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The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

(Wayfarers #4)

Becky Chambers

4.60 · Rating details · 121 ratings · 74 reviews

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul space ...more

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ebook, 336 pages

Expected publication: February 16th 2021 by Harper Voyager

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Start your review of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4)

Sep 05, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-releases

2021 can't arrive soon enough!! ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 leo | 飛べ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

*SCREAMING ALL THE WAY TO HASHKATH*

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May 16, 2020 Charlotte May marked it as to-read

Another book in the Wayfarers series?

Sign me up!!!!

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Jan 20, 2020 Giulia marked it as to-read · review of another edition

What's this sound, you ask?
Oh, dear. It's me screeching, obviously. ...more

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Feb 21, 2020 Tyler marked it as to-read

Please please please let this story bring us back to our first spaceborn crew from book 1.

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Dec 10, 2020 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-preordered, netgalley, 5stars, read2020, adult-fiction, scifi-dystopian, all-the-pretty-covers

And so with this novel Becky Chambers completes her Wayfarers quartet... and honestly, it was the perfect ending. It’s a book that manages to feel incredibly expansive with its cast of characters, but also beautifully intimate.

If you haven’t read any of the Wayfarers novels before now I completely recommend that you rectify that promptly. Each book is set in the same universe but have their own unique storyline so technically can be enjoyed in any order.

As with any Chambers’ novel the emphasis ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 Lauren James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aliens, space, epistolary, solarpunk, lush-food, reproductive-technologies, body-positivity, found-family, closed-environment

[Gifted]
This was fascinating. It's definitely one for the zoologists out there - there aren't any human characters for most of the story. Instead, four different alien species with incredibly different physiologies are stuck in a small habitat dome together with no communications for a week. All of them have their own desperate reasons for leaving as quickly as possible, but despite their impatience they find themselves fascinated by the differences and similarities between each other's bodies a ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 La La marked it as arc-and-review-tbr

Shelves: adult-fic, on-my-kindle, review-arcs-netgalley

I AM UNCONTROLLABLY HAPPY! 😍😍😍

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Dec 13, 2020 Katy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi_2020, favorites

Once again Becky Chambers has restored my faith in humanity. This novel feels like the perfect remedy to the shit show that was 2020 and honestly could not have come at a more perfect time. Her writing has this captivating quality that takes you in it's arms and makes you feel like everything is going to be okay with the world.

The Galaxy and The Ground Within is a very quiet yet profound novel and personally I think it's such a refreshing change from a lot of the high octane sci-fi thillers we Once again Becky Chambers has restored my faith in humanity. This novel feels like the perfect remedy to the shit show that was 2020 and honestly could not have come at a more perfect time. Her writing has this captivating quality that takes you in it's arms and makes you feel like everything is going to be okay with the world.

The Galaxy and The Ground Within is a very quiet yet profound novel and personally I think it's such a refreshing change from a lot of the high octane sci-fi thillers we get nowadays. The major theme of the book is a contemplation on what it means to accept both others and yourelf, to me this is such a beautiful thing to explore and definetly a lesson I think a lot of the world needs, on treating people who are different from you with respect, grace and kindness.

In terms of plot and characters, we follow a small group of characters (who I absolutely adore, they might be my fvaourite cast of the wayfayers books, although I do also adore the wayfayer crew in the long way), who are all strangers at the start of the novel, but due to unforseen circumstances they are stuck together planetside on Gora. Gora is a planet which doesn't have its own indiginous species, but instead has become a sort of stopover port, in the middle of a wormhole gate system.

The main charcaters we follow are:

Ouloo - Ouloo is the owner of the one stop five hop, a sort of resort for travellers to take a rest on their way to where they are going next, whilst waiting for their turn in the wormhole gate crew. Ouloo is mother to Tupo and is very passionate about making her guests feel welcome and accepted.

