Series: Wayfarers by Becky Chambers ("Record of a Spaceborn Few")

[Anna]

Record of a Spaceborn Few
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

Buddy read discussion for books 3 and 4 in the Wayfarers series.

Please mark spoilers with chapter number (+ book name) and use spoiler tags:

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Discussions for previous books:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet >> First impressions | Final thoughts
A Closed and Common Orbit >> First impressions | Final thoughts

[Anna]

I can't decide if I want to start it yet. I think I remember enough of the earlier books that I don't need to reread them, especially since these are companions. But rereading would get me into the mood, so I can't decide.

What's everyone else's plan? Are you joining? When can you start?

[Anna]

Hmm, I looked at the sample to see if I'm in the mood for it, and there's an author's note:

"... the timeline in this book begins during the final events of TLWtaSAP."

I can't remember those very well, so I guess that means I'll have to reread.

[Ariana]

I'm in! Planning on starting after I finish Revenant Gun, probably Friday, give or take a day or two.

I just did a bunch of series rereads, so I think I'm just going to dive in to the latest one. Like you mention, Anna, they're companions, not exactly a series, so hopefully the third one won't suffer much if I've forgotten small details from the first two.

[Anna]

I'll probably see if I can find a decent plot summary, or maybe just skim the final chapters of book one. I have a vague idea of what it is I should be remembering, but some of the details are lost.

[Ariana]

Anna wrote: "Hmm, I looked at the sample to see if I'm in the mood for it, and there's an author's note:

"... the timeline in this book begins during the final events of TLWtaSAP."

I can't remember those very..."

Oooh, ok, that's good to know. I like your plan, to skim the end of the first book, I'll try that.

[Anna]

It might not mean you have to remember the events, but the parts I can't remember are exactly those larger scale ones that I expect might come into play. I hope that Chambers has included enough that I could jump straight in, but it can't hurt to refresh my memory a little.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I'll be starting this weekend.

[Anna]

I glanced at some reviews, and it seems like it should be okay to head straight into this one without rereading anything, so that's what I'll do.

[Anna]

Well I started it, and I'm happy I didn't reread the others, because I don't think it's necessary. I'm almost done with Part 1, and I like the cast of characters. This was my pick for marry/shag/kill in the TBR challenge, so far I have no idea who I'm going to have to kill.

Not really a spoiler, but a prediction: (view spoiler)[ I'm pretty sure one of them is going to die, based on the TOC. Does it count as killing them if I guessed right? (hide spoiler)]

I think I'm going to breeze through this in a day or two.

[Anna]

Part 2, Sawyer (1st) - (view spoiler)[ Oh no, this isn't going to end well! (hide spoiler)]
Part 2, Kip (2nd) - (view spoiler)[ How obvious was that, yet still amusing. (hide spoiler)]
Part 2, Isabel (2nd) - (view spoiler)[ I love this relationship! (hide spoiler)]

edit: I've found who I want to marry! :D

Part 2, Kip (3rd) - (view spoiler)[ Grandma Ko! <3 (hide spoiler)]

[Raucous]

I started this book last night and am already struck, again, by how well the author does "community." It's good to be back. I see things from the other books popping up, but so far they're more just part of the general world building background and are not required to understand this one.

Thanks for kicking off this buddy read.

[Anna]

End of Part 3

(view spoiler)[ Called it. I hate it when chapter names spoil things like this. Well it’s fine as a chapter header, as long as it’s not in the TOC. Sawyer acted pretty stupid though. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

In a true 'Anna tries a buddy read' fashion I'm one chapter away from finishing the book before almost anyone has started. Go me!

[Raucous]

Here's a review of "Record of a Spaceborn Few" (but note that it contains one section that I'd consider fairly spoilery):

[edit: Having read most of the book I've gotten kind of annoyed by this review. If you're at all sensitive about spoilers I don't recommend reading the review until you've finished the book.]

(view spoiler)[
https://www.tor.com/2018/07/26/book-r...
(hide spoiler)]

[Raucous]

Here's a spoiler-free interview with the author:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/s...

[Raucous]

Anna wrote: "Part 2, Sawyer (1st) - "

(view spoiler)[Wow. No. I've gotta wonder about tech that makes this stuff so easy. (hide spoiler)]

[Lizzie]

I'm in on this one - I intended to start on the day of release, but getting through Stephen King's IT took me longer than anticipated! Have just read the prologue, and started Part 1.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I’ve just begun. I had to turn back to the prologue to remember each character. It has a kind of depressing opening.

