The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

By Becky Chambers

  • Release Date: 2015-08-18
  • Genre: Science Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 947 Ratings

Description

National Bestseller!

The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece, Hugo Award winner for Best Series!

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. In this character-driven sci-fi story, the introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself has never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, this tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling sci-fi adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Reviews

  • Just what I was hoping it would be

    5
    By Yuri D
    I’ve never been happier to leave a 5-star review. This book never relied on tired sci-fi tropes, made every character “real” (and totally loveable), and made adventure exciting without excessive violence. I love this crew and their universe and will be buying the next book immediate after writing this…
  • Why have I only

    5
    By Whim1954
    Just found this beautiful and fantastic book. I had it in my queue but I have 4k plus downloads so it got lost. But don’t be a ninny like me…get the book and enjoy a whole new universes.
  • Beautiful book

    5
    By Papjj
    This is possibly the most beautiful book I have ever read. The characters are individual gems, distinct and three-dimensional in the best ways. I am personally drawn to the way the author draws realistic conflicts and situations, which kept me turning pages, but didn’t sacrifice the personal stories for a cheap bit of violence. The world - or I should say, universe - created here has depth and detail, and the exposition that clues you in to how it works is maybe the most deft and unassuming that I’ve ever encountered. You’re just dropped into it, and the author figures you’ll be able to come along for the ride, and it’s done so gently I hardly noticed that I was assimilating new perspectives about space, cultures, species….just wow. I love the story, and I’m really sad not to continue living with this multi-species family. Thank you for this ride!
  • One of my favorite books ever

    5
    By alterae
    Great characters, neat worldbuilding, has stuck with me in a way few stories do.
  • Great fun

    5
    By russllj
    There aren't enough light hearted, funny sci-fi novels with tons of cool nerd stuff around these days. As many have pointed out, the book lightly touches on some dark material, but in the “all-is-well-that-ends-well” fashion, most conflict ends with a shrug, a smile and a slug in the arm. Thoroughly enjoyable and fun with some of the most delightful characters. I wanna hang out on this ship, with these people, more. I read it entirely in just a couple of days — with a smile on my face the whole time.
  • Too juvenile

    2
    By Memetic
    This series should be tagged as Child lit. It’s even too basic for YA
  • A fun romp through a comic book reality

    2
    By tjh
    The story is fun, character interactions enjoyable, and abundant alien species in a galaxy of various political divisions are engaging. I could give the book 4 stars on the strengths. The book suffers two major problems. The first is that the author relies far too much on exposition to accomplish world building. Page after page are dedicated to telling readers about the story background, rather than investing the reader in the story. It gets noticeable. Additionally, the physics are largely nonsensical, clearly more informed by comic books or anime than actual science. I expect a science fiction story to bend and even break some physics in order to support the plot. Wormholes or FTL communications, when necessary to the setting, are fine. Far too often, though, the author attempts to simply draw a gratuitous visual based on an obviously bad understanding of established science. It doesn’t help the story and becomes distracting. As a result of the exposition and goofy science, I find myself constantly disengaging from the story and losing interest. I’ll read a dozen pages, then set the book aside and read something else. Later, I pick the book up and try again, but only get a dozen pages in before repeating the process.
  • Loved this book

    5
    By Sleepy2079
    Great characterization and a wonderful story. So glad my friend recommended it.
  • Not for me

    2
    By AKToucan
    Too wordy. Lots of explanations that I didn’t understand, but didn’t really need either. The characters were different but mostly believable.
  • Awesome

    5
    By Karenslist
    Unexpected. Absolutely entertaining and wonderful. Love the creative flair. Enjoyed it, couldn’t stop reading. More please