The Relentless Moon (Lady Astronaut, #3) by Mary Robinette Kowal – Review

Tags

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

About The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC’s goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.

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Review of The Relentless Moon

In The Relentless Moon, the gist of the story is more of a thriller, making it a slight departure from the previous two books in the series.  Bad things are happening to the space program, astronauts and related property and people.  One or two incidents may be written off as maintenance needs, or accidents.  But when the events start to pile up on the moon after Nicole Wargin arrives, the Lady Astronaut becomes a detective.  Power outages, de-humidifiers not working, even an outbreak of a crippling illness may all tie back to the Earth First agenda.

Nicole is over 50 years old, making her one of the oldest protagonists I’ve read about recently.  She also has arthritis and is anorexic.   Throughout the story, Nicole’s flaws affect her.  And the love for her husband, who is still on earth, is always on her mind. But her experience and wisdom and her old hat ways give her insights the younger astronauts and colonists do not have.   As the wife of a politician, she is also calm, cool and collected.  Nicole will use that wisdom to stop the terrorists.

There is a lot going on in this book.  In addition to the suspense plot, there is the ongoing story of Earth reaching out into space to find a new home because Earth is doomed.  Like the first two books in the series, The Relentless Moon also tackles issues of racism and sexism.  Nicole’s anorexia is an important part of her character as is her status as a senior astronaut.  The author’s views on society are not hard to figure out.

When Earth Firsters cause a riot, this line comes up.  “They say that they’re protesting your policies, and then go after an innocent shopkeeper.  It’s just and excuse for looting.”   Hmmm.  I’ve had my advance copy of this book for several months, so I know the author was not citing current events.  But hmmm.

There is also a great passage where Nicole explains what a poor taste it is to joke about possible spousal abuse if a woman had a bandage on her face.

To offset the societal issues, there are plenty of good things going on.  In the end, it is an uplifting story that I would recommend to anyone.

(Possible spoiler here if you have not read The Fated Sky.)  There was an especially touching passage marking the death of one of the Mars astronauts.  It ended with “They would never hang in silence as they orbited the Moon with him, worshipping at the same altar. “ The love of flying, planes or rockets, sings through the pages in so many ways.

The Relentless Moon takes place in the same time period as The Fated Sky.  I think the books can be read in either order.  There a possibility of spoilers regardless of what order you read them.  For me, knowing some of the events that were to occur in The Relentless Moon, did not spoil it in any way.

I signed up for a giveaway and was rewarded with an advance copy of this book. Thanks to the publisher!

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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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