The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal

THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY by Mary Robinette Kowal is her latest Lady Astronaut Novel and I am picturing all of the titles in the series because I believe they should be read in order, even though I started with the last one and was happily captivated by the characters and their adventures. Kowal won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award for the first book in this series, The Calculating Stars, a title in which she introduces an alternate history and the struggles in the 1950s and beyond by a group of women striving to be astronauts. Subsequent novels take place on the Moon and the latest one chronicles efforts to inhabit Mars. Throughout, Elma York is a key character, standing up for what she believes, taking on added command responsibilities, and dealing with personal and professional relationships. The publisher notes “The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat - they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate.” There’s an interesting contrast between actual 1970s headline stories which begin most chapters and the racism and sexism the astronaut core is working to erase. Survival, of course, is another key theme and THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY contains both mishap and mystery, plus friction with Mission Control. Although I was surprised at the amount of “cheesy” banter between married astronauts, I definitely recommend this series. In her acknowledgments, Kowal notes how calendar and culture are so intertwined. Citing numerous holidays and using diary-like entries, she definitely conveyed that idea in this novel and she encourages readers to check out the TEDtalk “What Time is it on Mars?” Enjoy!