The Fated Sky

Mary Robinette Kowal continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky looks forward to 1961, when mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonizing, Mars

It’s 1961, and the Moon colony is well established, but tensions are rising on Earth—both from those who see themselves being left behind on a disaster-laden planet, and those who don’t believe in equality. But even with personal sacrifices and political tensions, Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, dearly wants to go on the first mission to Mars.The second in the Nebula and Locus award-winning series! The Verge-Best SFF Books for August 2018 io9 -Best SFF Books for August 2018 Unbound Worlds -Best SFF Books for August 2018 Tor.com -Best SFF Books for August 2018 Kirkus Online -Best SFF Books for August 2018 Nerdmuch -Best SFF Books for August 2018 'The Lady Astronaut series absolutely captivated me... a great piece of fiction' - Andy Weir, author of The Martian Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go to Mars, but there's a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic-but potentially very dangerous-mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been.