Reviews

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

albertotobias's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

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

3.25

storytimed's review against another edition

3.0

This is an alternate history where a big meteor strikes the US Eastern Seaboard and therefore women become astronauts
I mean, obviously there's a bit more in-between
Basically the meteor kicks up a massive atmospheric cloud that is an obvious metaphor for global warming and makes it very important for the US to start planning to colonize space
However, although the space details were fun, I really do believe that a big meteor taking out MOST OF THE US GOVERNMENT as well as millions of people in the 1950s would have stronger historical effects than just "space cool" lol
Like, what about............. agriculture.................. which is very prominent in the Southeast
And although I generally like Kowal's writing style, I don't really like her characterization types?
She likes writing about shy, bookish geniuses with one-dimensional perfect loving husbands who I invariably fail to care about
It worked well in her Glamorist Histories series mostly, I think, because she could borrow from Austen and Regency tropes
When she's trying to apply the same perfect-protagonist vibes to a more modern US setting, it just feels Off
Like, her protagonist here is a Jewish woman (awesome) who faces a little bit of anti-Semitism (so we can acknowledge that was a thing historically) that is immediately forgotten so she can be a massive celebrity (what?) and then Very Carefully Uses Her Privilege so the coalition of astronauts can be multiracial (in the 50s...?) 
I mean yes, this is a fun book and it's nice to have a low-racism alternate history, but introducing racism and then having it immediately dismissed bc of her Nice White Ladyism feels a lot like she's trying to have it both ways
Her protagonist is also a math genius and a former WASP pilot and the daughter of a US Army General who personally knows Dwight Eisenhower 
Which like, I get that irl astronauts need all that background, but all that combined with an aw-shucks-lil-ol-me attitude kind of gets annoying
Anyway I read this book in a night bc it was pleasant enough, but instead of getting the next book in the series I judiciously spoiled myself
And found that 

1) the misogynist dude with a clearly signaled redemption arc is not gay like I thought but has manpain because his wife has polio

2) as it becomes increasingly clear that the planet will be less livable, a group of activists angry that rich people are fucking off to Mars and leaving them in an increasingly hostile landscape start protesting the money spent on the space race.......... and they are the bad guys (???)
So yeah I have no interest in continuing this series

ben_todd7's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The book never really explains what the benefit of going to other planets is and that is so annoying.

rai's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

tabatha_shipley's review against another edition

5.0

What I Did Like:
-Genre-crossing. The blend here of historical fiction and science fiction is incredibly well done. There’s a solid balance between what living in that time period would have been like for women, what the space program would have been like in its infancy, and the devastating effects of a meteorite like that hitting earth.
-Great opening. Who wouldn’t be hooked by the meteorite hitting earth in the first few pages and the intensity that follows that? This one starts on a very high level and keeps you moving from there.
-Showing the bias. This book set out to confront the biases women and minorities faced when the space program was in its early days in an interesting way by using alternate history. I loved that, although you’re working with science fiction and breaking rules, the author stuck to the history as much as she could. This felt like it absolutely could have happened like this, right down to the bikinis for astronaut training (yes, you read that right).

Who Should Read This One:
-Historical fiction fans. This is an interesting concept. Don’t be scared away by the fact that it involves an event that absolutely didn’t happen in the 1950s. You’ll adore the way it explores sexism and racism in a way that feels historically accurate.
-Science fiction fans, specifically those who like big events causing chaos. From the meteorite strike to the start of the space program, this one keeps the science in the science fiction.

My Rating: 5 stars.
I love genre crossing books when they work and this one absolutely did! Totally recommended.

For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2022/08/22/2022-book-review-the-calculating-stars/

cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition

It is very disaster movie and I am not feeling up to that right now.

mikarala's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this alternative history take on how the age of space exploration could begin differently if the motivation wasn't simply a competition between the USA and Soviet Union, but a race to save humanity. I found Elma to be an enjoyable main character overall. Given the concept, she is justifiably extraordinary, but she wasn't frustratingly perfect...most of the time. Elma grapples with grief and her own insecurities throughout the story in a way that made her much more relatable and likable.

Overall I found the prose serviceable and I breezed through this story quite quickly. It did a good job of keeping my attention. I do think it ended a bit ubruptly, though. 

marcus_bines's review

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.

clemhumb's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

c_morning's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0