Thursday, May 25, 2017

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers book thoughts


Title: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Series: Yes, Wayfarers #1
Author: Becky Chambers
Published Date: July 15th, 2014
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: I bought it
# of Pages: 438
Genre: Sci-Fi/Adult
Read: May 2017

Goodreads Synopsis

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Rating: 4.25/5

Quotes

“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.”

“That’s not the same. What happened to you, to your species, it’s . . . it doesn’t even compare.’ ‘Why? Because it’s worse?’ She nodded. ‘But it still compares. If you have a fractured bone, and I’ve broken every bone in my body, does that make your fracture go away? Does it hurt you any less, knowing that I am in more pain?”

“But every sapient species has a long, messy history of powers that rise and fall. The people we remember are the ones who decided how our maps should be drawn. Nobody remembers who built the roads.”

“People can do terrible things when they feel safe and powerful.”

“Scared means we want to live.”

“We are all made from chromosomes and DNA, which themselves are made from a select handful of key elements. We all require a steady intake of water and oxygen to survive (though in varying quantities). We all need food. We all buckle under atmospheres too thick or gravitational fields too strong. We all die in freezing cold or burning heat. We all die, full stop.”

My Thoughts

This is so much more than a space opera! If you are looking for an action-packed thrill ride, this may not be your cuppa tea, but if you love character-driven books about friendships, people, diversity, politics and a pretty relaxing read that will mostly give you happy tears then this will probably be your cuppa tea!

It explores gender, sexuality, being sapient, existence, politics, differences in people and how even if you are different, you can still get along and respect each other. It's not hard, generally, and if it is you can still work it out.

I loved all the characters in this book! I didn't start out liking Corbin (which is done on purpose) but by the end of the novel I even liked grumpy Corbin! There are differences in species, different species may have different morals and lifestyles, but they can still get along with one another if they only try or care to. There are queer relationships and no one cares or is bothered by it in the slightest, it just is! There are some inter-species couples, and some inter-species sex though no detail about it. All 100% consensual!

We get to learn about the characters pasts, as well as about their species, generally told by the human or alien for a better understanding.

Everyone has to make choices, share secrets, thoughts and feelings towards other crew members. Everyone has their own distinct personality.

Rosemary learns what it's like to have a real family, to find love and fight for survival for oneself and others.

They are aboard the Wayfarer. Ashby is the captain, Jenks and Kizzy are the techs, Dr. Chef is the chef and doctor, Lovey is the AI for the ship, Ohan is the navigator, Corbin is in charge of algae which is fuel, and Rosemary is a sort of secretary.

It's mostly low stakes, but at one point they do almost lose the ship and their lives. They do lose some things. They make tunnels in space for others to get through the galaxy easier.

Mostly this book is just about them going through space, stopping at places like markets, having fun, getting to know them and their species and personal backgrounds, them getting to know each other, meeting people on different planets, pirates, galaxy/planet politics and a little bit of action and a pretty relaxing read. I loved every second of it!

The pacing was steady. I cried many times. It explores so many things and beautifully so. I had a couple tiny issues with the book (I don't personally understand some things with the Anndrisks morals) and I didn't get all the science-y things, but those were of no consequence. It was very readable and did make me think in some areas, but mostly it just made me wanna hug the characters and go live with them. I need moooooore! There is a second book out and apparently a third in the works, I will be continuing with this series! I was and still am in a sort of reading funk so that did damper it a bit for me but that was me and not the book. If it wasn't for that it may just have gotten 5 stars!

Oh and there is lots of food! If it sounds like your kinda thing i'd highly recommend it!

2 comments:

  1. I cannot wait to get to this one!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it! Thank you for reading and commenting :)

      Delete