Tupo - Xe is Ouloo's child and is one of my favoruite characters ever. Becky chambers perfectly captured the spirit of a pre-teen/teenager who wants to be xyr own person but also very much still needs xyr parent. Tupo is sweet yet mischivous and so curious about the world.

Pei - Another one of my absolute favourites, we have actually met Pei before, as Ashby's love interest. But seeing her on her own and discovering her character as an indivual, her wants and goals, as well as her struggles (paticularly about her relationship with Ashby - which she feels a lot of guilt about) was such a pleasure to read. Her storyline is so beautiful, coming to terms with what she wants for her life and standing up for herself to herself (idk if that makes sense but it's the best way I can describe it!). Also some of the choices she maes towards the end of the book were so impactful and I think will resonate with a lot of women.

Roveg - Roveg is a Quelin, an species which has ostracised themselves from the rest of the GC, who is exile and is very much the glue who holds this fledgeling group together (Pei and Speaker have very strong perosnalities and Roveg is the perfect balance to this). Keeping his own secrets and anxieties about the situation is character arc is very interesting to watch unfold throughout the novel. I also love how respectful and interested he is in other cultures and how fundamentally tied to his character this is.

Speaker - She is another character who I just feel head over heels for, part of the Akarak race, a species we don't know much about, nor do the rest of the GC, Speaker has made herself into someone who is almost an ambassador for her species, however she often feels this burden and wants people to just accept her for who she is rather than who she presents to the world. She is also seperated from her twin sister at the start of the novel and you truly feel her anxiety and love for her sister and wanting to get back to her.

We watch as the characters grow closer in their forced proximity, but also how they clash with one another and their differing world (galaxy?) views. Also how the characters are forced to take a break from their everyday lives and just spend a few days doing very little, just looking after themsleves and the others they are stuck with. This is a very important takeaway, especially with the current work climate of work yourself to death, as well as a reflection on how COVID has forced a lot of us to take a break and maye reflect a little on what we truly want from life.

There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, as well as some really emotional character moments, paticularly around themes of parenthood (which I am always a sucker for). Also some really sweet and wholesome moments, especially around the sharing of food and how that can help bring people together - another theme which resonated deeply with me. Finally there is an element of medicine/healing care which of course I also loved!!!!

In conclusion The Galaxy and the Ground Within is probably tied with the Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for my favourite Wayfayers book, a beautiful novel about where you've been, where you are and where you are going. ...more

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May 26, 2020 Taylor marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: i-need, sci-fi-to-read

Becky Chamber: [announces a fourth Wayfarers book]

Me:

...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Bruna Oliveira rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set on Gora, basically a planet which has the sole purpose of being a waiting place for those ships that will enter into the next wormhole and have to wait for authorization for such We first meet Ouloo and Tupo, a Laru mother and her teenager son, who have an establishment there for those who are waiting. They will receive three guests on the same day: Speaker, an Akarak, Roveg, a Quelim and Ca Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set on Gora, basically a planet which has the sole purpose of being a waiting place for those ships that will enter into the next wormhole and have to wait for authorization for such We first meet Ouloo and Tupo, a Laru mother and her teenager son, who have an establishment there for those who are waiting. They will receive three guests on the same day: Speaker, an Akarak, Roveg, a Quelim and Captain Tem, aka Pei (also Ashby's love interest), an Aeluon. They were supposed to be there only for a short period of time and the whole satellite network stops working and they are stuck there until further notice.

Well, like in the previous books in the series, we have a plot-driven sci-fi story. We have 5 people from 4 different species trying to get along and get over the cultural barriers between them, so it's really interesting to see how they react and try to understand the culture and biology aspects from each other. Of course, those dialogues make us think a lot about ourselves and our society. I also really like how the author always debates war and explore the different perspectives of it.

