The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal Narrator: Mary Robinette Kowal
Series: Lady Astronaut #1
Published by Audible Studios on 7/03/2018
Genres: Alt-History, Science Fiction
Format: Audiobook
Source: my personal collection
Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible
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Also in this series: The Calculating Stars, The Relentless Moon
Also by this author: The Calculating Stars, The Relentless Moon, Shades of Milk and Honey, Without a Summer
Mary Robinette Kowal's science fiction debut, winner of the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Awards for best novel, The Calculating Stars, explores the premise behind her award-winning short store, "The Lady Astronaut of Mars."
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 computer. 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.
In which I revisit one of my favorite books from 2018
“From the Vault are older reviews of favorite books that I repost after rereading the book. Sometimes I add additional thoughts or corrections.”
The Calculating Stars was easily one of the best books I read in 2018. (Note: I reread it in January 2025, and although I have tweaked a word or two of this review for greater clarity, I wouldn’t change a single sentence.) The story is gripping; the characters are depicted so vividly they could be standing in front of you; and the details, from the physics of an asteroid impact and the experience of piloting an aircraft to the chauvinism of many men involved in the space program, appear to be spot on.
The novel literally begins with a bang, as Elma and Nathaniel experience the first intimations of disaster when the meteor hits the East Coast, and then struggle to escape from the aftermath. The emotional impact of this section is visceral and heart-wrenching; more than once, I had tears in my eyes.
From there, it becomes a story of the international race against time to get into space, told through Elma’s journey from female computer to “Lady Astronaut.” Elma is a very relatable narrator. As a happily married career woman in an era when many women did not work, and a former WASP pilot at a time when female pilots were unusual, she bridges the gap between the reader’s experience of the modern world and the 1950s setting of the story. Elma’s belief in gender and racial equality resonates with issues still facing us today, yet she still carries some of the subconscious racial biases that were endemic at the time (and persist to this day.) Part of what makes her admirable is her willingness to recognize and admit those biases and strive to become more aware, and to do what she can to open doors for others—women of color as well as white women. The NACA and IAC may not be diverse to begin with, but Elma is determined to change that.
For all her likableness, Elma is far from perfect. She’s occasionally too quick to judge others, and to mouth off when she dislikes someone. Her clashes with Stetson Parker, the IAC’s lead astronaut, show real (and to some extent warranted) antagonism on both sides, edged with a growing if grudging respect. And despite Elma’s self-confidence about her exceptional math skills, initially she lacks confidence to speak up for herself or for others. Confronting men in power is difficult for her; being the center of attention causes her severe anxiety. Kowal writes these scenes as if she herself is well-acquainted with anxiety and panic attacks. Though thankfully I don’t experience all the same symptoms Elma does, nor do I have the same triggers, my own experiences with anxiety made me deeply sympathetic with her situation, and the shame and guilt and fears that flow from it.
The novel’s secondary characters, from Elma’s husband Nathaniel to her friends and colleagues (particularly, but not limited to, the female computers and female pilots) are well-drawn. Like Elma, they come across as real and complicated human beings rather than stock, cardboard-cutout figures. Even minor characters feel individual, lacking depth only because their appearance is brief.
Speaking of Nathaniel, it’s so refreshing to see a happily-married main character! Elma and Nathaniel’s relationship is strong and mutually supportive, loving and intimate, but Elma is neither defined nor confined by their marriage—a rarity in the 1950s and ’60s. Their sex life clearly encompasses both passion and humor (the rocket analogies made me snicker), but just as evocative are the little day-to-day intimacies. Their marriage may not be the focus of the book, but both book and Elma herself are the better for it.
As for the novel’s plot, the pacing, story beats, and overall arc are just about perfect. I was totally immersed in the story as I listened, simultaneously eager to find out “what happens next,” and not wanting the story to end.
In addition to her writing, Kowal is a professional puppeteer and audiobook recorder. Her performance here, with its clear vocal characterizations and use of varied accents, only heightens the experience of the novel. Rarely did I have any difficulty distinguishing between character voices. Kowal conveys Elma’s emotions with consummate skill, evoking shadows of the same emotions in the listener. Sound effects are kept to a minimum, though dialog heard through headphones or speakers (as when Elma is listening to a copilot in a plane) has a slightly tinny, muffled sound suggestive of radio transmission. I found myself coming up with daily excuses to listen to an extra hour or two—the audiobook equivalent of a real page-turner.
The ending is satisfying (not a cliffhanger), but even so I was delighted that Tor decided to release the sequel only a month later, instead of the usual six months or a year. I finished The Calculating Stars and plunged immediately into The Fated Sky (review to come.) I strongly advise you to have book #2 waiting when you finish book #1!
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January 2025: I enjoyed the book just as much the second time through as I did when I first read (or rather, listened to) it. There are now three books in the saga, although the third book, The Relentless Moon, features secondary characters from this book rather than Elma York; it takes place simultaneously with some of the events in book #2. I’ll be rereading all three books before book #4 in the series, The Martian Contingency, comes out this spring.
My 2025 reading counts toward the following challenges: Audiobook Challenge 2025; COYER 2025: Out to Lunch
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About Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of the Lady Astronaut Universe, The Spare Man and six historical fantasy novels: The Glamourist Histories series and Ghost TalkersK/i>. She’s a member of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, four Hugo awards, the RT Reviews award for Best Fantasy Novel, the Nebula, and Locus awards. Stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov’s, several Year’s Best anthologies and her collections Word Puppets and Scenting the Dark and Other Stories.
Her novel The Calculating Stars is one of only eighteen novels to win the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards in a single year.
As a professional puppeteer and voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), Mary Robinette has performed for LazyTown (CBS), the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jim Henson Pictures, and founded Other Hand Productions. Her designs have garnered two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence, the highest award an American puppeteer can achieve. She records fiction for authors such as Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi.
Mary Robinette lives in Denver with her husband Robert, their dog Guppy, and their “talking” cat Elsie. Visit her at (a href=”https://maryrobinettekowal.com/”>maryrobinettekowal.com.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Audiobook Challenge 2025
- COYER 2025: Out to Lunch
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