Review copy provided by the publisher. Also I know the author a bit from cons and things.

This is the latest Lady Astronaut book, alternate histories of a 20th century international space program developed in a panic when Earth's atmosphere is catastrophically changed by a meteor strike. The series uses its premise to illuminate challenges of our past and present, and of course future. This is not a good place to start with it, I will say right up front. The characters are well-established with their foibles, strengths, and relationships, and this is not a book that wants to spend a lot of time reminding you who's who and why you care.

But if you're someone who *does* care, if you've already read the series, Elma York and her husband and colleagues are back for an adventure on the surface of Mars and in Mars orbit. While some of the same themes carry through from previous books, they've had more of a chance to ramify, with the characters allowed to make different mistakes at different points in their lives--and with some skills and assumptions picked up from space stations and the Moon not applying to their new Martian home.

Kowal has worked with actual astronauts to try to make this series as lived-in as possible, and it shows. Some details are just--"just"--texture to make the book feel more real, but some turn out to be plot points in ways that amuse and delight--and occasionally horrify.

Mary Robinette Kowal does it again in the Lady Astronaunt world with this novel. I really enjoyed going back to this world. It uses the science correctly and enjoyed that it was historically right and had that element of what if. The story worked with this world and with the characters and was glad I got to read this.

While I always enjoy Kowal's books, this one was a little too heavy on the let-me-show-you-my-research side. I found myself skimming the pages dedicated to how a shuttle lands and so on. The parts about life on Mars and on the big ship were good -- probably people who like reading hard SF/technical stuff will like this one better than I did.

I love this series, but I came away from it feeling like this volume was the weakest so far in the series. An alternate history sci-fi where a huge meteor impact in DC prompted a need to get off the planet and accelerated the space programs progress, this series follows Elma York, a pilot turned astronaut as she breaks barriors and spurrs humanity progress to th stars. This book focuses on a return trip to Mars after rhe success of the first expedition in an attempt to create a permanent colony. As in all things, there are mysteries abound and pressure from inside the space program and it's disscentors that cause trouble for the astronauts. I felt like while the plot was fine, the way things worked out were not nearly as realistic as the rest of the books have been and thaf there was an overfocus on societal issues which, while never a bad thing to include, did come across as heavy handed and clumsily done. However I love this series and look forward to more exploits from the Lady Astronauts.

Mary Robinette has extended the Lady Astronaut series so beautifully with its latest installment, The Martian Contingency. With her trademark combination of hardcore science and deep humanism, Kowal presents a very believable 1970s Mars habitat. She approaches the era's (and realistically our own) racism and sexism with care and intention - breaking them down into their components and asking the reader to question their own biases. For instance, I loved the conversation about shifting the language away from 'colony' and colonist.' I also loved all the various holidays that made an appearance as the astronauts found new ways to celebrate together in their new home. Some of them even left my mouth watering.

Told in a somewhat episodic manner, the book doesn't feel overly tense, even amidst the sense that any one of the many small problems could be life and death, because it very well could be. This is a hopeful treasure of a book for all the adventurers who ever found themselves wishing to explore beyond our own atmosphere, and maybe learn a thing or two about our current world in the process.