The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) in Fantasy-Faction.com

Jun 29, 2017 Althea Ann rated it did not like it

The sequel to this was a Hugo nominee, so I figured I'd start with the first one, and requested it from the library. Well, maybe the sequel was a lot better, but unless I am assured of such a circumstance by a large and passionate crowd; I'm unlikely to bother to find out.

"The Long Way..." is a concept piece. It's a reaction to traditional space opera. In a "normal" sci-fi adventure, the scrappy crew of the "Wayfarer" would end up getting pulled into some kind of conflict bigger than themselves The sequel to this was a Hugo nominee, so I figured I'd start with the first one, and requested it from the library. Well, maybe the sequel was a lot better, but unless I am assured of such a circumstance by a large and passionate crowd; I'm unlikely to bother to find out.

"The Long Way..." is a concept piece. It's a reaction to traditional space opera. In a "normal" sci-fi adventure, the scrappy crew of the "Wayfarer" would end up getting pulled into some kind of conflict bigger than themselves; something with universe-spanning ramifications; and would team up to defeat the enemy against overwhelming odds; regardless of the traitor in their midst... (Think Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian.)

Becky Chambers has decided to make a point of telling a different story. One where no universe-shattering events happen; one where colleagues might be annoying but not actually evil; one where secrets turn out to be pretty mundane and have no meaningful effect when revealed. One where people spend most of their time worrying about things that aren't really important and doing boring crap.

Now, I often very much enjoy stories that get "down to earth" and talk about what it's like to actually LIVE as an ordinary person in an imagined society: character-driven stories. I see other reviews of this book raving about the characterization here. I wasn't feeling it. I found the characters to be flat and stereotypical. The protagonist, Rosemary, didn't intrigue me at all. The captain is a generic "nice boss guy." Jenks is your stereotypical nerd guy. Lovey exists to show that AIs are people too. Some aliens and disabilities just to show that aliens and the disabled are people too. And let me not forget Kizzy the WACKY engineer gal who is (supposed to be) just SOOO ENDEARING! (God, I wished she was real so that I could literally strangle her.) And of course Corbin the biologist who's the cranky loner who no one really likes 'cause he likes his privacy and isn't wholly on board with the social lovefest that's life aboard the Wayfarer. (I could relate, considering - but you're not supposed to, dear readers! APPLAUD when he gets dragged into the fold and drinks the kool-aid, dammit!)

There is a scene with pirates in this book. Even the pirates are reasonable and fairly "nice." Nothing much happens. There technically IS a plot device, but it's utterly forgettable. I mean, I genuinely don't remember what it was already.

If you work in an office, or live in a shared apartment with several roommates: imagine if someone wrote daily letters to their parents about your office politics or quotidian household drama; making sure to not include anything too upsetting or serious. That's what reading this book is like. Chatty... and dull.

I initially gave it two stars, but upon consideration, after the fact, I'm downgrading it to one, because not only did I not enjoy the book; I object to it on principle. I want my gritty betrayals and world-smashing explosions, dammit!

Addendum: I see others comparing this book to both Ursula LeGuin (?!?!?) and Star Trek. For the record, I am an enthusiastic fan of both LeGuin and ST, and disagree strongly with both comparisons. ...more

258 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2015 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read_2015, 2015_release_read, genre-sf, t_notable_books_2015, 2014_release_read

while technically a 2014 independent release, the novel was picked by major publisher Hodder and will be released in hc in August and re-released in ebook soon, so it could count as a 2014 or 2015 release

while the setup is one that appears in many sf novels - a multi-racial galactic polity, a few major powers (humanity this time is not one of them), various cultures, fringe planets, enemy or neutral races, spheres of influence etc - the novel brings its own take and wildly succeeds with an exube ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Apr 21, 2016 L.R. Lam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, science-fiction, favorites

This book is excellent. Please go read it immediately. I want to be optioned and turned into a TV series because it would be wonderful and comforting. I adore every crew member of the Wayfarer. <3

11 likes · Like · see review

Aug 09, 2016 Julia Sarene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1-women-in-sff, favorites, 2-scifi, 1-sff-lgbtqia-author

This one was soooo much fun!
It is an adorable space opera, that has aliens, that actually feel alien, and not like "strange looking humans", It has a great cast of characters - some quirky, some brooding, some complex, some shallow, some annoying, some not human, ... I loved reading about each and every one of them - and though some reminded me of Firefly/Star Trek, that just made it more fun for me to read.

The idea of punching tunnels into subspace to make permanent shortcuts was cool - and it ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2019 Blodeuedd Finland rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

9 likes · Like · see review

Oct 23, 2017 Daphne (Illumicrate) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-science-fiction, type-kindle, type-arc-hardcopy, type-hardback, 2015-release, pub-hodder

One of the best books I've read in a long time. It's the perfect, feel-good, slice-of-space-life read. It definitely needs to be turned into a TV series, because it would definitely make a lot of people happy.

I can't remember the last time I genuinely smiled so much reading a book, and felt so content with the world after I finished it. Goodness knows we all need a bit of that right now. If you're looking for a pick me up, and want to fall in love with amazing characters and want lots of warm, ...more

4 likes · Like · see review