The Martian Contingency

Lady Astronaut, Book 4

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

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.

Love it!!!

Love it!!! So amazing! Thank you so much for this new book. I have been anticipating it for years.

couldn't stop listening

I love everything about this book, this narrator, and this series! I hope this isn't the last installment.

I loved the calendar motif

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.

work the problem

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.

The Lady Astronaut on Mars!

This is a great sequel to Lady Astronaut. She finally lands on Mars and has a ton of adventures on and in orbit around Mars.