The characters are flawlessly built as usual. They all have their quirks, their flaws and the things that make us love them. My personal favorite was Roveg. He's probably the easiest one to love, but I just couldn't help it. Speaker was for me the most complex character, which made me love her sometimes and also annoyed me a bit lol. It was also very good to see more of Pei and understand more of her species and her relationship with Ashby.

The only problem I had with it was that once again, I had a hard time getting into a book of the series. I don't know if the problem is me or the author or maybe both of us, but it always takes me a long time to get into those books, but once I do, it's awesome. Oh, and I also missed some humor in here. I felt like the other books had more funny lines, but it was still fun in some moments.

Overall, it was another great installment for the series. ...more

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Sep 10, 2020 ♠ TABI⁷ ♠ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss

YES YES YESSSSSSSS THERE'S GONNA BE A 4TH BOOK

..... oh *stares lovingly at the cover* ...more

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May 15, 2020 Ren (A Bookish Balance) marked it as 2021-most-anticipated

Why did I not know this was a thing? 😭

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Dec 26, 2020 Dylan rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, sci-fi, ebook

"Sometimes things were just too broken for even the cleverest of workarounds."

2.5 rounded up.

Set on Gora, the planetary equivalent of a rest area, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within follows five characters stuck together for a few days after an orbital accident around the planet that grounds the ships. Among these characters is Pei, Ashby's partner from the first book, as well as two Laru, a Quelin and an Akarak. I was particularly interested to see the Akarak character as this was species was on "Sometimes things were just too broken for even the cleverest of workarounds."

2.5 rounded up.

Set on Gora, the planetary equivalent of a rest area, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within follows five characters stuck together for a few days after an orbital accident around the planet that grounds the ships. Among these characters is Pei, Ashby's partner from the first book, as well as two Laru, a Quelin and an Akarak. I was particularly interested to see the Akarak character as this was species was only briefly a part of the first book and hadn't been explored in much detail yet.

The focus of Wayfarers 4 is mainly on expanding the world-building and exploring tension between the different species based around their vastly different cultural histories. It seems odd to me to have this as the focus since this is the last Wayfarers book (which I'm really sad about) and unfortunately this choice also means that plot and character development suffer to the point of them both being almost non-existent. There's the main accident that grounds them but beyond that there's only one significant plot-point and it happens in the last 20% of the book. The rest of it is really just the characters kind of hanging around not doing a whole lot other than learning about each other, and in particular learning about the Akarak.

Usually the draw of these books is that they kind of explore some version of everyday life in this universe and so plot can be on the backburner a bit without the quality of the book suffering, but since the characters here aren't even experience everyday life it doesn't really work. They're just stuck in a bubble not able to go anywhere.....hmm that sounds familiar. The three characters who have come to the planet (as opposed to the two who live there operating the little stop-over the book is set at) do have their own things going on and clear motivations for wanting to leave ASAP, but these motivations are kind of just mentioned at the beginning and then don't really become important again until the end of the book. Pei is the only character where her individual story is really important during the novel but it feels less consequential knowing that this is the end of the series and we're not going to get the rest of her story.

That's not to say the exploration of the world-building and the tensions between some of the species aren't good, I really enjoyed this part of the novel, but again it just felt like such an odd choice to focus on this since this is the last book in the series. And I mean I did still enjoy reading this, but it just wasn't anywhere near as good as the others in the series and the disappointment of the series ending abruptly is compounded by this being a disappointing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. ...more

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Dec 18, 2020 Annemieke / A Dance with Books rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 5-star, 2020, sci-fi

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

If there is one series that I will always praise highly it has to be the Wayfarers series. Becky Chambers has found a unique way to look at people's lifes in a science-fiction setting and manages to play with your heartstrings.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within does this well. I'll be honest and say that I was somewhat hesitant about this book as I started. ...more

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Dec 07, 2020 Ash marked it as own · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

~~I can’t believe I got a Becky Chambers ARC!~~

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Dec 11, 2020 Alice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: upcoming-2021

No surprise there.
Yet another beautiful story. I really wish we could have more of this universe. 10 books minimum would make me happy.

