REVIEW - The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Cover of The Calculating Stars. Review by Markus McDowell

This books won a number of awards, including the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel, no mean feat. It is a well-written and researched story of “alternative history” concerning the U.S. space program and women astronauts. It is a “prequel” of sorts, based on a novelette entitled The Lady Astronaut of Mars, which takes place decades after The Calculating Stars.

From Amazon:

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.

The style and characterization is engaging, and her knowledge of the space program and women’s roles therein is sound, as is her alternative take on how history might have proceeded differently in the wake of global catastrophe.

My major critique is that the beginning of the book is enthralling, capturing my imagination so much that I could not put it down. But as the characters and the country began to deal with the aftermath and work towards a space program, it lost some of its urgency and momentum. It did not become uninteresting—it is a still a good read—but seemed to slow down through to the end. This may be partially due to the fact that it is the first in a series. This critique won’t stop me from wanting to read the next volume, which was just a few months later (The Fated Sky: A Lady Astronaut Novel).

Kowal has written historical fantasy novels as well: The Glamourist Histories series and Ghost Talkers, as well as a member of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses. (Interestingly, she is also a professional puppeteer and voice actor who has won awards in those fields.)