The Relentless Moon

I have really enjoyed the Lady Astronaut series, which sits in a sweet spot between hard sci-fi and alternate history, namely if we had to start the space programme early after a massive global catastrophe, how would we have done it? The mixture of the scientific problem solving, the unspooling of an alternate timeline (and its politics) mixed with solid feminist adventure storytelling is absolute catnip to me. Nevertheless I was surprised to see this pop up as I thought the Fated Sky was the last in the series. And it sort of is, The Relentless Moon is based in the same universe, in 1963 during the Mars trip of the Fated Sky, where we join another female astronaut (astronette is penned a few times and is fun but clearly a gag) dealing with a few side issues - namely the Earth First anti-space movement. It is basically a spy/detective story in space, and whilst it might lack some of the pioneering gung ho drive of the previous two novels, it makes that up with a more in depth time restricted examination of an important turning point in its own universe..

Another thing to note is that it is a lot longer than the previous two books, despite potentially covering a lot less action and certainly less in universe development. That isn't to say it is short on incident, we start with riot, and intermittently have plane crashes, rocket explosions, a near fatal electric shock, a broken arm, a Polio outbreak and the aforementioned spy shenanigans where they have to discover the mole on the moon. This all is framed by a matter of fact slow drip of how this Moon colony has now expanded. Kowal is a utopian at heart, whilst here she admits to, and starts to toy with some of the worst aspects of human nature, her colonies and the spirit of survival have advanced her world well beyond where our one was at that stage. At the same time hers are also extremely flawed protagonists, who will lie about their own personal health issues to chase their own dreams, have prejudices and will follow them. In the previous books she has dealt with crippling anxiety, and drug use to manage that, here she dives into what (in the afterword) is clearly a very personal take on living with anorexia. Whilst catching a spy on the moon.

The Relentless Moon is a good name for the book because despite the relatively small canvas compared to the previous novels, it is a non-stop thriller. Its an attempt to more loosely play in the world she has created, and has an ending which I saw coming but delighted me nevertheless. She has managed to set up an scenario which allows her to have some proper real world conversations about progress, technology and humanity, whilst dealing with frailty, prejudice and small minded politics. She started it before Covid outbreak, but the polio epidemic she shows not only echoes it but also how precarious all systems are. I raced through it in five hours.

[NetGalley ARC]

I received this novel as a review copy without realising it was the third in a series - and it has inspired me to want to read the others!

A well researched historical Sci Fi novel, it is set in the 1960s - but an alternative 1960s where a meteor has hit the Earth, wiping out a great swathe of North America and covering the world in dense cloud cover. With Earth’s future looking more precarious by the day, the moon is being made into a habitable community.

We follow Nicole Wargin, a politician’s wife but also an experienced astronaut, as she heads off on a fairly routine trip to the moon, only to discover that there is a saboteur in their midst. As a spy in the war (following training at the euphemistic ‘Swiss Finishing School’), Nicole is perfectly placed to investigate who the saboteur is and what their reasons are.

I would recommend this book - putting aside the sci fi genre, it’s just a great story, well told, with well defined and believable characters. Having read the author’s notes at the end of the novel, it seems incredibly well-researched as well, so I’m sure it would also appeal to people interested in this era, or space travel.

I’m off to read the others in the series - enjoy!

This book takes place at the same time as the second book in this series, written from the perspective of Astronaut Nicole Wargin, whilst Elma is off on her Mars mission. I was worried I’d miss Elma, our Lady Astronaut, but I absolutely loved Nicole and loved this approach.

Nicole was such a great character to add to this saga. She was relatable, fallible and just all round really interesting and well-developed. I loved that she didn’t have to be perfect, that she was real and that it didn’t limit her either. She was still strong, independent, capable and reliable. That for me is true strength and the type of thing I want to read! It added so much depth to the plot too.

As for the story itself, all I can say is wow! I keep thinking I can’t enjoy this universe anymore and then Kowal just goes ahead and takes it to the next level. It was a genius idea to shift the focus and write this as a parallel to the previous story. It helped develop the world more, building on the details we already had, making the universe more substantial, and ultimately more intriguing and enjoyable, without it being laborious.