[Raucous]

Part 2, Kip (2nd, 3rd) - (view spoiler)[She does bored and surly teen very well. Since we've had one at home for going on decades now (sigh) those sections were both painful and amusing to read. I did like the details of how Kip and his friend got into trouble. It's such a standard scam but it really veered off after the start. That was some serious parental TMI too. Fun. (hide spoiler)]

[Raucous]

Part 3, Eyas - (view spoiler)[I remember that game! Well, at least in concept. That was indeed serious technology. I appreciated seeing Eyas more comfortable here - especially after her sad description early in the book of why she'd had to start going off-ship for trysts. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

This is going really slow for me. Partly I got hung up in the prologue trying to figure out/remember what the connection is to the first book. Partly it was (view spoiler)[the bummer of the subject matter (hide spoiler)] (spoiler for the Prologue), and partly I'm just not really connecting with any of the POV characters. I think this is one of the dangers of having the POV jump around among more than, say, two characters: I haven't spent enough time with any of them to get particular interested in/attached to them. It's still pleasant, I'm sure I'll keep going, I just expected to be drawn in a little quicker.

[Anna]

I think I felt pretty similar about the start. It was a bit confusing, and I couldn't remember who was who and what they did in the prologue, but by chapter two (I think) it got much easier.

[Jen]

Just started this today at the beach. So far no clue what's going on but so happy to be reading another Becky Chambers.

[Ariana]

I am slowly plugging away. I am finding it very pleasant, if not particularly gripping.

pg. 149: I feel like this falls in the category of "be careful what you wish for", but (view spoiler)[did anyone else find Isabel and Tamsin's relationship a little saccharine? I mean, I love queer relationships, I love heathy relationships, I love older folks being portrayed with respect and as individuals with romantic lives, so why do I not love this? (hide spoiler)]

[Raucous]

Ariana wrote: ... pg. 149: I feel like this falls in the category of "be careful what you wish for", but..."

(view spoiler)[Aww... I see this combination so rarely that I just enjoyed going for the ride. So to speak. The asteroid field experience itself was more jarring to me. Perhaps I know too many lawyers or perhaps it's because it seemed an odd fit to the resource constrained environment. I see your point though. I think that it would have bugged me too if these segments had been longer or if there hadn't been so many other character story arcs to follow in the book. (hide spoiler)]

[Rachel]

This one is...a different tone? It’s...a bit sadder than the others, especially the first. I guess it’s due to the opening

[Ariana]

Raucous wrote: "(view spoiler)[I think that it would have bugged me too if these segments had been longer or if there hadn't been so many other character story arcs to follow in the book.
(hide spoiler)]"

Yeah, maybe I shouldn't be grouchy. (view spoiler)[I'm just halfway through and I keep waiting for something to actually happen, and having all these characters just wandering around doing everyday things is feeling a little too... everyday. I mean, it's painting a great picture of life in the Fleet, but I feel like I'm sympathizing a little too much with the obnoxious teenager at this point. THERE'S NOTHING TO DO. (hide spoiler)] (50%)

[Anna]

Ariana, maybe it's not for you, or it's not the time to read this? I loved the relationship you mention, and I enjoyed the slow way things happened, or didn't happen. It's all in the little things with this series, for me at least.

[Ariana]

Anna wrote: "Ariana, maybe it's not for you, or it's not the time to read this? I loved the relationship you mention, and I enjoyed the slow way things happened, or didn't happen. It's all in the little things ..."

I'm sure that's it. I mean, I'm still enjoying it, it's very comforting. I just feel like the first two had much more distinct and engaging plot arcs, and this one is more like a jumble of threads.

[Anna]

You're right, but I felt it all came together eventually. All three in the series are different, but in the end they all make me feel warm and fuzzy, so I don't mind how I get there.

[Ariana]

I finally finished this last night. What a charming and delightful book! I could have done with a bit more plot, I think, just to keep things moving for me early on before we really get to know the characters. But I agree that everything came together really nicely in the end, and it was just lovely to get to spend time in the company of such sweet characters.

