
The Calculating Stars
A Lady Astronaut Novel
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Narrated by:
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Mary Robinette Kowal
About this listen
Mary Robinette Kowal's science fiction debut, The Calculating Stars, explores the premise behind her award-winning Lady Astronaut of Mars.
Den of Geek - Best Science Fiction Books of June 2018
Omnivoracious - Fifteen Highly Anticipated SFF Reads for Summer 2018
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the East Coast of the US, including Washington, DC. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the Earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs.
This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space and requires a much-larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.
Elma’s drive to become the first lady astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
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Story
When the healer Snake was summoned, she traveled the blasted landscape with her three serpents. From the venom of two of them, she distilled her medicines. But most valued of all was the alien dreamsnake, whose bite could ease the fear and pain of death.
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Sets the Mark for Fantasy Excellence
- By 'houla on 03-15-15
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Seveneves
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal, Will Damron
- Length: 31 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
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Odd narrator choice
- By Josh Mitchell on 05-30-15
By: Neal Stephenson
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All the Birds in the Sky
- By: Charlie Jane Anders
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families. But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them.
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Too twee for me.
- By Amy on 03-13-17
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Sundiver
- The Uplift Saga, Book 1
- By: David Brin
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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For nearly a billion years, every known sentient species in the universe has been the result of genetic and cultural guidance - or "uplifting" - by a previously uplifted patron race. Then humans are discovered. Having already uplifted chimps and dolphins, humanity clearly qualifies as an intelligent species, but did they actually evolve their own intelligence, or did some mysterious patron race begin the process, then suddenly abandon Earth?
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good, but flawed
- By J Michael on 04-16-08
By: David Brin
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The Ten Percent Thief
- By: Lavanya Lakshminarayan
- Narrated by: Deepa Samuel, Shawn K. Jain
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Welcome to Apex City, formerly Bangalore, where everything is decided by the mathematically perfect Bell Curve. With the right image, values, and opinions, you can ascend to the glittering heights of the Twenty Percent—the Virtual elite—and have the world at your feet. Otherwise you risk falling to the precarious Ten Percent, and deportation to the ranks of the Analogs, with no access to electricity, running water, or even humanity. The system has no flaws. Until the elusive "Ten Percent Thief" steals a single jacaranda seed from the Virtual city.
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Great stories, not great reader
- By James Lawrence Gogek on 02-25-25
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The Speed of Dark
- By: Elizabeth Moon
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Unfortunately, there will be a generation left behind. For members of that missed generation, small advances will be made. Through various programs, they will be taught to get along in the world despite their differences. They will be made active and contributing members of society. But they will never be normal.
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Unexpected Interest
- By Holly Helscher on 12-22-08
By: Elizabeth Moon
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Falling Free
- Miles Vorsokigan, Book 4
- By: Lois McMaster Bujold
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Leo Graf was just your average highly efficient engineer: mind your own business, fix what's wrong, and move on to the next job. But all that changed on his assignment to the Cay Habitat, where a group of humanoids had been secretly, commercially bioengineered for working in free fall. Could he just stand there and allow the exploitation of hundreds of helpless children merely to enhance the bottom line of a heartless mega-corporation?
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Don't read this one first
- By Carol on 02-20-13
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Rose/House
- By: Arkady Martine
- Narrated by: Raquel Beattie
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is a common thing: a house that is an artificial intelligence, infused with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else. But now Deniau's been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect's will: all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other.
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Bad Plot
- By xon69 on 10-22-24
By: Arkady Martine
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The Saint of Bright Doors
- By: Vajra Chandrasekera
- Narrated by: Sid Sagar
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy. He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.
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Interesting but hard to follow on audio
- By S. Browne on 07-09-24
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Cast Under an Alien Sun
- Destiny's Crucible, Book 1
- By: Olan Thorensen
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. He would never set foot on Earth again. On planet Anyar, Joe is found unconscious on a beach of a large island inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awakes amid strangers speaking an unintelligible language and struggles to accept losing his previous life and finding a place in a society with different customs, needing a way to support himself and not knowing a single soul.
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Slowly we turn, step by step, inch by inch...
- By Ron on 09-18-17
By: Olan Thorensen
This book covers some really hard issues of the times; women's role in society, racial bias, and even anxiety attacks... it's all wrapped up in this amazing talent that kinda' reminds me of old-school science fiction. That's probably because it takes place in an alternate, 1950's Earth, peopled with all the characters and products you'd expect to find then... and it also includes a meteor impact of truly cataclysmic proportions!
Science and mathematics are really important in this post-meteor-impacted-Earth, as opposed to the old trope of societal collapse after the big "event". Where the story really distinguishes itself is that it's written from woman's POV as she and others try to end the intolerance and inequity of a patriarchal society, and go to work in fields that have traditionally been reserved only for men... and Mary Robinette Kowal accomplished this without giving the story an agenda-driven feel to it!!!
This is my new found favorite book of the year! If you enjoyed books like The Martian and Hidden Figures, you're going to love this one... Oh, and even better? The sequel will be released soon!
Simply Stellar storytelling, in every way!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
New found favorite book...
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Imagine a history where the space race began early
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Excellent
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Engaging characters, great story!
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I would rate it higher if I could
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The book is well researched, and a completely believable path to what might have been had the U.S. Space program begun earlier, and Washington been shipped out by a meteor in 1952.
Emma Wexler York is now my all time favorite southern Jewish lady computer "Astronette." Yes, at one time computer ( like typewriter) was actually a job title, one usually held by women. There was indeed a program to test and train women Astronauts, that was killed in the early 60's.
I love Emma as a trail blazing fictional role model, dealing with so many of the historic (and sadly still present) stereotypes the way she does in this book.
I would be remiss in not praising the narrating talents of the author. She is a superb and multi talented voice artist. There are not many authors who could pull off the marathon of their own book the way she has.
All praise to Mary Robinette Kowal!
A truly great listening experience!
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21st century quality sci fi and alternate history
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Worth the credit
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Happy listening!
Captivating
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Rather than preaching at the audience or belittling or vilifying large swaths of society, Kowal gives a breathtaking and very human perspective to overcoming adversity and achieving a goal. Also, strong science in the science fiction and believable alternate history.
Brilliant Novel, Profound First-Person Narrative
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