4.25/5 

Imagine an alternate 1950s where a meteorite has hit and destroyed Washington DC and triggered the beginning of an exinction event. Now humanity has to not only figure out how to get to space but also how to leave and colonise other moons and planets before Earth becomes uninhabitable. This is the premise of The Calculating Stars. We follow mathematician and former WASP Elma, her journey as a computer for the space agency and her part in the journey for the space race. 

- The setting and the characters were wonderfully done and diffculties are portrayed so acutely. How does a person and society deal with the knowledge that they have lost family to an unpredictable disaster? What sort of grief processes would these people go through? My personal favourite is how the narative handles Elma's anxiety and the realism of conflict over wanting to power through but knowing that you need help. 

- Despite the fictional premise, a significant portion of the events within the story are based on true events. There's mentions of launch accidents, racist/misogynistic policies based on pure prejudice, historical people woven into charcters. There's an afterword at the end of the book detailing these and how the author used history brilliantly to inform fiction. 

- The book is sometimes very technical and whilst I appreciate that i the nature of science fiction, some of it felt a bit superfluous. I found myself skimming over parts where the technical jargon dominated, wanting to return to the story. 

Both a thought-provoking science fiction novel and a critical but positive look at the history of space exploration. For anyone who enjoys good representation, space race stories or finding out more about the hidden people behind our history.