After hearing good things about The Fated Sky, I decided to start from the beginning of Mary Robinette Kowal's alternate history and happily landed in 1952. I wasn't the only one landing there. At the onset, a huge meteorite hits the earth and obliterates the east coast, nearly killing protagonist Elma York and her husband.

Although often seen as hard science fictions, Kowal tends to get most right but not all right. For me, however, the details missed do not detract from the overall story — humankind finding an accelerated purpose for getting off the planet. The story centers on the protagonist and her husband, two of a small cast of characters that operate not in the aftermath of a devasted world facing rapid climate change but rather an isolated tech bubble created by those focused on heading into space.

Elma's real crisis has very little to do with the meteorite and very much to do about the era's rampant inequality. Elma is a highly intelligent female pilot and "computer" in the 1950s, who is set on breaking new ground to become an astronaut or "astronette." Sometimes this creates a paradox that is both interesting and annoying. On the one hand, it feels plausible because sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism did exist in the 1950s. On the other hand, everyone concedes that colonies require men and women, but then still need to be convinced that women need to go for whatever reason. Yes, fools. Babies.

Elma's persona is one park perky Ms. Maisel and one part Taraji P. Henson playing Katherine Johnson. She is hardworking, human, witty, and talented at finding new ways to navigate a man's world. Sometimes this makes the story feel lighter than needs to be, but I suppose one could argue that it makes it more real. What can't be argued is that Kowal is a talented writer and that the first book is an excellent otherworldly read, worthy of the many accolades it has received.