2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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ARCHIVE 2019
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1)
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I went to the books page to see what this is about and saw I added it 2 months ago to my tbr list then saw the download ebook link so thought Id come share for anyone that may have missed it.I downloaded to my Overdrive app so why not add me to the list please. Is this planned as july book 2 august book 3?
Barbara wrote: "Is this planned as july book 2 august book 3?"Yes, indeed it is.
Can I join? I just ordered it! I have a feeling I will want the physical copy of this one :)
I will be reading this in June anyway as I am leading a July discussion of it for Popsugar! Count me in! :)
I've made it halfway through and I really like it.
Oh, my gosh! I'm only on page 47 but am totally enthralled by the different species, etc. I appreciate the pertinent details Chambers includes, it really makes me feel as if I am there on the ship with everyone! Thus far I cannot decide which character is my favorite. Anyone else have a favorite?
I'm over halfway through and really enjoying it. Like you said Lynn, so much creativity in the different species, and there's a lot of observation about humanity etc, too. Enjoying the banter between the characters too. There is a lot of world-building (or rather, character/species-building!), descriptions etc, and in some books that can have me tapping my foot, but in this case, I'm absorbed :) Hard to pick a favourite character, I'm going to hide the rest of this post as spoilers but there isn't really any spoilers in what I've written, it's just in case anyone reading this wants to know nothing whatsoever! (view spoiler)
I am good with the current schedule. Will finish book 1 this week amd have room on my plate for book 2 in July. If others want to move it I don't mind.
I’m happy with whatever as well. Haven’t finished first book yet but will definitely finish in time to do book 2 in July too
Lizzie wrote: "I'm over halfway through and really enjoying it. Like you said Lynn, so much creativity in the different species, and there's a lot of observation about humanity etc, too. Enjoying the banter betwe..."I agree with you regarding the characters! Although now that I am further along I also (view spoiler)
Kristin wrote: "I'll wait to see what others say, but if I don't hear from anyone else, I'll keep with the regular schedule."I will do my best to read #2 in July and #3 in August. I'm thrilled to have an additional reason to continue and finish the series! :)
I also really enjoyed Sissix! I loved (view spoiler) Actually, I enjoyed the entire concept of her species, and I can't think of any other book that has (view spoiler)
I've finished it, I overall loved it and found it immersive, gave it 4.5 stars (5 on Goodreads), my summary is that I thought the world /species building was excellent, so much creative detail, I enjoyed the banter and friendships within the crew and I thought each character was well rounded with interesting backstories and secrets. The only thing that disappointed me slightly is (view spoiler)
Lizzie wrote: "I've finished it, I overall loved it and found it immersive, gave it 4.5 stars (5 on Goodreads), my summary is that I thought the world /species building was excellent, so much creative detail, I e..."Actually, (view spoiler)
Finished this, a couple of days into July, but you know. So good! I liked all of, but didn't lurve any of the characters. It took me a long while to accept that, by some measures, nothing really happens from an action standpoint. For example, at 60%, I was like "finally, something is happening, there is a big problem!" and then was immediately "Oh, they solved this with compassionate diplomacy". And then later, "Oh, they solved this with commitment and friendship" and "Oh, they solved this with deep bureaucratic research". I am 6% into book 2 now.
Marc wrote: "Finished this, a couple of days into July, but you know. So good! I liked all of, but didn't lurve any of the characters. It took me a long while to accept that, by some measures, nothing really ha..."I actually found it a refreshing change from the "blood and guts" kind of science fiction. To me, what "happened" was the building of a family, albeit one completely unrelated to genetics.
In fact, I think the idea of "family" might be the common thread running through all three books in the series, which otherwise can be read as stand-alones.
I really don't want to start a flame war with this, but I'm very curious as to whether anyone else read the description of the Andrisk attitude towards children as an oblique comment on attitudes toward abortion. Was I the only one?
Jennifer wrote: "I really don't want to start a flame war with this, but I'm very curious as to whether anyone else read the description of the Andrisk attitude towards children as an oblique comment on attitudes t..."I, for one, did not have any such thought cross my mind. I took it as just one of many examples in the book of imaginatively differing societies and ways of thinking.
Marc wrote: " I took it as just one of many examples in the book of imaginatively differing societies and ways of thinking. "Yes, I really appreciated that aspect of the book. The idea that different species on different planets with different evolutionary histories would naturally have very different ways of thinking doesn't always come through in science fiction, and I tend to find it a little irksome when different species are presented as more or less human except that they have XYZ. So I'm glad it didn't happen here.
Jennifer wrote: "I really don't want to start a flame war with this, but I'm very curious as to whether anyone else read the description of the Andrisk attitude towards children as an oblique comment on attitudes t..."Hmmm...I'm curious enough to go back and reread this to see if I felt the same way. I don't remember...
Jennifer wrote: "I really don't want to start a flame war with this, but I'm very curious as to whether anyone else read the description of the Andrisk attitude towards children as an oblique comment on attitudes t..."Also, didn't they lay eggs? Can you abort an egg?
Marc wrote: Can you abort an egg? ..."Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I was talking about was the apparent Andrisk idea that while children have the potential to develop into adults with their own relationships with others and the ability to make valuable contributions to society, having the potential is not the same as actually having the ability.
What this could translate into is the idea that the embryo has the potential to develop into someone "more" and perhaps become "more of a person" as it continued to develop, and that might influence how we see the interests of the (fully-developed) woman involved.
Okay, then it must have just been me. I was wondering whether any such commentary might have been intended, but given that the idea didn't seem to occur to anyone else, I suppose it wasn't.
I neglected to reread it last night, so I'll try to remember to do so this evening!
I can only dream of a society where the kids are expected to get out the way and leave me alone... "Can you play with me now?"
"But I want it!!"
"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"
Marc wrote: "I can only dream of a society where the kids are expected to get out the way and leave me alone... "Can you play with me now?"
"But I want it!!"
"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?""
Me too. And one in which people don't try to impose their children on others.
I never said I disagreed with Andrisk ideas...
The casual orgies hold some merit too.
Marc wrote: "The casual orgies hold some merit too."With that many opportunities for reproduction, a nonchalant attitude towards offspring would be helpful.
Come to think of it, the whole idea of an r-selected sentient species is interesting, and I've never seen it done before. While I certainly wouldn't argue the Andrisk species is fully r-selected, they would seem to fall a bit more toward that end of the spectrum than a K-selected species. If they evolved from an r-selected species, that would explain a lot.
Can you tell I'm a biologist? ;-)
Yeah I'm gonna have to google that
Marc wrote: "Yeah I'm gonna have to google that"K-selected: few offspring, heavy investment of parental resources.
r-selected: many offspring, low investment of parental resources.
I love that this book combined these worlds for you
I was a bit amazed at the orgies. An interesting way to "meet and greet"! :) I had kinda wondered exactly how "intimacy" might work between Rosemary and Sissix! ;)
Lynn wrote: "I was a bit amazed at the orgies. An interesting way to "meet and greet"! :) I had kinda wondered exactly how "intimacy" might work between Rosemary and Sissix! ;)"Yes, I wondered about reproductive compatibility too, and whether a human-Andrisk individual could result. I don't think any hybrid individuals appeared in the series, and I don't know if that's because they're biologically impossible (i.e., the species are just too genetically and/or anatomically different to make it work) or if there's some other reason.
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I am currently reading Alex White's The Salvagers trilogy which will make for a nice comparison to this series, I think (space opera, ragtag underdog spaceship crew, LGBTQ-friendly).