This one is closer to the first book in the series : we've got a groupe of people, stuck somewhere for a period of time. They try to deal with their personal stuff while also getting to know each others and helping one another. The difference is that in the first book the crew knew what they were getting into, they knew each others and had knowingly decided to ta No surprise there.
Yet another beautiful story. I really wish we could have more of this universe. 10 books minimum would make me happy.

This one is closer to the first book in the series : we've got a groupe of people, stuck somewhere for a period of time. They try to deal with their personal stuff while also getting to know each others and helping one another. The difference is that in the first book the crew knew what they were getting into, they knew each others and had knowingly decided to take that year long trip. In The Galaxy, and the ground within, no one chose to be there for more than a night, circumstances put these people together. They also sometimes have prejudice against each others due to their race... But in a complete Chambers' fashion they are never dicks about it.

This story has barely any plot, just like in The Long way(...) except a little something happening at the end (again, like in The long way(...)). I'm positive that if you liked that first book you will love that second one too. But also, if you thought book 1 was too slow... Then this one might not be fore you either.

I loved that Chambers decided to have only aliens as characters in this book. We follow 5 different people of 4 different species and Humans are only mentioned. We got to learn so much from these species, not only how they "biologically work" but their history, their politics. It was fascinating.

After reading this book, more than ever before, I wanted more books in the series. I wanted to know more about the politics especially surrounding Speaker's species. I wish we could have a full book about it... Not fair, Becky.

This reads SUPER QUICKLY. I don't know how long it is exactly but it felt like a novella. I blinked and I had read 50%. How can a book with no plot be such a page turner? I've no idea but I was trying to savor it and take my time but wow it was hard.

I wouldn't know what else to say about this book. It was amazing, it's of course already pre-ordered and it warmed my heart, as always with Chambers' stories. I cannot wait to see where she brings us next.

I received an E-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ...more

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Dec 09, 2020 Alex Sarll added it · review of another edition

The final Wayfarers book – which seems a strange thing in itself, given this always felt much more a setting than a series, even if this volume does resolve one gently dangling plot thread from the first of them, The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. And given the timing – it's set to come out 11 months after the Event – I'm inevitably curious about whether the ways in which it mirrors lockdown were a direct response, emphasised in late revisions, or sheer coincidence. The setting is a small fac The final Wayfarers book – which seems a strange thing in itself, given this always felt much more a setting than a series, even if this volume does resolve one gently dangling plot thread from the first of them, The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. And given the timing – it's set to come out 11 months after the Event – I'm inevitably curious about whether the ways in which it mirrors lockdown were a direct response, emphasised in late revisions, or sheer coincidence. The setting is a small facility at a wormhole transit hub, where three visitors of various species find themselves trapped with the two hosts after an unexpected catastrophe. The official communiques combine reassuring platitudes – "Thank you for your patience. We are all in this together." – with ever-stretching estimates of when matters will be resolved, in a manner which now feels all too familiar. Likewise the lives and plans put on hold, the people trapped away from family and friends, the sudden reversals of the emotional gradient in relationships, the anger bubbling closer to the surface, the difficulty sleeping as one's brain insists on repeatedly running through the problem despite one's knowledge that one can't do a damn thing to solve it. The poignancy of any reminder of what was: "It was an old memory, a nothing memory, but one made painful by the simple context of what life had once been." Even the guilt at the good moments: "It was odd to be enjoying such things while the sky was on fire." And of course there are good moments, far more than here, because while not without war, jeopardy and death, the world of Wayfarers is fundamentally so much nicer than our own.

