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kareilaHaving read most of Mary Robinette Kowal's novels (between these and the Glamourist Histories), I've come to realize that her stories are predictable in a specific way. The protagonist will be a brilliant white woman struggling against a patriarchal society's expectations of her, while slowly becoming aware of her white privilege and trying to right the injustices she sees. She will be passionately married (already or shortly) to the most open-minded and understanding man imaginable, and together they will do amazing things.
That said, Kowal tweaks her formula a bit here by sending her Lady Astronaut on a trajectory of her own. In order to be part of the first crewed expedition to Mars, Elma York has to leave her husband, Nathaniel, behind on Earth for at least three years, and give up her dream of having children with him. Instead she will be sharing close quarters for an extended period of time with a dozen of her fellow astronauts, including her lifelong nemesis, who has been given command of the mission.
If you've read Kowal's Hugo-winning short story, The Lady Astronaut of Mars, you already know how Elma's story ends. If you haven't, it might be a good idea to read it before or just after starting The Fated Sky. That way the description of Elma's recollection of meeting Dorothy and giving her a gift in Lady Astronaut of Mars will be fresh in your mind when you see it happen early in Fated Sky.
There are at least two more books planned in this series, and Elma isn't supposed to be the protagonist of the next one. Instead it will follow her colleagues who stayed behind on the moon base while she went to Mars. I love this universe and look forward to seeing it from a slightly different point of view.
That said, Kowal tweaks her formula a bit here by sending her Lady Astronaut on a trajectory of her own. In order to be part of the first crewed expedition to Mars, Elma York has to leave her husband, Nathaniel, behind on Earth for at least three years, and give up her dream of having children with him. Instead she will be sharing close quarters for an extended period of time with a dozen of her fellow astronauts, including her lifelong nemesis, who has been given command of the mission.
If you've read Kowal's Hugo-winning short story, The Lady Astronaut of Mars, you already know how Elma's story ends. If you haven't, it might be a good idea to read it before or just after starting The Fated Sky. That way the description of Elma's recollection of meeting Dorothy and giving her a gift in Lady Astronaut of Mars will be fresh in your mind when you see it happen early in Fated Sky.
There are at least two more books planned in this series, and Elma isn't supposed to be the protagonist of the next one. Instead it will follow her colleagues who stayed behind on the moon base while she went to Mars. I love this universe and look forward to seeing it from a slightly different point of view.
