Mary Robinette Kowal’s science fiction debut, 2019 Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Award for best novel, The Calculating Stars, explores the premise behind her award-winning “Lady Astronaut of Mars.” Winner 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel Winner 2019 Locus Award for Best NovelWinner 2019 Hugo Award for Best NovelFinalist 2019 Campbell Memorial Award Finalist 2021 Hugo Award for Best Series Locus … Memorial Award
Finalist 2021 Hugo Award for Best Series
Locus Trade Paperback Bestseller List
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018–Science Fiction/Fantasy
Winner 2019 RUSA Reading List for Science Fiction—American Library Association
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Buzzfeed–17 Science-Fiction Novels By Women That Are Out Of This World
Locus Bestseller List
Chicago Review of Books–Top 10 Science Fiction Books of 2018
Goodreads–Most Popular Books Published in July 2018 (#66)
The Verge–12 fantastic science fiction and fantasy novels for July 2018
Unbound Worlds–Best SciFi and Fantasy Books of July 2018
Den of Geek–Best Science Fiction Books of June 2018
Publishers Weekly–Best SFF Books of 2018
Omnivoracious–15 Highly Anticipated SFF Reads for Summer 2018
Past Magazine–Best Novels of 2018
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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.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Great alternate history book
When I read this book I was convinced the author was an astronaut herself. The amount of detail she packs into this alternate history of the US space program is downright stunning, but she does it with such skill you’d never know different if she didn’t say so in the acknowledgements. A great story with great characters, I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
Great fun as an alternate history.
This is a Wonderful Read! I loved it… Hope to watch these women continue on in life!!!
This book reminded me of the book and movie CALCULATING FIGURES, telling the story of the female mathematicians and physicists who worked in an international space program after a world extinction event occurs. The goal is to move humanity to colonies on the moon and nearby planets. The women in this story are pilots, fighting for the right to make it into astronaut training, along with the men. Very entertaining, and reveals not only the prejudices that kept women out of space training, but also women of color.
On sale right now (August 14th, 2019) and I highly recommend it!
Review:
I don’t have enough bookshelves for this one. It’s alternate history mixed up with space exploration and maybe a few other things I can’t even name.
But it was good.
“You might try nursing. I understand that’s a good occupation for women.”
And so it begins…
Set in an alternate 1950s, this story revolves around Elma and her fight for women’s equality and the consequences of a meteorite that could bring about an extinction event.
She’s highly educated and intelligent, but this is the 1950s (even if an alternate 1950s). Women don’t become astronauts!
“Two compliments in one day? You’re slipping.” “Then let me leave you with this. You’re never going into space if I have anything to say about it.”
Aside from the horrific event which started off this story, we also get emotional confrontations which had me wanting to punch the characters.
One, in particular, is a real jerk.
But we also got a relationship between Elma and her husband that touched me.
“My God, I loved a successful rocket launch.”
I’m not used to reading about an established relationship in my books (probably because I read mainly romance). But Elma and her husband, Nathaniel, have been married for only a short time at the start of the book. They are amorous and loving, but the book also covers quite a few years. And in the end, they are still amorous and loving.
I loved it.
“Confirmed, worship is Go.”
But there was more to love about this story. The Science. The race to get into space before Earth became inhospitable. And the unfairness of being a minority in a white man’s world.
“They have me wearing a bikini, but I’m a goddamned pilot. Yes, I want to do this for real.”
This was a very well written and researched book. Despite it being alternate history, there are many references to actual science. I liked that. But I especially liked the characters and their battles and losses and wins.
This book had me laughing, crying, hoping and occasionally cursing.
And, FYI, Colonel Stetson Parker is a tool.
This book!!! is so good!!!! READ IT
An alternative history is always fascinating. Combining that with the drama of space flight was a brilliant move.
The story is eminently plausible, which makes for good science fiction.
Highly recommended.
liked the authors character development.
Excellent counter-factual history that really made the most of the era it was set in. The accelerated space program combined with the issues of women and black people in American society in the 1950s made a compelling story. My only complaint is that every problem that arose in Elma’s life were solved painlessly in the end, with everyone being nice and civilised instead of creating conflict that would’ve spiced up the narrative a little. But it made a nice read that kept me happy and entertained.
