The Martian Contingency Audiobook By Mary Robinette Kowal cover art

The Martian Contingency

Lady Astronaut, Book 4

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The Martian Contingency

By: Mary Robinette Kowal
Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
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Mary Robinette Kowal returns to Mars in this latest entry to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Lady Astronaut series.

Years after a meteorite strike obliterated Washington, DC—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
©2025 Mary Robinette Kowal (P)2024 Audible, Inc. Alternate History Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Exploration Solar System Mars
Character-driven Narrative • Compelling Plot • Believable Science • Excellent Alternate History • Complex Verisimilitude
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I loved this one just as much as the previous three books. the author is an amazing narrator too. One of my favorites!

Another great addition to the Lady Astronaut series

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Loved this installment! Huge fan of the Lady Astronaut series. I enjoyed the news broadcasts between chapters.

Love this series!!!

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MRK continues to thrive in creating alternate history. The Lady Astronaut series adds the perfect dose of humanity to science fiction, and the details of this installment feel particularly relevant at the start of 2025. Hatred and silence are themes throughout.

I personally love the evolution of the Drs. York; maturity in their love, communication strengths and glaring weaknesses, aging bodies, authenticity of self within the marriage, hard fought resolutions.

The escapism needed

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This is a great addition to the lady astronaut series. Throughout the book, she talks about trying to intertwine the calendars and celebrations of the different ethnic groups on Mars. I just loved how she worked social issues into the book. I hope someday the world can become become more unified as they did on Mars.

I loved the calendar motif

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I am so excited to have listened to this book. I am 48 and loved the hot flash in space. I respect how you worked family planning into these stories. such elegant layering.
keep up your great work! more insects.

work the problem

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I enjoyed catching up as the astronauts began to colonize Mars. Robinette does a great job of building back stories and showing the tension between long time
friends and adversaries.

A great addition to the series

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Characters are complex and exceptionally well drawn; had me in tears time and again. Plot is griping and ambitious and so well researched that it achieves a complex verisimilitude that is rare stuff.

The best book I’ve read in years. My new favorite!

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Love love loved this series.

Perfect blend between science and outer planetary dreams. I hope there are more to come!!!!

Loved the whole series!!

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YAY! I am so glad that this was so good. The First Lady Astronaut book was so good that it had me believing the author was a pilot and failed astronaut, like me. It was like she looked straight into my soul and described things that I have never been able to explain, despite my communications skills as a scientist and teacher. I was afraid that maybe this one would disappoint me, but it did not. I hope the next one can be this good. Thank you, Lady Astronaut.

Wonderful!

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It always feels fun to go flying with Elma. Given that this seems to be leading into the short story that started at all, guessing this is the final book in the series. It’s a satisfying ending for Elma and Nathaniel. This final book is more of a dive into the characters, with most of the crises taking place off-camera. That’s fine, after three previous books and numerous short stories, we’ve seen plenty of adventure. So it’s fine to spend some time getting to know everyone better as we get ready to say goodbye.

Satisfying Series Conclusion

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