I loved returning to the Lady Astronaut universe after several years. This installment looks at the Second Mars Expedition, and the start of the permanent colony. Elma York is back as the first-person narrator, and this book brings her arc to a satisfying point, if not the end of her adventures.
A cozy mystery set on a generation spaceship, Murder by Memory features a practical, wise, and observant detective who unexpectedly finds herself inhabiting the body of… a murderer? A victim? Or both?
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.
News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff Literary Losses Vernor Vinge, 5-time Hugo Award-winning science fiction writer who popularized the concepts of both cyberspace and a coming tech or AI singularity, died on… Read more »
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty Series: Midsolar Murders #1 Published by Ace Books on October 4, 2022 Genres: Mystery, Science Fiction Pages: 336 Format: Kindle or ebook Source: the publisher Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Chirp Add to Goodreads From idyllic small towns to claustrophobic urban… September 30, 2022 Lark_Bookwyrm Blog Tours, Book Reviews 7 ★★★★½
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Published by Ballantine on May 4, 2021 Genres: Science Fiction Pages: 476 Format: Hardcover Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp Add to Goodreads Also by this author: The Martian Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate,… July 8, 2021 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 10 ★★★★★
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal Series: Lady Astronaut #3 Published by Tor on July 14, 2020 Genres: Alt-History, Science Fiction Pages: 384 Format: Kindle or ebook Source: the publisher Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible Add to Goodreads Also in this series: The Calculating… July 23, 2020 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 6 ★★★★★
For white and other non-black readers, one place to start the work of anti-racism in our own lives is by reading and supporting black authors (and other authors of color, but because of current events, right now the focus is on black authors.) Reading more diversely helps us see the… Read more »
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal Series: Lady Astronaut #1 Published by Tor on July 3, 2018 Genres: Alt-History, Science Fiction Pages: 431 Format: Audiobook Source: purchased Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible Add to Goodreads Also in this series: The Relentless Moon, The Calculating… July 12, 2019 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 6 ★★★★★
The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane Series: Star Trek: The Original Series #13 Published by Pocket Books on December 1983 Genres: Science Fiction Pages: 225 Format: Kindle or ebook Source: purchased Purchase: Amazon Add to Goodreads An alien scientist invents the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, an engine system that transcends warp… July 12, 2018 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews, Treasures from the Hoard 2 ★★★★½