Mary Robinette Kowal created something human, historical, and unique – then wrapped it in a science fiction bow and dared readers to put aside their genre expectations and just fall into the story.
Elma York is a pilot, a mathematician, and the 1950s wife of the lead engineer of the US Space program after an extinction event creates an alternate history into which all the same social issues of a woman’s place, and the treatment of minorities feed. Elma is brilliant and flawed, and her drive to become an astronaut in the quest to colonize other planets is affected by the very real social issues of the times.
Kowal’s audiobook performance is masterful and brings to perfect life everything Elma thinks, feels, and experiences – from the breathtaking race to survive the catastrophic meteorite strike that changes the course of history, to the self-awareness of her own racial blind spots, and her crippling anxiety fueled by the statement, “What will people think?” It was unexpected in its clear-eyed look at race and gender politics, couched in the science, math, and flight brilliance of sending humans into space.
In a world where Dewey really did beat Truman…
Alternate history
Lady Astronauts
High stakes
Deceptively, deliciously subtle, with Big Ideas layered between gorgeous prose and exciting plot twists.
Fabulous.
This book is full of science and feels. It’s intense from the start, with a meteorite impact right off the eastern coast of the United States. Elma and her husband survive thanks to their science know-how–she’s a WWII WASP and a computer for the rocket program, and he’s a lead engineer–but as they assist the rebirth of the government, they stumble upon the awful truth that this is an extinction-level event. Humankind will need to depart the planet to survive.
Elma York is such an inspiration. She’s smart, savvy in a disaster, and also fights crippling social anxiety. The entire cast exemplifies representation and diversity. This is a book that shows how the “good old 1950s” were for all sides (non-spoiler alert: the decade was not so pleasant if you weren’t a white dude), even in the aftermath of a cataclysm. As if the doom of Earth wasn’t enough, there’s the antagonist Stetson Parker who needs to die in some terribly painful way that doesn’t make him a hero. Honestly, the realism of the book is what got me. Everything felt terrible and plausible, from the science and math (vetted by astronauts!) to the adorably affectionate relationship between the Yorks to the complexity of Stetson Parker.
Needless to say, I bought the sequel straight away. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
“Hidden Figures” meets “The Right Stuff”. Great read, written from the POV of a female pilot and would-be astronaut in 1950s space program that could have been. Kowal’s protagonist has some similarities to my own Jackie Roberts (“The Chara Talisman”, etc) although born 150 years earlier. A lot of detail that rings true to this pilot and space cadet.
Quite frankly one of the best books I’ve read for some time. I was expecting this to be more sci fi than what it was. This was much more along the lines of historical fiction – which I really have absolutely NO interest in.
Says so much then that I struggled to put this book down. Not once was I disappointed hat this wasn’t what I was expecting.
I don’t think I’ve read a book where the characters have been so masterfully developed.
I felt physical sensations with the the characters that I have never felt before because they were written so descriptively – yet without ever looking like the author is trying to get me to understand something I couldn’t possibly understand.
I see these characters. I see the way they look, the way they move, the way they feel, the way they think.
This book was pure perfection, and I look forward to reading the next.
I recently featured this book on my blog and then read the follow-up book, THE FATED SKY, as well. Wow. What a great alternate universe Kowal has constructed! This was the right blend of science fiction and great characters that I enjoy. And Tor just gave Kowal a 3-book deal for more books in this universe. Definitely pick this one up!
I adored this nerdy and feminist alternative space history detailing the journey of the first woman astronaut. Fabulous.
Mary Robinette Kowal’s books keep getting better and better.
This could have been yet another disaster story. After all, they’ve been told and retold by SciFi authors for almost a hundred years.
But it’s not.
Kowal wrings every bit of emotion she can from this story–the horror of a meteor, the challenge of new discovery and innovation, the gut-punch of fear and discrimination–and makes it invade your brain while you read. I listened to the audio version of this, which meant I got the story read to me BY the author, and she is an excellent narrator. I purposefully delayed finishing this book, just because I wanted to live in the story a little longer. Go read this book.
Can’t want for the next installment, coming out next month!