An early scene which encapsulates that underlying gentleness is set thus: "The ocean beach was as beautiful as it was every time. The sky above was the pale amethyst of noon. The water below lapped at the shimmering black sand with a tender, rhythmic caress. People of all species milled about, some napping, some swimming, some collecting shells. The beach was lively, but not raucous; peaceful without being dull." True, it's a simulation, but even so, it's a simulation where the wish-fulfillment isn't sex, violence, greed – it's a really lovely beach that everyone can enjoy. Equally, out in the novel's real world, the setting has been very carefully calibrated by its keen owner-manager such that it's as amenable as possible to as many alien species as possible – and despite being essentially a motorway services in space, not once does any of the travellers stranded there have even the faintest grumble about the price of anything cross their mind, because it's being run as an act of cultural exchange as much as a business.

In a sense, Chambers already did something much closer to our current lockdown experience in her non-Wayfarers, far less sunny novel To Be Taught If Fortunate, where the protagonists spend several months trapped in their ship on a depressing planet of rain and slugs. Here, though...I think the moment I felt the gap most keenly was when two characters who've had quite a forceful argument over really quite foundational stuff know in an instant to put that aside when the crisis requires them to work together for the general good. You know, in exactly the way people so spectacularly haven't this year. This isn't a criticism as such – I'm a Wodehouse fan reading a novel about aliens using algae to travel faster than light, I'm not demanding scrupulous realism. But even more so than most reading in the 2020s, it did leave me deeply envious of a world that doesn't exist.

And that argument the characters had? It's over the injustices of the Galactic Commons, a situation whose analogies to injustices back here on Earth are pointed, but not always in ways which quite convinced me. One participant is Speaker, an Akarak – a race who were colonised and enslaved by the former galactic hegemons, the Harmagians. Left with no homeland, they're widely perceived as criminal by nature, and at this point you think, OK, bit on the nose, but let's see where this is going...and then Chambers keeps heaping the disadvantages on them, but most of these don't feel structural so much as just really bad evolutionary luck. So they're smaller than all the other sentient species, and shorter-lived, and the only ones who don't breathe oxygen, at which point the whole thing really falters as any kind of representation of terrestrial racism, where the tragedy is surely the divisions between people of equal potential based on the foregrounding of one tiny detail of genetic happenstance. And when Speaker gets into familiar arguments about how the new, supposedly fairer era of galactic civilisation is just "a less violent period of the exact same cycle", accusing another character's people of having "engaged in bloody theft and called it progress", the parallel doesn't really stand up given there's no direct argument with the Aeluon's rebuttal that her people have "never taken a world from someone, not once", only terraformed wholly uninhabited planets. It's an unfortunate bum note in what's otherwise a nuanced if very optimistic vision of the interactions between different peoples, where the dynamics can be imperfect in all sorts of ways (from well-meaning ignorance, through the embarrassing curiosity of the young, to genuine but not hardened prejudice) but ultimately soluble through curiosity and empathy. I particularly enjoyed the way that, for the first time in the series, none of the leads was human, and that accordingly our funny ways come in for plenty of puzzlement and mockery when we do crop up in conversation (cheese, in particular, is widely assumed to be a slanderous rumour, because how and why would any species even do that?). And not for the first time, Chambers is very good at using various alien sensoria as a brilliant way to talk about neurodiversity, and how exhausting it can be dealing with a world set up on assumptions about how minds work which don't apply to yours.

This also feeds into the work of Roveg, the character who made that simulation I mentioned earlier. Part of the skill of which is making it accessible to different species, so that each can feel their own body-type in there (that nobody has ever bothered to do this for the Akaraks before, and how that's resolved, is moving, and has clear and valid metaphorical intent, even while it sits somewhat oddly with the world we've seen in the previous books). He's an exile from his isolationist race, the Quelin, on account of his being "a known cultural deviant". Yet even here, one looks at the way the Quelin aren't dumb enough to muck with trade; respect common laws; object to inequality; and accept minimal fuss over gender transition – and wish that Trump's America or Brexit Britain could have been this polite and measured when they turned their backs on the world and the future. Still, while even the evil empires here are really quite civilised compared to our own, the character for whom I felt the most sympathy was undoubtedly fluffy, floppy Ouloo, host at the stopover, who knows there are problems in the world, and can't tell what solution is best, so in the meantime has come to a very practical manifesto for her own life: "I want everybody to get along, and I want to make them dessert."

