I will never post spoilers. These types of posts will just be general what am I reading/what did I think of it type of reviews.
Book Summary
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.
Genre Tags
Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Space, Strong Female Lead
What did I think?
Oh Man. I devoured this book. I loved the alternative universe that is created here, forcing scientific development pending the cataclysm. I love that my main character was a strong accomplished intelligent woman. They didn’t shy away from the politics of trying to colonize space in record time. They also didn’t shy away from disaster, it would have been so easy to make sure the race to space went well after the meteorite fell, like “that is enough hardship for them”, but she included real problems. As an engineer, I really appreciated all the technical aspects of the book and I felt it was a reasonably realistic representation of the way projects go. Highly recommend, I can’t wait to read the rest of the books!
Lady Astronaut Universe
- The Calculating Stars
- The Fated Sky
- The Relentless Moon
- The Martian Contingency (pub 2022)