The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet-- Becky Chambers-- 4 stars

[Shelly]

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 4 stars

I read a good amount of sci-fi, and this one is very different from most. It is not a fast paced adventure story or a depiction of the evil of mankind (there's plenty of non-fiction to tell that story!). Instead it is the stories of the crew of the Wayfarer, a tunneling ship that bores wormholes through space, on its journey to a ….. small, angry planet! The crew is composed of many species, including humans. and each presents very unique philosophies, motivations, and personal challenges. Each adventure along the journey highlights one of the crew members and provides insight into that character. The crew faces situations that challenge ideas of gender, race, religion, family, AI, even the right-to-die. Yes there are bad guys, but the story focuses more on the good guys and the goodness of all despite their differences. There were times where I was thinking, don't go there! It's a trap! But more often than not, there was no deception, only an honest attempt to actually help others. GR description of space opera: "Perhaps the most significant trait of space opera is that settings, characters, battles, powers, and themes tend to be very large-scale." Indeed! I can see this book becoming a series instead of a movie, it did bring me back to Star Trek some.

[David]

Nice review.

[Nicole R]

I also really enjoyed this book, but, for some reason, I have not continued the series. Maybe I just need a good PBT tag as an excuse to pick up book 2, A Closed and Common Orbit

[Karin]

I've read the first two but haven't got around to reading the third one yet. I am torn since I liked but didn't love the first two and there are so many other scifi books to read plus my other genres, etc.

[Hebah]

This book readily became one of my favorites--I describe it as a warm hug of a book, but best enjoyed for people who don't mind a story that's more character- than plot-driven.

[KateNZ]

A warm hug of a book is a great description! I also really liked A Closed And Common Orbit. But I’m seriously struggling with the third and have had it on pause for ages. I think it’s because I’ve got it on audio and that really isn’t working for me. Will try to finish it by the end of the year though

[Jgrace]

KateNZ wrote: "A warm hug of a book is a great description! I also really liked A Closed And Common Orbit. But I’m seriously struggling with the third and have had it on pause for ages. I think it’s because I’ve ..."

The third book didn't work as well for me either. I didn't like the back and forth of so many characters and what seemed like unrelated storylines. The first one was so much about the diverse characters working as a team and the third one seems like the opposite of that. Also, it feels like a more adolescent story. However, I loved the way it ended and that made the rest of the book seem better.