Format: Hardcover, 544 pages
Release Date: July 14, 2020
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Library
Genre: Science Fiction / Alternative History
Mary Robinette Kowal continues her award-winning Lady Astronaut series, which began with The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky, with The Relentless Moon.
The
Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the
Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation
is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The
IAC's goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it
becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.
Elma York is on her
way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend
and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those
pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to
keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the
Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.
The Relentless Moon, by author Mary Robinette Kowal, is the third installment in the authors Lady Astronaut series. Astronaut Nicole Wargin, one of the original six Lady Astronauts, and the wife of Kansas governor Kenneth Wargin, takes up the narration up from Emma York who is speeding her way towards Mars (The Fated Sky). This alternative history story takes place between March 28, 1963 thru May 28, 1965. The story has everything that older science fiction fans are eager to read about: A female character in her 50s, personal demons, space exploration, hard science fiction, politics, gender dynamics, and awesome plotting.
Despite coming from similar backgrounds, Nicole is a vastly different character than Elma York. While they were both WASP's (Women Air Force Service Pilots) during the Second World War, we learn that Nicole was also a trained spy which makes her the perfect person to be sent to the Moon to uncover a potential threat to the colonist and the base. The ICA strongly suspects that the Earth First movement has a mole working from within the space program, but no clue as to whom it could be. If you recall, similar issues happen to Emma’s mission to Mars. Nicole has her hands full in this story.
Not only is she the wife of a possible future President, but she seems to be targeted by Earth First. Earth First is a major distraction but also not to be ignored. They seriously believe that sending people to the Moon and Mars is a waste of time and money when Earth is on the brink of being inhabitable thanks to the Meteor that hit 11 years ago. Despite being targeted, Nicole decides to go to the Moon anyway. While Nicole readies herself for another mission to Moon Base Lunetta, she’s not without friends. Myrtle Lindholm, Helen Carmouche, along with Myrtle's husband Eugene who is the commander of the mission, are going with her.
Upon arriving on the Moon, Nicole and the others survive a near death experience when the landing goes wrong. Things go from bad to worse. A series of escalating acts of sabotage; strange malfunctions, equipment breakdowns, polio outbreak, poisoning attempts, missing rovers, and a break down in communications with Earth makes it know the saboteur is seriously dangerous. Nicole and her colleagues must quickly identify the culprits before devastating damage is done to the base and the residents living in it. There are literally 300 plus residents of the Moon who could be members of the Earth First Organization.
While Elma has issues with panic attacks, Nicole has real issues with anorexia. Her strengths and her challenges are nuanced and described very compassionately. Her disgust with food is realistic. Imagine being stuck on the Moon dealing with spies damaging your habitat, and then having a relapse of anorexia that makes anything you eat seem disgusting. Nicole finds a way to keep from imploding, but there are even bigger issues which I can’t discuss because it spoils the ending.
As a reader close in
age to Nicole, I think what hits me the hardest is reading about Nicole's
waning days as an astronaut. She doesn't agree with it, but those in high
positions, basically men, believe that it's time to move on to younger, less
experienced people. This ageism takes place in almost every workplace. Plus,
she also has issues with pain in her feet and ends up working thru a broken arm
while on the Moon. Nicole also knows that if her husband becomes President, her
time as an astronaut is finished. I’m a bit on the sad
side knowing we will have to wait 2 whole years until the 5th
installment in this series, The Derivative Base, is released. With, spoilers,
Nicole no longer in the program, it appears that we will be returning to Elma
and Nathaniel who briefly appears in this story.
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