The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Moé for Solarpunk Books

nerd teacher [books] reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Definitely worth reading, if only because it feels different from other sci-fi.

4 stars

I want to just start that I genuinely enjoyed this book more than I was expecting. I've found myself quite disappointed by sci-fi as of late because so much of it feels... the same, even when it's recommended for being 'more queer' or 'more feminist' or something. It still follows the same patterns, same narrative beats, same... failure to even imagine something different or new.

It's also been quite tiring reading a lot of sci-fi that focuses on perpetual conflicts. And while this book includes a conflict of sorts, it does not focus purely on the conflict itself. Instead, it focuses on the relationships between all of the characters. It looks at how things impact them, how they feel about each other, how they get to know each other... It actually gives a very necessary look at people within sci-fi, which I think more stories are in need of.

There …

I want to just start that I genuinely enjoyed this book more than I was expecting. I've found myself quite disappointed by sci-fi as of late because so much of it feels... the same, even when it's recommended for being 'more queer' or 'more feminist' or something. It still follows the same patterns, same narrative beats, same... failure to even imagine something different or new.

It's also been quite tiring reading a lot of sci-fi that focuses on perpetual conflicts. And while this book includes a conflict of sorts, it does not focus purely on the conflict itself. Instead, it focuses on the relationships between all of the characters. It looks at how things impact them, how they feel about each other, how they get to know each other... It actually gives a very necessary look at people within sci-fi, which I think more stories are in need of.

There are areas that I feel disappointed with, and it's largely because they felt glossed over. There's a whole thing between Ohan and Corbin, and their later interactions or the development of their relationship is never explored in the resolution. It's annoying because everything else is so beautifully done, but I feel like this one should've been handled much better considering the whole story around at least one of them. (And also, it leaves Corbin feeling really on the outskirts of the whole ship's crew.)

Stratki reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Fluffy en warm

4 stars

Je moet er een beetje van houden denk ik, het is een beetje fluffy en lief met allemaal aardige mensen die het beste met elkaar voor hebben. De Grote Geheimen waar het in de flaptekst over gaat zijn niet heel erg wereldschokkend, en zelfs de (weinige) slechteriken zijn grotendeels niet echt slecht. Niet echt een nagelbijter dus. Maar ach, het is bijna kerst, en we kunnen wel wat woke feelgood gebruiken in de wereld.

TQ@wyrms.de reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Needed to get used to the pacing, loved it in the end

4 stars

Enjoyed the weirdness of the worldbuilding, loved the relationshis and interactive, just liked the characters. I needed to get used to the slow pacing but enjoyed it in the end.

sifuCJC reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Great characters

4 stars

You get to know the whole crew on the journey; they are friends of yours by the end.

Library Orb reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Charming Sci-Fi

5 stars

An utterly charming story. If you enjoy spaceships full of goobers, you'll love this.

Heather reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers

Review of 'The long way to a small, angry planet' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

"When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The patched-up ship has seen better days, but it offers her everything she could possibly want: a spot to call home, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and some distance from her past.
And nothing could be further from what she's known than the crew of the Wayfarer.
From Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the chatty engineers who keep the ship running, to the noble captain Ashby, life aboard is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. That is until the crew is offered the job of a lifetime tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet. Sure, they'll earn enough money to live comfortably for years, but risking her life wasn't part of the job description."

The overwhelming sentiment that I gathered from reviews of this book is that …

"When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The patched-up ship has seen better days, but it offers her everything she could possibly want: a spot to call home, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and some distance from her past.
And nothing could be further from what she's known than the crew of the Wayfarer.
From Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the chatty engineers who keep the ship running, to the noble captain Ashby, life aboard is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. That is until the crew is offered the job of a lifetime tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet. Sure, they'll earn enough money to live comfortably for years, but risking her life wasn't part of the job description."

The overwhelming sentiment that I gathered from reviews of this book is that nothing much happens but it is amazing and you have to read it. I totally agree.

Rosemary is a human from Mars who is on the run from her life there. She is hired to be a secretary. She has skills with languages too that may come in handy. She's never been on a long haul ship before. The crew of the Wayfarer is different than any group she's been around before.

Captain Ashby is human. He's been looking for a way to make the Wayfarer more profitable. Now he's been selected for a huge job. They will open a wormhole between a newly settled planet in a war zone and their home galaxy. It will take over a year to get there.

Sissix is reptilian but don't say that out loud because it is rude. Her race is very affectionate. They form different families at different times in their lives. Their sexual freedom makes many humans uncomfortable.

Kizzy is human. She loves machinery and keeps the Wayfarer running with help from Jenks. She reminded me of Kaylee from Firefly.

Jenks is human. He works mostly with the AI system on the ship. During his time on the ship, he has fallen in love with her. They are considering getting her a body so she can leave the ship.

Lovey is the AI system. Her name is short for Lovelace. She controls everything on board.

Dr. Chef is both the doctor and the chef. He's in the male phase of his life right now.

Ohan is a Sianat pair. He carries an alien parasite inside him that allows him to see in multiple dimensions and wavelengths. He understands the workings of the universe. It allows him to navigate when they are making wormholes. The pairing drastically shortens his life expectancy and he is starting to show signs of physical deterioration.

Corbin is the ship's algae specialist. The ship runs off of algae most of the time. He's grumpy and a loner but good at his job so everyone puts up with him.

The story mainly involves putting these diverse species in a ship for a long period of time and watching what happens. There are a few close escapes but mostly it is a story about making a family - the good and the bad.

Just go read this one if you haven't yet. You won't regret it.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

Hazel

rated it

Nov. 9, 2023