Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
No sample available
Title details for The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal - Wait list

The Martian Contingency

ebook
Pre-release: Expected March 18, 2025
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: Not available
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: Not available

Mary Robinette Kowal returns to Mars in this latest entry to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Lady Astronaut series.
"Kowal masters both science and historical accuracy in this alternate history adventure."—Andy Weir, author of The Martian, on The Calculating Stars
Years after a meteorite strike obliterated Washington, D.C.—triggering an extinction-level global warming event—Earth's survivors have started an international effort to establish homes on space stations and the Moon.
The next step – Mars.
Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, lands on the Red Planet, optimistic about preparing for the first true wave of inhabitants. The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat – they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate.
But from the moment she arrives, something is off.
Disturbing signs hint at a hidden disaster during the First Mars Expedition that never made it into the official transcript. As Elma and her crew try to investigate, they face a wall of silence and obfuscation. Their attempts to build a thriving Martian community grind to a halt.
What you don't know CAN harm you. And if the truth doesn't come to light, the ripple effects could leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth...
Lady Astronaut
The Calculating Stars
The Fated Sky
The Relentless Moon
The Martian Contingency

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 9, 2024
      The tense fourth alternate history in Kowal’s Hugo Award–winning Lady Astronaut series (after The Relentless Moon) traces the dicey late 1960s Second Expedition to establish a human settlement on Mars. After 26 million people were killed by a 1952 meteor strike that set off catastrophic global warming, scientists recruited from across the world constructed the Martian Bradbury Base in 1963. It was piloted to the red planet by Elma York, aka “Lady Astronaut,” a Jewish aviator and mathematician who became the public face of the space program during WWII. Deeply in love with her husband Nathaniel, a space engineer, Elma at 48 is now second in command for the Second Mars Expedition, this time with the intent of settling the red planet for good. Soon after setting foot on Mars’s sulfurous surface, however, Elma’s lifelong conviction that something always goes wrong is confirmed by unsettling discoveries about the fate of the first expedition. Now Elma must overcome hot flashes, sexism, racial tensions, and political machinations to find out what happened. Though Elma occasionally comes off as preachy, it’s a pleasure to watch this hypercompetent woman succeed. Kowal’s fans will not be disappointed.

    • Booklist

      February 1, 2025
      Elma York, lady astronaut, has a major leadership challenge ahead of her as second-in-command of the new Mars habitat. As soon as she arrives, she notices little oddities, from painted-over hate speech on a wall to an unlogged patch in a cargo bay. The members of the first Mars expedition say it's no big deal, and--space being space--she is soon confronted with a much more immediate problem. One of their supply drops exploded on impact, and it was the one carrying parts to make Dome 2's HVAC system. The entire fate of the space program hinges on successful improvisation. The solution is complicated by the question of whether the explosion was an unhappy accident or sabotage; events of the first Mars mission may not be as irrelevant as the original crew implied. This isn't just a story about a space expedition; it's about people preparing to make a home. Ultimately, relationships are the key to this thoughtful wrap-up to York's time in the spotlight that leaves plenty of room for Kowal to return to the series (which began with The Calculating Stars, 2018) if the whim strikes.

      COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading