Apprehension
novella · First published 2025
Author guide
Mary Robinette Kowal Books in Order
Mary Robinette Kowal is an award-winning American author best known for historical fantasy, alternate-history science fiction, and the Lady Astronaut Universe. Her books include the Glamourist Histories, Ghost Talkers, The Spare Man, Molly on the Moon, and the Hugo- and Nebula-winning The Calculating Stars. She is also a professional puppeteer, voice actor, and member of Writing Excuses.
science fictionfantasyhistorical fantasyalternate historychildren's literature
Catalog record updated .
Mary Robinette Kowal's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Calculating Stars
The first novel in the Lady Astronaut Universe.
Shades of Milk and Honey
The first novel in the Glamourist Histories.
Ghost Talkers
A representative standalone historical-fantasy novel.
Read in order
Books by series
series · ongoing
The Lady Astronaut Universe
An alternate-history science-fiction series about humanity's accelerated effort to establish a spacefaring civilization after a meteorite triggers global catastrophe.
- 1 The Calculating Stars
Book 1 · novel · 2018
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…
- 2 The Fated Sky
Book 2 · novel · 2018
*The Fated Sky* continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in *The Calculating Stars*. It is 1961, and the International Aerospace Coalition has established a colony on the moon. Elma York, the noted Lady Astronaut, is working…
- 3 The Relentless Moon
Book 3 · novel · 2020
It's 1963, and riots and sabotage plague the space program. The climate change caused by the Meteor is becoming more and more clear, but tensions are rising, and the IAC's goal of getting humanity off Earth is threatened. Astronaut Nicole…
- 4 The Martian Contingency
Book 4 · novel · 2025
Mary Robinette Kowal returns to Mars in this latest entry to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Lady Astronaut series. “Kowal masters both science and historical accuracy in this alternate history adventure.”—Andy Weir, author of The…
series · complete
The Glamourist Histories
A historical-fantasy series set in Regency-era England, where glamour—magic worked through art and design—is an established discipline.
- 1 Shades of Milk and Honey
Book 1 · novel · 2010
*Shades of Milk and Honey* is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a version of Regency England where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. Despite the…
- 2 Glamour in Glass
Book 2 · novel · 2012
MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL stunned readers with her charming first novel, *Shades of Milk and Honey*, a loving tribute tot he works of Jane Austen in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence. This magic comes in the form of glamour, which…
- 3 Without a Summer
Book 3 · novel · 2013
- 4 Valour and Vanity
Book 4 · novel · 2014
Acclaimed fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal has enchanted many fans with her beloved novels featuring a Regency setting in which magic--known here as glamour--is real. In *Valour and Vanity*, master glamourists Jane and Vincent find…
- 5 Of Noble Family
Book 5 · novel · 2015
Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy when Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies. His brother, who manages the…
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (5)
- Ghost Talkers
novel · 2016
"Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Harford, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force ... Ginger and her fellow…
- The Spare Man
novel · 2022
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She's travelling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the…
- Apprehension
novella · 2025
- Forest of Memory
novella · 2013
Katya deals in Authenticities and Captures, trading on nostalgia for a past long gone. Her clients are rich and they demand items and experiences with only the finest verifiable provenance. Other people’s lives have value, after all. But…
- The Original
novella · 2020
Hugo Award-winning authors Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal team up in this sci-fi thriller set in a world where one woman fights to know her true identity and survive the forces that threaten her very existence. In the near…
Children's books (1)
- Molly on the Moon
picture-book · 2022
Award-winning science fiction author Mary Robinette Kowal consulted with a NASA astronaut to craft her first picture book story, accurately describing how living on the moon differs from life on Earth. Beautifully illustrated by Diana…
Plays (1)
- A Matter of Endurance
play · 2014
Other (3)
- Word Puppets
collection · 2015
- Scenting the Dark and Other Stories
collection · 2009
These things await you: Love and hope in the aftermath of a very personal environmental apocalypse. Fear that comes in being trapped in your own body, enslaved by your own faulty synapses. Dread in a cure that works in unexpected ways.…
- Silent Spaces
collection · 2025
Frequently asked questions about Mary Robinette Kowal
Who is Mary Robinette Kowal?
Mary Robinette Kowal is an American science-fiction and fantasy author, best known for historical fantasy and alternate-history fiction. She is also associated with the award-winning Writing Excuses podcast.
Why is Mary Robinette Kowal called “Mary Robinette”?
Her given name honors both grandmothers: Mary Elois Jackson and Virginia Robinette “Robby” Harrison. Her family used “Mary Robinette” as her first name while she was growing up.
What does Mary Robinette Kowal do besides write?
She is a professional puppeteer, voice actor, and audiobook narrator, with credits including work for LazyTown, the Center for Puppetry Arts, and Jim Henson Pictures. She also served as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2019–2021.
Sources: maryrobinettekowal.com (opens in a new tab)sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)
Which writers influenced Mary Robinette Kowal?
Kowal has discussed Ursula K. Le Guin’s influence on her, and she has described her historical-fantasy writing as inspired by Jane Austen. Her interview archive documents both connections.
What awards has Mary Robinette Kowal won?
She has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, four Hugo Awards, and Nebula and Locus Awards. The Calculating Stars won the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Sources: maryrobinettekowal.com (opens in a new tab)thehugoawards.org (opens in a new tab)nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)