Reviews with content warning for Animal death - To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

126 reviews

_david_'s review

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adventurous inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book is exactly the type of story and focus I want from a sci-fi space exploration book.

The book and its descriptions of their discoveries sparked a magical feeling in me that I haven't felt since I was a child: Of looking up to the sky and wondering what's out there.

The focus is on the characters and their mindset. It shows the curiosity of scientists and how different a stressful situation can influence people. I loved the diversity of planets and what was on them. A planet doesn't have to be an oasis bursting with flora and fauna to be mesmerizing.

I loved the mindset of the crew, that they were observers, not colonizers. I wish OCA was real. I don't think there's a book with a more fitting title than this one.

The story felt a lot longer than it was, in a good way. It felt very full without feeling rushed or too fast paced. There was a moment just before the ending that I can imagine to be dull to someone without a (bio)chemistry background, but the narrator acknowledges that and it makes use of its dullness to make the ending even stronger. I really liked the ending.

The reason that I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that the characters did not all feel feel fully rounded. The quirks and parts of the personalities which were described were strong and interesting. I think what I would've liked to see was a little less predictability in the three side-characters personalities.

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sweetcaptainlily's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-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

An amazing love letter to science and space exploration. Absolutely beautiful. It captures the devotion to the pursuit of knowledge so well

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bug_lightyear's review against another edition

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5.0

A small crew with two women, a trans guy and an ace guy. They all seem to have an intimate relationship with each other.
Interesting questions of ethics and discovery and what life means when you "time travel" into the future and can't reach the world you left behind.
I love that one of the main concepts used in the book, somaforming, or adapting the body to the environment, is based on real science as a possibility for future space exploration.

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