Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3)

by Becky Chambers

If one experiences oblivion daily – and for an enormous portion of the day, at that – should it not be familiar territory?

Human infants are famously frail, and the amount of time they remain dependent on adults for needs as basic as eating or locomotion makes me wonder how the species didn’t give up on the whole prospect millennia ago.

I find it likely that there is a connection – even if only a tenuous one – between Humans’ heavy parental involvement in child-rearing and how socially unsettled they become around death.

Tessa watched her daughter wrestle between a nagging existential problem and the promise of greasy, crispy, calorie-laden food.

‘From the stars, came the ground. From the ground, we stood. To the ground, we return.’

‘Here, at the Centre of our lives, we carry our beloved dead. We honour their breath, which fills our lungs. We honour their blood, which fills our hearts. We honour their bodies, which fuel our own.

‘We honour you, son of the Al-Qaum. From death, you took life, and from your death, we now live. Here you will stay, until we rejoin the stars once more.’

learn nothing of your subjects, and you will disrupt them. Learn something of your subjects, and you will disrupt them.

‘Academic prowess and base intelligence are two separate things.’

‘Oh, stars, no. This is madness. Wonderful, too, dear host, but I enjoy it for the novelty. I could not do this every day. I admire your species for its stamina in this regard. And your patience.’

‘That is a risky thing to ask, dear host, but I would not insult you with a dishonest answer.’

‘I have a skillset I can apply anywhere, and my life is ongoing until the universe says otherwise. I go where you and our kids go.

‘We are a longstanding species with a very short memory. If we don’t keep record, we’ll make the same mistakes over and over.

But if the only reason you want to do it is because you’re looking for a point, you’re going to end up miserable. You’ll float around forever trying to make peace with that.’

If you never leave, you’ll always wonder. You’ll wonder what your life could’ve been, if you did the right thing. Well … scratch that. You’ll always wonder if you did the right thing, no matter what the decision is, big or small. There’s always another path you’ll wonder about.

Maybe you’ll find that thing you’re missing. Maybe not. What you will find, no question, is perspective. What that perspective is, I have no idea. But you’ll find one.

‘You’re an adult. You know what you’re about. Whatever you decide, I’m not gonna tell you otherwise. I’m too old for making big decisions. Had my fill of those.’

‘From the ground, we stand. From our ships, we live. By the stars, we hope.’