(Netgalley ARC) ...more

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May 23, 2020 Isabelle marked it as to-read

IT HAS A TITLE!!!! \o/

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Jan 06, 2021 a. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, favorites, sci-fi

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing an E-ARC for review!!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in author Becky Chambers’ acclaimed science fiction series Wayfarers. The book shows us 4 main characters’ points of view, all from “alien” species (there is no human character with a point of view in this book, as there were in previous novels in the series), as they get to know each other while dealing with an inconvenient situation that is placing stress Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing an E-ARC for review!!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in author Becky Chambers’ acclaimed science fiction series Wayfarers. The book shows us 4 main characters’ points of view, all from “alien” species (there is no human character with a point of view in this book, as there were in previous novels in the series), as they get to know each other while dealing with an inconvenient situation that is placing stress upon all 4 as they try to get to their destinations.

The main cast, as previously mentioned, has no humans amongst them: the characters are (for those who’ve read prior books in the series) Aeluon, Akarak, Laru, and Quelin. I very much enjoyed the characters in this book, and especially liked getting to see points of view from species’ we have not seen much of in prior books. Chambers also uses this as a way to diegetically explain aspects of the universe, as some of the characters are not as familiar with those same aspects, and as such act as a bit of a conduit for the readers’ learning. One of the main characters is also a side character in the first novel in the series (A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet), who I enjoyed getting to spend some new time with as well.

This is usually the place in a review where I’d talk about the parts I didn’t like as much, but truth be told there would not be much to add here beyond little nitpicks. I do, however, want to add a warning for those who have not read other books in the series and are trying to start with this one (not recommended in my opinion, but all the books are fairly standalone). This is not a sweeping, Star Wars-esque action/adventure space opera; even though there is galactic conflict mentioned, this is very much a character-focused book, one that zooms in on character interaction instead of action scenes like some other sci-fi. The characters gradually reveal their motivations and backstories throughout the book, either through internal monologues or with conversation between characters, and the cozy, personable feeling is one of the things I love most about this series. I’m sad to see it go, but I’ll be thinking about these books for a long, long time.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Penelope rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-and-fantasy

Becky does it again!

Becky Chambers is one of the best writers currently on the block and with this novel she perfectly brings to a close one of the best series of the decade. One of this authors greatest strengths has always been the creation and narration of alien characters. She doesn't just give upright bipeds weird looking faces but she really goes to town with all the ways alien life might be different and the ways in which this might affect their interaction with the world and with each ot ...more

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Nov 16, 2020 Caitlin Gutilla marked it as to-read

I did not realize there was a fourth book. BRUH. 2021 COME TO MEEEEEE

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May 20, 2020 Lady Brainsample marked it as to-read

Shelves: xy-tr-fut-rel-nal

5/20/20: OH MY GOSH THE TITLE. UNKNOWN RELEASE DATE NEEDS TO HAPPEN TOMORROW.

10/1/20: Becky Chambers is the only author I can think of whose books I always pre-order. Pre-ordering this and A Psalm for the Wild Built today!!!

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May 21, 2020 Bianca (theperksofbeingbianca) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

15/9/20

I DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS HAPPENED BUT WE HAVE A COVER!!!!
AND IT'S AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE OTHERS
OFC I'M TALKING ABOUT THE UK EDITIONS
SORRY NOT SORRY THE US ONES ARE KINDA UGLY

***
WHEN DID THIS GET A TITLE omg ...more

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Jun 01, 2020 ella marked it as to-read

has this just made my day? why yes it has

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Jul 01, 2020 Bastiaan Spijkman marked it as to-read

Today I found out the next book has a title. Today is a good day!!!!

