If you’ve ever seen the move “Hidden Figures” then you’ll get a sense of the climate surrounding women and the space program as it was over 60 years ago. But just as important is her marriage to Nathanial York, who becomes the lead engineer in the space program. She’s also a mathematic and physicist prodigy, with advanced degrees. But really, THE CALCULATING STARS is about a smaller element involved in the effort: the women of the space program.Įnter Elma York, who was a pilot during WWII where she delivered fighters to the male fighter pilots. Now the governments of the world band together and begin a space race that will hopefully result in the continuation of human life.Īnd sure, the novel’s overarching plot is about that. The book opens with a meteorite descending on the earth, and as a result the climate is predicted to go through a radical enough change that human life will no longer be sustainable. In Kowal’s recent offering, THE CALCULATING STARS, we get to see what happened to cause Elma’s generation to end up on Mars. But after reading that, one wonders, how did history change to make it possible for 1950s Earth to colonize Mars? The main character, Elma, is a 60-something former pilot/astronaut who must make the ultimate sacrifice. In short, it was the obvious standout winner. Did you read Mary Robinette Kowal’s 2014 Hugo-winning novelette “The Lady Astronaut of Mars”? If not, you can read it here on the Tor.com website, or for time’s sake my reaction to it at the bottom of this EBR Review post.
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