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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
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Death, Grief, and Medical content
cgn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
Wow, my heart. I felt so immersed. As I was reading I just had the feeling of “this is what reading is meant to feel like.” This book transported me to another world. Exactly what I wanted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Grief
Minor: War
whylal's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Confinement, Medical content, and War
troisha's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Confinement
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death and Vomit
awpatton's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts
stormwise's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I love sci-fi that focuses on exploration and discovery, and this beautiful little novella is a perfect example of that subset of the genre.
Chambers examines the relationship between the self and the species, recognising how all human accomplishments are achieved through the work and contributions of many, be it funding, designing and launching an expedition to distant exoplanets; raising, providing for and educating a future astronaut; or simply the different skills each person brings to a team. In our current climate of capitalist greed fuelled by the arrogance of "self-made" billionaires, it's pertinent to recognise how reliant we all are on the legacies of humanity.
Another major theme of the novella is metamorphosis and change - the characters physically change through the process of 'somaforming' but they also reflect on the effects of aging, experiences and trauma. Linked to this are thoughts of home and how its definition can change over time.
If you like sci-fi but you're put off by complicated science, give this a try - the science aspects were interesting and accessible, allowing the characters to take centre stage and enhancing their reactions to the story's events. This book reminded me of when I would sit up and listen in science lessons, fascinated by what we were learning.
Last but certainly not least, if you like queer characters, then I hope you like a cast comprised ENTIRELY of queer characters! The characters simply exist as queer people - it's no more remarkable than any other part of their identity. Chambers also writes a beautiful chosen family narrative, truly giving the gays everything they want.
Chambers examines the relationship between the self and the species, recognising how all human accomplishments are achieved through the work and contributions of many, be it funding, designing and launching an expedition to distant exoplanets; raising, providing for and educating a future astronaut; or simply the different skills each person brings to a team. In our current climate of capitalist greed fuelled by the arrogance of "self-made" billionaires, it's pertinent to recognise how reliant we all are on the legacies of humanity.
Another major theme of the novella is metamorphosis and change - the characters physically change through the process of 'somaforming' but they also reflect on the effects of aging, experiences and trauma. Linked to this are thoughts of home and how its definition can change over time.
If you like sci-fi but you're put off by complicated science, give this a try - the science aspects were interesting and accessible, allowing the characters to take centre stage and enhancing their reactions to the story's events. This book reminded me of when I would sit up and listen in science lessons, fascinated by what we were learning.
Last but certainly not least, if you like queer characters, then I hope you like a cast comprised ENTIRELY of queer characters! The characters simply exist as queer people - it's no more remarkable than any other part of their identity. Chambers also writes a beautiful chosen family narrative, truly giving the gays everything they want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Animal death
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Body horror
pastelkerstin's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
alien body horror