by Mary Robinette Kowal (Author), Mary Robinette Kowal (Author)
A meteor decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth's efforts to colonize space, as well as an unprecedented opportunity for a much larger share of humanity to take part. One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition's attempts to put man on the moon. 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 - aside from some pesky barriers like thousands of years of history and a host of expectations about the proper place of the fairer sex. And yet, Elma's drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions may not stand a chance.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 13 Jun 2018
ISBN 10: 0765378388
ISBN 13: 9780765378385
Praise for The Calculating Stars
This is what NASA never had, a heroine with attitude. --The Wall Street Journal
In The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal imagines an alternate history of spaceflight that reminds me of everything I loved about Hidden Figures. --Cady Coleman, Astronaut
Fans of [Hidden Figures] will definitely find something to like in this novel. --SF Revu
Readers will thrill to the story of this lady astronaut and eagerly anticipate the promised sequels. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
If you like: lady scientists and lady astronauts, space science, lovely romance, the historical fight for equality, if you read or watched Hidden Figures and loved it, if you watched the Netlfix's documentary Mercury 13 (about the very real 13 women who underwent secret testing to become Astronauts in the 60s), please don't miss this one. --Kirkus
A fine balance of integrating historical accuracy--including mid-twentieth-century sexism, racism, and technology--with speculative storytelling. --Booklist
Readers will be hooked. --Library Journal
This is a book about fortitude, about preservation, and strength in the face of injustice, resilience as a flag against oppression and politics. Parts of this book makes me cry. I cry in rage, in defiance, in support, and in triumph. --Utopia State of Mind
An engrossing alternate history with a unique point of view, The Fated Sky dramatically demonstrates the technical problems with going to Mars--but the technical problems are the not the only ones. Never backing down from vital issues of race and gender, The Fated Sky confronts the human issues of space travel in a United States made increasingly desperate by a massive meteor strike. Plausible, convincing, and ultimately moving. --Nancy Kress, author of the Hugo Award-winning Yesterday's Kin