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

September 19, 2019

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

Rosemary Harper needs a fresh start, so she scams her way into a job as a clerk on a tunneling ship, the Wayfarer.  The crew turns out to be a collection of oddballs (the aliens are strange, but so are the humans) who depend on each other for – well, everything.  Rosemary learns that real family aren’t necessarily the people that you’re related to.

And one of the crewmembers appears to be in love with the ship’s AI, Lovey.

An absolutely great read!  Terrific world building, complete with an assortment of alien races, characters that you fall in love with and wish they were your friends, minute attention to detail that makes the story come alive.  Yes, there is a little inter-species sex but it’s tasteful and not graphic at all. You may cry a bit after the ship is attacked in Toremi territory (the small angry planet of the title).

Great fanart of the Wayfarer crew by SebasP

From the left:  Ohan, Ashby, Sissix, Rosemary, Dr. Chef, Kizzy, Jenks, Corbin

This is science fiction for people who don’t read or enjoy science fiction, not for the hardcore sci fi reader, and it's the first book in the Wayfarer trilogy.  I would put it in the same category as The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell; All Systems Red by Martha Wells; Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; The Martian by Andy Weir; and Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor.  I can't wait to read the next book.