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librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am filled with existential anxiety, but I adore the crew of the Merian. Ariadne is a fun narrator, Elena and Jack add necessary tension, and Chikondi is easy to love. The amorous dynamics of the crew are really neat, and I love how they differ from humanity as it is now. Collectivism and honoring the goals, sacrifices, and ethos of the organization they've loved and believe in overall is a fantastic way to tie up a thought provoking story.
This concept could have easily sent me down a panic spiral, but the groundedness of the crew and their tender and sincere humanity makes this story as comfortable as it can be, given the circumstances.
This concept could have easily sent me down a panic spiral, but the groundedness of the crew and their tender and sincere humanity makes this story as comfortable as it can be, given the circumstances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
marlandreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, and Death
kers_tin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content
maeverose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This was so fun. Now I just wanna go visit other planets… science can you advance a little faster pls?
TL;DR — Themes/Features:
-s c i e n c e
-planet exploration
-little alien creatures
-discussions on humanity
-lgbtq rep (ace, bi/pan, trans)
-non monogamous relationship
This is a book about humanity, our relationship to science, and as always with Becky Chamber’s books it touches a bit on politics and ethics, which I love.
It’s also a book about a group of astronauts looking for and studying life on other planets. Lots of descriptions of different kinds of environments and the creatures that live there.
If you’re a space or biology nerd I think you’d love this book. It has a decent focus on the science, definitely more than Becky Chamber’s other books. On the other hand it’s not inaccessible on that front either. I’m fascinated by science but not very knowledgeable on it and I understood everything perfectly fine. It’s explained in a very accessible way.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“We walked for a time, our footsteps echoing in all directions. Had there been such echoes in this canyon before? I wondered. Was the air here accustomed to carrying sounds beyond those it created on it’s own?”
(On leaving no trace:)
“What if the exact place where your craft landed is where two bacteria of separate species met for the first time, and what if their meeting would have resulted in a symbiosis that would have led to the emergence of a new species, and you, you bastard, just wiped out that entire reality?”
(Followed a moment later by:)
“At some point, you have to accept the fact that any movement creates waves, and the only other option is to lie still and learn nothing.”
“The walls were made of thick glass, and behind it was the dense network you find below every forest. Roots interlocking like fingers, with gossamer fungus sprawled symbiotically between, allowing for the peaceful exchange of carbon and nutrients. Worms traversed roads of their own making. Pockets of water and pebbles decorated the scene. This is what a forest is, after all. Don’t believe the lie of individual trees, each a monument to it’s own self-made success. A forest is an interdependent community. Resources are shared, and life in isolation is a death sentence.”
TL;DR — Themes/Features:
-s c i e n c e
-planet exploration
-little alien creatures
-discussions on humanity
-lgbtq rep (ace, bi/pan, trans)
-non monogamous relationship
This is a book about humanity, our relationship to science, and as always with Becky Chamber’s books it touches a bit on politics and ethics, which I love.
It’s also a book about a group of astronauts looking for and studying life on other planets. Lots of descriptions of different kinds of environments and the creatures that live there.
If you’re a space or biology nerd I think you’d love this book. It has a decent focus on the science, definitely more than Becky Chamber’s other books. On the other hand it’s not inaccessible on that front either. I’m fascinated by science but not very knowledgeable on it and I understood everything perfectly fine. It’s explained in a very accessible way.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“We walked for a time, our footsteps echoing in all directions. Had there been such echoes in this canyon before? I wondered. Was the air here accustomed to carrying sounds beyond those it created on it’s own?”
(On leaving no trace:)
“What if the exact place where your craft landed is where two bacteria of separate species met for the first time, and what if their meeting would have resulted in a symbiosis that would have led to the emergence of a new species, and you, you bastard, just wiped out that entire reality?”
(Followed a moment later by:)
“At some point, you have to accept the fact that any movement creates waves, and the only other option is to lie still and learn nothing.”
“The walls were made of thick glass, and behind it was the dense network you find below every forest. Roots interlocking like fingers, with gossamer fungus sprawled symbiotically between, allowing for the peaceful exchange of carbon and nutrients. Worms traversed roads of their own making. Pockets of water and pebbles decorated the scene. This is what a forest is, after all. Don’t believe the lie of individual trees, each a monument to it’s own self-made success. A forest is an interdependent community. Resources are shared, and life in isolation is a death sentence.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Confinement
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Cursing, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Blood, and Medical content
Detailed descriptions of moth metamorphosis, descriptions of animal and human internal anatomy in a scientific way (I didn’t find it to be gory, and I really don’t like gore so it’s probably fine but it’s there jsyk)iaraya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Body horror, War, and Death of parent
The space exploration mission lasts for 80 years. The characters deal with the fact that when they return, most people they know will be dead.martinatan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Suicide attempt
Minor: Confinement, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Grief
lilly_anne's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Death and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
TO BE TAUGHT, IF FORTUNATE presents a delightful and intimate portrait of long-term space travel with a small team of scientists who undertake this journey knowing that it means saying goodbye to everyone they knew and loved.
Ariadne has strong bonds with her other three crewmates, singly and collectively. Their personalities come through very well and her interactions with them are a delight. They're all affected differently by certain plot events, despite being generally in the same situation as each other, and by the time things get stressful I had a enough of a sense of them to resonate with their reactions. The science explanations are just a much a part of the narrative as Ariadne's conversations with her team. Everyone's enthusiasm for their work makes this a delight to read.
Ariadne has strong bonds with her other three crewmates, singly and collectively. Their personalities come through very well and her interactions with them are a delight. They're all affected differently by certain plot events, despite being generally in the same situation as each other, and by the time things get stressful I had a enough of a sense of them to resonate with their reactions. The science explanations are just a much a part of the narrative as Ariadne's conversations with her team. Everyone's enthusiasm for their work makes this a delight to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Grief
Moderate: Medical content and Death
Minor: Ableism and Suicidal thoughts
readingsofaslinky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Dysphoria, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, War, and Suicide attempt
fancymcgee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
this book literally has my heart beating out of tune. i don’t know how to exist with this in my head. the characters. fuck. the whole novella. dude. how did she write this. becky, how do you do this? only 130 pages and yet i am completely attached to characters and dumbfounded by the whole thing. the third planet? chikondi at the end of the second? JACK? wow. i. it was so much. i was so excited by the end of that discovery that i had to remind myself that it wasn’t real. i was absolutely and completely hooked. becky always fucking outdoes herself and to this day i think about her. i can’t. reading her books sends me into a spiral every goddamn time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Confinement, Animal death, Gore, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Grief