A review by marcus_bines
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A meteor hits the USA in the early 1950s, necessitating an acceleration of the space program. Elma, a NASA mathematician, and her husband Nathaniel, an engineer, get caught up in the social and scientific progress that comes out of it. Will women be allowed to go into space? Will there be any kind of equality for black pilots? Will people put the good of the human race before their own egos? These are the questions Kowal takes in this alternative history, with a deftness of touch that makes the story fast-moving and fascinating. The science and maths never bog proceedings down, and I loved the central characters being a married couple, working out how to live and work together on the same high-stakes tasks.