[Trike]

I’m on page 323 of 445 (still have my iPad set to OLD PEOPLE FONT from when my eyes went offline earlier this year — and I’m never changing back) and I’m enjoying it immensely. It’s like those ensemble movies where you know *something* is going to tie all these characters together but you don’t know what it is. Gosford Park is a good example. But in the meantime you’re just enjoying the world and the characters. (view spoiler)[Sawyer just accidentally offed himself, tying together Kip and Eyas. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

So I totally came around on this one, despite my initial peevishness, and ended up really loving it. Now it seems like everything I pick up has sexual violence, child abuse, or both, and I just keep wishing I was still reading this.
Anyone know the way back to the Fleet?

[Anna]

I know how you feel! Chambers needs to churn books out faster!

[Raucous]

Trike wrote: "...It’s like those ensemble movies where you know *something* is going to tie all these characters together but you don’t know what it is...."

I loved this aspect of the book as well. She was weaving a network of occasionally intersecting paths and I was intensely curious to know how or if she would finally bring them together.

I hear you on OLD PEOPLE FONT. This is so much better than going down to the bookstore and looking for the paltry "big print edition" section. I've finally come to the realization that I'm never going to read those old paperbacks with yellowing pages and young whippersnapper text on my bookshelves - at least not in that form factor. I need to donate them to one of the local library fundraisers.

[Ruth]

I too always have my kindle set to OLD PEOPLE FONT and I have no regrets!
I confess I was disappointed with this book though- I really wanted to see more of the characters from the first couple of books, I couldn’t really bring myself to care about all these new people, and there isn’t too much plot to get stuck into either.

[Anna]

Reminder: BR starting on Jan 12th! :)

[Meredith]

I'm looking forward to this, though I'll be starting maybe a day or so late.

[Mareike]

Anna wrote: "Reminder: BR starting on Jan 12th! :)"

Thank you!

[Silvana]

Will be late, but I still plan to read it this month.

[Alex]

Just finished the prologue. Oh, my heart! I'm glad Chambers is such a compassionate writer, or I'd be broken for the rest of today.

[Amanda]

Finished last night; a very enjoyable read. I love the way Chambers is able to immerse me in the world and the characters, and I was impressed at how much I felt myself relating to different aspects of each of them.

[Meredith]

Started reading and feeling very happy to be back in Chambers' universe and, apparently, seeing some new aspects of life there.

[Mareike]

I'm finally getting around to this one. I've been looking forward to it all week.

Edit:

At 10% (view spoiler)[I'm really excited to learn more about the Exodan Fleet and I'm especially hapoy that Ashby's sister us a character. I continue to hope for a reunion with the first book's crew. (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

At 20% (after the second Sawyer chapter in Part I) (view spoiler)[I really like all the different perspectives on the Exodan fleet and the way it's customs and history are slowly being explored.

Everybody had a home, and nobody went hungry.

I really love this philosophy and the historical explanation for it. I assume we'll get to see more about the - sometimes probably messy - reality behind it and I'm looking forward to it.

I also like their job trial approach of people getting to test different jobs until they find a good fit. That sounds sensible.

And I thought the first Eyas schapter in this part was beautifully done. I'm not sure I could do a job like that, but I liked seeing it through Eyas'eyes. (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

End of part 2, (~47%). I am enjoying this, so far it is a very gentle read. (view spoiler)[ I am enjoying learning more about life on the Exodan fleet. Chambers' is exploring many details that might otherwise be considered mundane, like how people get jobs. I haven't felt any real conflict but it will be interesting to see how the AI issue plays out for Tessa and her co-workers and I'm worried about Sawyer's new venture. He seems more naive about things than he thinks he is. Even though he was at least smart enough to take advice from Eyas about how to fit in on the Fleet. (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

Silvana wrote: "Will be late, but I still plan to read it this month."

I overscheduled and could not join this time around. Will necropost sometime in April, maybe.

[Mareike]

Part 3 (view spoiler)[I really liked the conversation between Eyas and Sunny in this chapter. Chambers managed to convey the way in which their rekationship is changing in a really calm, almost understated way.
In general, I really like the concept of a "host" and how differently sex, sexuality, and sex work are conceived of in the fleet. It's one if the ways in which this novel made me go 'Huh. This is how it could be.' (hide spoiler)]

At the end of Part 4. (view spoiler)[These were a rough few chapters. Poor Sawyer. Poor Kip. Poor Eyas.

I'm still really enjoying this novel and the time it takes to explore life in the Fleet. If I had to pick favorites, I think I'd say I like the chapters focussing on Isabel, Tessa, and Eyas the most.|/spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Anyone read the finale yet? If yes, talk here! If not, wanna?