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For Want Of A Nail (2000)

by Mary Robinette Kowal(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

review 1: I read the copy that had the first unedited version of the story that eventually was rewritten and sold to Asimov's and then was nominated for a Hugo. I'll admit to only skimming the unedited version of the story. I liked the final version enough that I didn't want to spoil it with the first. The edited story has a steam-punk feel to it which I liked much more than the original version. I liked the smaller more personal feel of the story also. The author has such a precise yet lyrical way of describing and moving stories along. She's slowly becoming one of my favorite authors.
review 2: Rava is a wrangler for Cordelia, the ship AI that records her family as it travels for generations through space. While trying to fix something, she discovers a secret... ... moreand we'll leave it at that.This story is a great example of what good short speculative fiction should do. Well-defined characters hover around a single conflict within an interesting premise. There's no space for character arcs, so the story is driven by narrative alone. The themes that develop as the plot unravels (which I won't go into because it would spoil some surprises) really resonate, especially the questions that are left unanswered.Fans of Kowal's longer fiction will recognize the regency touches on her sci-fi story. The premise is sketched just thickly enough to be believable with delving too far into the weeds. I loved Ludoviko--a secondary character who foiled nicely against the protagonist and her AI. And for a 35 page story, it had some wonderful head-scratching moments.Note: The Kindle edition has some absolutely inessential bonus features, including an entire rough draft and some random notes. There may be an audience for those, but I am not it. But the story stands well enough on its own. Definitely worth a read. less

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