These two books by Mary Robinette Kawal are a prequel to her earlier short story The Lady Astronaut of Mars and tell the story of the accelerated human exploration of space triggered by a catastrophic event. Our protagonist is Dr Elma York a young(ish) woman who is a mathematical prodigy and qualified pilot – having flown with the WASPs during the WW2. In these books we follow her journey through the 1950s to the 1960s dealing with a world in crisis, prejudice, and her own […]