The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut, #1) by Mary Robinette Kowal – Review

Tags

1950's, 5 stars, Book Review, calculator, extinction event, Hugo Award Winner, lady astronaut, Mars, Mary Robinette Kowal, Moon, Nebula Award Winner, sci fi, series, space program

About The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

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.

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Review of The Calculating Stars

The Calculating Stars is Scifi that takes place in 1950’s America. A giant meteorite hitting the eastern coast of the United States is soon determine to be the precursor to extinction. In response, the United States, and eventually the world, ramp up the space program in order to find a place for humans on some other world.

Wow! Such a great story! A lot of research was done to make the story of an early aggressive space program seem real and vital. Told from the POV of the woman destined to be the first Lady Astronaut, the story reflects attitudes toward women and minorities in the 50s. So, our heroine and her friends have a lot to overcome.

Elma York’s background as a WASP and as a mathematician becomes critical to the space program and to getting women into the astronaut training. Luckily, she has a very supportive husband (chief International Aerospace Coalition engineer), since pretty much all of the other men are not at all understanding of Elma’s drive to go to space.

If you enjoyed Hidden Figures (book or movie), you will appreciate the how the author set up the space program, both the organizational standpoint and the sociological setting.

I wish I had read this book two years ago when it first came out. The story is beautifully told, illustrating Elma’s successes and failures along with the story of the space program and its development. I read this book and plan to read The Fated Sky (book 2) in anticipation of the upcoming 3rd book in the series. Read this book if you enjoy earth-based Scifi. Read it for the feminist insights. Read it if you like your Scifi to embrace hope. Read The Calculating Stars just want to enjoy a great story!

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Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells – Review

Tags

4 stars, AI, artificial intelligence, Book Review, humor, Martha Wells, robot, scifi, series, space opera

About Network Effect by Martha Wells

Murderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel.

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you’re a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you’re Murderbot.

Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.

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I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot’s human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

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Review of Network Effect

Murderbot fans – this is the full length novel you have been waiting for. You might expect your favorite anti-social SecUnit to make plenty of snarky humorous comments about humans and about itself. You might expect SecUnit/Murderbot to get itself into one or more predicaments. You might also expect humans, that Murderbot feels compelled to protect, to get into one or more predicaments. You might expect SecUnit’s amazing processing capacity to multi-task like crazy while also enjoying one of its favorite media episodes. If you read Network Effect, you will get all of this and more!

ART (from Artificial Condition) is back and plotting with SecUnit. ART and SecUnit have an argumentative team-work method. When the two AI’s first re-meet in Network Effect, it is mostly argumentative, so you can imagine lots of humor as well as ongoing character development. Throw in several humans from various crews, human-like beings affected by alien remnants, the Corporation Rim and the Preservation Society and you have a nicely convoluted plot that combines tech that I cannot possibly understand with humanity in humans and AIs. The recounting of a desperate rescue mission had me racing through the pages.

Despite the fact that I read all of the previous novellas, references to past Murderbot escapades were a bit blurry to me. They were mentioned, but little detail was given, with the exception of one specific memory. I did not remember all the details. While I felt I was glazing over these references, it did not detract from the current story. If you have not read books 1-4, you can still enjoy this book.

The SecUnit with a sense of humor is such a great character! Network Effect makes me love it even more. Murderbot series fans will want to read this one. Scifi fans that like strong robot/AI characters will like this book too.

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy through Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

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Love Thy Galactic Enemy (Repelling the Invasion, #4) by Edward Hoornaert – Review

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5 stars, Book Review, Edward Hoornaert, romance, scifi, scifi romance, series, space opera

About Love The Galactic Enemy by Edward Hoornaert

Abandoned to the enemy’s tender mercy . . . Minta Streave, the naive secretary for a spy team that spread a man-made plague, leaves the planet too late — the team abandons her on the enemy’s space station. She’s forced to fend for herself until she can make contact with an elusive spy, Watcher, who can take her home. To avoid arrest, she nurses a plague victim — a gentle, whimsical man who spouts Lewis Carroll. But to know this enemy is to love him . . .When Finn Shanwing falls ill, he doesn’t intend to hide that he’s a high-ranking commando. Neither does he intend to fall in love with the secretive nurse who saves his life . . . but by the time he reveals to Minta she saved an enemy officer, it’s too late for his heart. Or hers. Also too late to escape the wrath of Watcher — half-human, half-machine, and both halves obsessed with her.

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Review of Love The Galactic Enemy

Love Thy Galactic Enemy was just what I was looking for when I needed a light refreshing read. A little conflict, a little humor, some cute animals all bundled up with an enemies to lovers romance.

But are you really enemies if one of you doesn’t know you are enemies? Hmm. Minta and Finn come from opposite sides of the battle so I guess that makes them foes. But Finn doesn’t know that about Minta, so he is able to look at her with an unbiased eye. And he likes what he sees. Minta likes what she sees too. However, there is always that issue with being in enemy territory that keeps her from committing to anything. She wants out of there!

So, okay enemies. In addition, neither is what they appear to be. Finn is a supersoldier. Minta knows enemy secrets, including the fact that Finn is sick because of a Proxie manufactured virus. Enemies and secrets should be a lethal combination.

Farflung Station is one of my favorite Scifi settings. I’m not sure why – I think I just like space stations. Plus it is a familiar setting. Readers of Hoornaert’s Repelling the Invasion series will reacquaint themselves with Security Chief Duke (Dukelsky) and Assistant Station Manager Sandrina, Duke’s wife. They are a lovely couple who almost always know what to do and what to say to refugees and warriors.

Also of note are mizzets and whispets. Are they pets, alien ambassadors or friends? The thing is, these non-human creatures can always identify the good-hearted people. Or the evil maniacs. I always like that about animals in fiction.

While we are talking about evil maniacs, I have to mention the Watcher. This Proxie agent is creepy. Not just a little creepy. Entirely creepy. Even when he is being human. He wants Minta for himself and, for some reason, thinks she will fall into his arms. And if she won’t, he will make her. Super creepy. By the way, the animals don’t like him.

For Minta and Finn, there is plenty of danger to bring them closer or tear them apart, the mark of a great Scifi Romance. I love the added humor, the mizzets and whispets and the familiar characters too. 5 stars for Love Thy Galactic Enemy.

Thanks to the author who provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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