feel that it is very Heinlein-esque?

I find that the themes explored are very similar to the themes found in many of his books. The protagonist is working for the b..."

I definitely agree about the cringy sex scenes!

[Kat]

I wasn't a fan of this book, but some other remarks have made me reconsider, at least a bit. I think the worst thing about the sex scenes is that they didn't accomplish anything--didn't move the story forward or show us anything new about the characters. In a really good novel every scene should leave things at least a little different than they were before that scene.

I don't mind sex scenes in novels--they can be intense and really contribute to character dynamics. But I like them to meet that criterion. It's been my observation that sex scenes in which the sex is bad (disappointing or upsetting) are usually more effective than scenes in which the sex is good.

[John]

Ok, 100 pages in and I’ve really enjoyed the whole meteorite scenario and the subsequent determining of how it will affect the planet. I’m a bit concerned now, as I reach part II, that the book will change course and lose its good momentum. Fingers are crossed that this will not be the case. Part I felt like - to me at least - the same vibe as Lucifers Hammer, which is one of my all-time favorite end-of-the-world novels, so maybe I was just homesick for that type of storytelling. Oh, well, moving on!

[John]

“...the bright bundle of delight between my...”? Ok, I’ve reached one of the previously mentioned cringy sex scenes. Really goofy.
Moving on!

[John]

31% in now. I have a confession: I went onto Amazon and read the reviews on this book, particularly the 1 and 2 star reviews. That's never a smart thing to do, particularly when you are going through a book's "doldrums" and are having second thoughts. That's where I am with this one. After a VERY promising start, it has descended into a jumble of endless literary montages of long days of working, lots of hand-wringing and lessons on PC, and a heroine who's scared of her own shadow and has panic attacks followed by vomiting. Oh, and cringy flirting and love scenes! So many rocket puns. Oy.

I hate to ever quit on a book so I will keep on keeping on, but I hope it gets better, maybe even returning to the form that it started with. I just wonder, as did so many of those on Amazon who reviewed it, how in the H-E-double hockey sticks did this book win the Hugo and the Nebula?

Stay safe, all!

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Now that you mention it, I remember sighing a lot during that section, but I ended up loving the book, so it must get better.

Also, although I am not as old as the women in this book, I remember being nervous to call the operator and have to talk to her to make collect calls to my parents when I was a freshman in college. I didn't throw up, though.

It's amazing that us old broads ever learned to do anything!

[John]

44% in now, 220 pages down and not even half-way through. Sigh...
After my last comments the book went right into another scene where our steely-eyed, tough as nails, future astronaut heroine went on another public appearance outing and, you guessed it, she had a panic attack (facepalm). The sweats, shaking, and of course, bile and vomiting. Just for fun I searched the book and “vomit” or one of its forms appears TWENTY FIVE times. And the public appearance that caused our intrepid lady pilot to have this flare up of nerves? Meeting POTUS, perhaps? No, she was going to see a Girl Scout troop. Sheesh.
...and we’re reading, we’re reading...and she just puked again, in her husband’s office. Sorry, not trying to bring down the thread, I just think the author is trying a bit too hard to focus on her character’s insecurities. Please get better. Please! Hashtag: WeGetItSheGetsNervous

[Kalin]

It does not get better lol.

At this point you should consider moving to the spoilers thread, or hide your detailed plot comments behind spoiler tags here.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Thanks, Kalin . . . I did not realize which thread we were in.

[John]

Kalin wrote: "It does not get better lol.

At this point you should consider moving to the spoilers thread, or hide your detailed plot comments behind spoiler tags here."

Well that’s disappointing news! Thanks, I will be more careful about spoilers moving forward.

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

John wrote: "44% in now, 220 pages down and not even half-way through. Sigh...
After my last comments the book went right into another scene where our steely-eyed, tough as nails, future astronaut heroine went ..."

Unfortunately this particular part of the group was one of the most accurate ones. Victims do not choose their triggers, nor it is ever rational or controllable. That is why I'm always annoyed when authors use their "victims" to drive the plot without considering what implications there actually are.

It was one of the strongest parts of the book and the detail that tied everything so well together

[Joe]

Kateblue wrote: "I usually skip sex scenes no matter what I am reading. Not prudish, just--bored now. These, as I recall from last year, where thankfully SHORT!"

I do the same.... that's definitely not what I read books for.

[Kristenelle]

I'm about 25% right now. That first sex scene was painful. It would have been fine if they didn't use global warming and rocketry as double entendres imo.

I like it ok on the whole. I'm not loving how it is set in the 50's and being a woman sucks even more than it does now. It is too real and relatable. My mood would prefer it to be more escapist right now.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Sequel is on sale here, today only $2.99 today Kindle US
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0756JKWC...

Actually. so is this book, same price, too bad it's too late (I'm sure it's because the third one just came out)
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0756JH5R...

[John]

Kateblue wrote: "Sequel is on sale here, today only $2.99 today Kindle US
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0756JKWC......"

Thanks for the tip!