Add in all the mystery, sabotage, drama and ultimately the fight for survival, along with all the sci-fi elements and the complexities of space, and you find yourself with an epic read with so many facets. I was engaged every single moment and often found myself mulling over the pieces of the puzzle between reading sessions!

I’d just like to say how much I appreciated Kowal’s sensitivity in writing the parts that related to eating disorders and recovery. Including it was inspiring without ever being triggering or encouraging. This should be the gold standard for writing!

Thank you Mary Robinette Kowal, Tor and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s third instalment of The Lady Astronaut is a gripping space thriller set in the isolation of space.

In this third book of the series, Mary Robinette Kowal shifts the focus of the story from our eponymous hero of the first two books, Elma York, to Nicole Wargin.

Now, when I started reading the book, I fully expected this to be a continuation of Elma’s story and was quite taken aback to discover that there was a shift in the narrative to Nicole. I have to say this is quite a brave move as Elma is firmly established in the first two books with The Lady Astronaut crown. However, does the book suffer from this shift. Not at all! And I have to say that I found this book to be more compelling than its two predecessors in all honesty. Nicole is a fascinating character and as I read through the book, I found that I liked her more and more.

In the first two books, Nicole is a side character that is a shining beacon of strength and determination for Elma (obviously, as well as Nathanial). However, in this book we see her as she really is. We see that whilst she might have an exterior of steel, inside she is as fragile as sugar glass and at many points throughout the book, we see her shatter into a hundred pieces.

The story takes place in the three-month silence that was described in The Fated Sky, when the Mars expedition loses contact with Earth and we learnt that there had been some major upheavals caused by the Earth First group. It fills in the blanks of what happened to Nathanial and why he was hospitalised, the impact of the direct action that was instigated by the Earth First movement, the loss of communication with the Lunar Colony and the events that happened there.

As I said earlier, the book changes tone quite considerably and rather than being a book about exploration and colonisation, The Relentless Moon is a gripping thriller as Nicole, Eugene, Myrtle and Helen attempt to discover the saboteur of the Lunar Colony and what action they will take next.

As usual, Kowal does not shy away from the social commentary that was prominent in the last two books and she weaves the actual history of the time with her constructed alternative history. In the midst of this there is also a real-world juxtaposition of the current COVID epidemic and the Polio outbreaks that affected so many lives at this time. Although, when Kowal wrote this book COVID was not an issue. Strange how past and present repeat themselves, isn’t it?

One of the interesting aspects that she comments on is our world view of the more mature female and how that view is to see an older woman as ‘old hat’.

And the other pertinent point that she brings to the fore is the effects of direct action from pressure groups and at what point does that change from peaceful protest into acts of violence.

Nicole is a perfect protagonist in this book. She is a woman who is a mass of contradictions. She is a strong woman who underneath it all is as brittle as iron, and this comes out in many ways, particularly when we discover that she has experienced Anorexia throughout most of her life and that it is not a disorder that solely affects the younger population, but is a lifelong disorder. Kowal deals with the topic in a sensitive manner, rightfully pointing out that the condition is not ‘an eating disorder’ but is an extreme method of regaining control in extenuating circumstances. And we see that when Nicole’s locus of control is threatened, she will fall back on these methods to exert and regain some control over circumstances that she has no control over. Kowal never implies that as soon as she eats some food everything will be ok as people believe but challenges the perception of what the disorder actually is.

What we also learn is that Nicole’s image is built on subterfuge. The subterfuges that she enacts to give the impression that she is a strong, determined woman. The careful subterfuge and manipulation that she employs about hiding her condition and give the impression that she is eating. The subterfuge of what she actually did during the war and her own particular skillset.

I really enjoyed this book and Kowal’s writing. She shows a mastery at constructing complex plot with heart pounding pacing. Of commenting on social aspects but never preaching and writes fantastic characters. Mixed in with this is her masterful ability to write an emotive story that once or twice brought a lump to my throat as there are some events in the book that truly devastate Nicole's world.

If you want a science fiction series that has strong female leads and a story that that tackles numerous social aspects of the human existence mixed with compelling story lines and masterful writing then look no further than The Lady Astronaut series..