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Jul 09, 2020 Clara ✨ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED!!! ...more

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Aug 10, 2020 Evie rated it it was amazing

I have never been more excited for a book in my LIFE

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Sep 09, 2020 Nina marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-be-released

i completely randomly stumbled upon the fact that there is gonna be a 4th wayfarers novel and i genuinely started crying from happiness, i didn’t dare dream but here we are

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Jan 05, 2021 Pickle Farmer rated it really liked it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I've read all of the Becky Chambers books in this series, and this is apparently the last one - if the author's final note at the end is anything to go by. It surprised me, quite frankly - it's the kind of series that could go on indefinitely. But I respect her need for a change/break.

This is the most memorable of the books in the series that I've read, apart from the first one. It's very much still "cozy" sci-fi - nothing is too stressful, ever Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I've read all of the Becky Chambers books in this series, and this is apparently the last one - if the author's final note at the end is anything to go by. It surprised me, quite frankly - it's the kind of series that could go on indefinitely. But I respect her need for a change/break.

This is the most memorable of the books in the series that I've read, apart from the first one. It's very much still "cozy" sci-fi - nothing is too stressful, everyone is basically a decent person, everyone is trying to get along.

What I liked most about this book were Chambers' attempts to grapple with the stressful feelings of the past four years - of the most RECENT year, even. I'd be VERY interested in learning if any of this was written during the 2020 pandemic. The plot is, basically, a bunch of strangers trapped together due to a disaster. They have to get to know each other. They have to learn to get along.

And so, uneasy conversations are had, meals are shared. The concept of home is explored. We get a lot of "here is some anthropological info about this species conveyed via dialogue" beats (this didn't bother me, I found it fun and enjoyable to read). There's an enjoyable moment in which everyone expresses disgust over how humans make cheese. Throughout it, the following message is frequently beamed out by the, I don't even know, A.I. satellite or whatever: "We are all in this together." Sigh. So cozy...

Apart from the parallels with the pandemic, I felt there were a lot of attempts by Chambers to explore the idea of allyship, a potential product of the 2020 BLM protests. One of the characters talks about how she frequently has to spend her life trying to make other species comfortable. The climax involves a dramatic fight between two very different people with two very different points of views. I won't spoil the result, but I thought it was an interesting examination of shaming vs. educating. This could be a really good book to give to a young person to read, and have a conversation about.

Basically, this is a book in which a giant lobster and a bird in a mechanical suit interact with each other, and there's also some kind of animal I pictured as a giant Furby. I was down with it.

Quotes:
"Things just happen. All the rest of us can do is react. And do our best."

"He could do nothing about that, but what he could control was the embarrassment, which was antithetical to the point. He'd been taught that if one person had more than another, feeling guilty about it was the least productive reaction. The only proper way to approach such inequities was to figure out how best to wield them, so as to bring others up to where you stood."

"I sympathise with the reasoning even if I disagree with the action taken."

"He did not want the galaxy to be a mess, but he didn't want to talk about it, either. He had problems enough without arguing over ones he could not solve. The only solution he wanted was one for his own mess, and if he couldn't have that, he wanted to forget about it for a while. And since that was apparently out of the question as well, then if nothing else, he wanted some of that cake."
"You can't fix everything with cake."

"I should know about those things, probably, because I'm sure it's irresponsible of me to not know how everything works, but... everything is just so much. I don't know your histories, not properly. I don't understand all the tiny pieces that keep things moving. But I don't need to know those things to be able to tell that something isn't working. That something is wrong."

"So how do we fix it? How do we fix all of that? I have no idea. None." ...more

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About Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers

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Becky Chambers is a science fiction author based in Northern California. She is best known for her Hugo Award-winning Wayfarers series, which currently includes The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, A Closed and Common Orbit, and Record of a Spaceborn Few. Her books have also been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Locus Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction, among others. Her most ...more