An apocalypse is a finale, right?
I am going to nominate
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal.
Goodreads |
Amazon
Pages ~430
Published in July 2018
Quote:
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.
Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
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It was the winner of the big 3 science fiction awards (Hugo, Nebula, and Locus) and several other awards. Wonderful book and highly recommended.
It's $10 at Amazon right now but I know this has been on sale recently for as little as $3.
Note: There is a
short story associated with this series as well that was written before this story but is set AFTER this story so there are some mild spoilers in it.