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An Alternate Space Race Timeline

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

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The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal My rating: 4 of 5 stars “The Calculating Stars” is set in an alternate 1950’s in which a meteor hits the Atlantic not far off the coast of D.C. this creates a set of events in which the space race is not just a mater of furthering science but of human survival. The planet is no longer stable and creating colonies on the Moon and Mars are necessary. This also means that women are also going to be […]

Two powerhouses of speculative fiction do not necessarily equal a great story.

The Original by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal

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I could’ve sworn I’d already reviewed this novel, but I apparently haven’t. I read it about a month ago, and I barely remember it. Because of that, I had to look up the plot write-up on Amazon: “In the near future, humans choose life – for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a […]

I thought this one was better than the first.

The Fated Sky (Lady Astronaut, #2) by Mary Robinette Kowal

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So I never actually wrote a review of the first book in this series. I review-amnestied it late last year, in the 40+ reviews I just gave up on because I let my review backlog get Out Of Control. We read this for my IRL book club, and we were all excited to read about lady astronauts doing science and winning against misogyny, but all of us had very mixed feelings about it. I flew through the book, but also had problems with it at […]

Disappointing

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

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When my book club chose our next read, The Calculating Stars (2018) by Mary Robinette Kowal, I’d never heard of it. The premise was promising, though, and from the outside, it looked pretty good. Apparently, it is the first book in “The Lady Astronaut” series and the winner of some awards, including the Nebula and Hugo for Best Novel. In an alternate history of the 1950’s, a meteor strikes the Earth, causing tragedy and destruction as well as the promise of an inhospitable planet. The race to […]

Breaking the Glass Ceiling to Space

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

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Elma York and her husband Nathaniel are on a long deserved vacation in the Poconos after a very busy time at work, when an world altering event happens: a meteor strikes DC and the eastern seaboard, leading to massive destruction, earthquakes and tidal waves.  If Elma and Nathaniel had been home, they never would have survived, and it’s a miracle they make it out of the Poconos alive, using their unique expertise from working in the space program to predict some of the immediate after […]



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