Elma York’s story begins when she is in her early sixties, enjoying retirement on Mars. Or at least, that’s when Mary Robinette Kowal first introduced her Lady Astronaut to the world. Those who read the novelette first will learn about Elma’s accomplishments and history through her self-reflections and interactions with people from her past; but it is not until we dive into The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky, both prequels to the novelette, do we learn about the journey and collective effort by her and her colleagues to colonize our sister planet and how she earned the title “The Lady Astronaut of Mars.”

Kowal has worked hard to allow readers to approach this series in almost any order they wish – novelette first, then the two prequels, or to read the prequels first and finish with the novelette. I chose to do the latter. Kowal has also written several short stories that are a part of the Lady Astronaut universe, but this review only covers the novelette and two prequels, ordered by date read.

Taking place in 1952, The Calculating Stars begins with Elma and her husband Nathaniel enjoying their vacation in the Poconos when a meteorite strikes Chesapeake Bay, destroying Washington D.C. and much of the Northeastern United States. In addition to being a physicist and mathematician, Elma was a WASP pilot during World War II, so she conveniently owns a plane which they use to get to safety. Upon settling at the nearest operational air force base located in Ohio, the Yorks combine their relevant expertise and experience (Nathaniel is an aerospace engineer) – with the help of Elma’s meteorologist brother Hershel – to research the damage and implications. They conclude that the meteorite strike will render the planet uninhabitable in about 50 years. The race to space just became much more desperate, and the Yorks have secured government jobs to join the effort.

It is clear early on that Kowal did her research on space flight programs and procedures to maintain the integrity of the missions to colonize space. The book is full of references to aircraft models, program calculations, and other rocket launch jargon that enable readers to further immerse themselves into this specific world. She also chose to lead each chapter with a news clip detailing how the rest of the world is dealing with the effects of the meteorite strike (e.g. international trade issues, crop shortages, etc). This touch reiterates the seriousness of the situation and reminds readers of the sense of urgency, even if the pace of the story doesn’t.

On the non-scientific side, Elma is a respectable, relatable, and appropriately flawed character. While frustrated with the misogynistic system brushing off qualified women scientists and pilots, she slowly discovers how ignorant she is to similar (and sometimes worse) discrimination faced by her peers of color – even though she comes from a marginalized community herself (Jewish). Yet they continue to fight for inclusion and are eventually allowed to apply for the astronaut training program.

It is also noted that our poor Lady Astronaut happens to suffer from crippling anxiety attacks whenever she might have to face a crowd (e.g. reporters, media appearances, congressional committee meetings, etc). Reluctantly, she begins to take prescription drugs to help her cope – despite the risk of being disqualified from the space program if that information ever reached the wrong ears. Slowly readers will learn the reason for her anxiety and feel her pain during her ongoing private struggle, and even more so once she realizes that young girls now see her as a role model in the space program. On the plus side, she seems to have the most understanding and supportive husband ever, and their relationship is heartwarming (even if their implied sex scenes were cringeworthy at times).

Readers starting the Lady Astronaut series with The Calculating Stars will probably go through the book wondering if Elma will ever make it to space, since we don’t find out until the end of the first installment. Those who read the novelette first will already know that answer.

As we move on to The Fated Sky, Elma continues to use her pilot training and experience to drive shuttles to and from the moon base, while a team has already been selected to train for the mission to Mars. While Elma desperately wants to go, that would mean leaving Nathaniel for the three-year trip and postponing/abandoning any plans to start a family. An incident with “Earth First” terrorists requires the PR team to undergo damage control. These efforts result in the Lady Astronaut joining the expedition to Mars to be the face of safe space travel and to help secure funding for the program. Unfortunately, a member has to give up their spot to make room for Elma – and it happens to be a non-white woman. The demonstration of systemic racism (and sexism) continues from here.

A majority of the second book follows the team’s trip to Mars, where several things go wrong and put the crew members’ lives in danger. Unfortunately, not everyone survives the journey. However, there are several eye-opening and believable moments between characters that will leave readers with a new perspective, or at least nodding their heads in agreement. Elma’s continued naivety when it comes to racism is somewhat frustrating, as she continues to fulfill the well-meaning white feminist stereotype. However, this might just be Kowal’s way of demonstrating that character development takes time. Not to mention that we learn more about an insufferable character’s background that might make readers hate him less.  

Fans of the first book and those into space travel will enjoy the continued use of specialized terms and jargon in The Fated Sky. However, Elma’s struggle to bake desserts with powdered eggs and other limited resources proves to be just as entertaining. After a long and somewhat suspenseful trip, the team reaches Mars and begins to pave the way for colonization.

Fast forward thirty years to when “The Lady Astronaut of Mars” novelette takes place. The Yorks live on Mars and are able to live their lives virtually unrecognizable due to their aging appearances. But of course, Elma is the Lady Astronaut, and she dreams of going back into space. But her age means that little to no opportunities exist, and Nathaniel is now battling a terminal illness. When Elma is unexpectedly presented with the chance to return to the stars, she finds herself torn – does she embark on another amazing adventure, one that she’s pined over for decades, or does she stay with her loving husband and savor their last moments together? The short story explores Elma’s struggle with this decision, but those who read the prequels first will be able to guess the choice she makes. Those who didn’t will want to pick them up after finishing this story.

Fans can look forward to two more installments in the Lady Astronaut series within the next few years – The Relentless Moon (2020) and The Derivative Base (2022).