It is breathy and edgy, as if equal parts Clint Eastwood and Duke Nukem from the eponymous video game serious. Kafer's narration style for this story is interesting. The paring of narrator Jeffrey Kafer and M.R. Why? For a plethora of reasons, starting with. What did I just read, or more succinctly, listen to? Honestly, I found Deliverance, Forgotten Colony one of the most frustrating pieces of fiction in recent history. I am still undecided if I will read any further into the series. But did it deliver the story I was expecting from a Nebula winner? Sadly no. Why? You've got a female protagonist functioning in a time when when women were just starting to come into their own voice.
All in all, the Calculating Stars feels like a fantastic premise that ultimately betrays its promise in the end. I love when good romance or sexual tension is added to a story, but unfortunately, this felt like a sanitized, awkward, I want my characters to have intimacy but I don't want to alienate younger readers, kind of delivery. But the sexy scenes felt forced, as well as all the child-like giggle-worthy rocket-based sexual innuendo. I understand the main character is a scientist, as is her husband, and most of the ancillary characters. This results in a narrative that is very passive, and by that, I mean inactive, which feels strange for a story rife with such wonderful conflict and tension. And yet instead of utilizing these complications to amplify humanity's impending doom, they take over for it. Much of the conflict in this story is interpersonal differences, (man vs man), or Elma's own struggles with anxiety (woman vs herself).
There are even some really important, riveting moments relegated to lines of dialogue that miss the chance to strike any kind of emotional chord. Most of the narrative is presented with dialogue-people having meetings about what did, what will, or what is happening. But she seems to shy away from telling this story through the active moments that could have really set this story apart. I did finish it, in the end, and will say this much - Kowal is a good writer and narrator. I actually stepped away from this book several times, moving to other audio books because I just couldn't stay interested. Unfortunately, after the exciting introduction, the rest of the narrative devolves into a rather flat, predictable, and frustratingly passive affair. It really is a fantastic set up, and promises what great science fiction usually does-cataclysm and how a protagonist will resolve or work around it. The start, as many other reviewers have identified, is a riveting and well-crafted hook.
I listened to The Calculating Stars on recommendation of a friend. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
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