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adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Xenophobia
Minor: Gun violence
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I really did like this one, I liked the world and the characters but the plot was just a little slow and it took ages for anything to really happen, I think are more balanced plot would have made it 4 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia
Minor: Gore, Blood, Vomit
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
What a delightful, charming, and deeply emotional experience. Chambers does such a phenomenal job of writing imperfect, complex, and, most importantly, intensely lovable characters. This story is no exception. The pacing is comfortable, the universe—with all of its various forms of sentient life and their respective cultures—is introduced to the reader in a way that feels natural and easy to absorb. I don’t dish out 5 star ratings easily but this book is an instant favorite for me. I will say, I went into this book thinking it was mostly a safe, cozy sci-if read but was surprised by the death of a main character towards the end, so be aware that it is very very sad at one point and if that’s something you prefer to avoid, this book isn’t for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief
Moderate: Violence, War
adventurous
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
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the ailing Wayfarer, she has low expectations. Even though the patched-up ship has seen better days, it nonetheless provides her with a bed, the opportunity to travel to distant parts of the galaxy, and most importantly, some separation from her past. She's never encountered anyone even quite like the ship's eclectic crew, which includes Ashby, their honorable captain, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks, who keep the ship operating, and Sissix, the exotic reptile pilot.
The hectic and crazy life on board the Wayfarer is just what Rosemary wants. The gang is going to be handed the opportunity of a lifetime, which will make things much more risky. They will live comfortably for years digging wormholes to faraway planets since it is profitable to do so. However, endangering her life wasn't in the agenda. The small Wayfarer crew will face a variety of unforeseen difficulties and exhilarating adventures in the great regions of deep space, forcing them to rely on one another. Rosemary must learn to rely on this diverse group of oddballs in order to survive, which teaches her about love and trust as well as the fact that having a family isn't necessarily the worst thing that could possibly happen.
What comes to mind when you hear the name "Becky Chambers"? I personally associate this book with found family, comfort, and space that I have discovered. Since the rumors are true—and I'm not even exaggerating—let me assure you that they are not in fact rumors. I'm thirty percent through the novel and already in tears from underdeveloped characters brought on by the discovered family. I felt like a hug after finishing this book, so I guess you could say that 2023 is off to a wonderful start.
Yes, there isn't much of a plot in this book, which is unusual for a sci-fi book. It's the definition of "no plots, only vibes," which might be quite off-putting at first. However, once you accept that there isn't a narrative, you'll be able to really enjoy this book. Becky Chambers is remarkable in that regard in terms of character. The characters are interesting, varied, and authentic. Funnily enough, they don’t seem like from another planet.
Literally, barely 10% of the book is devoted to the objective. I don't advise reading this if that offends you. The characters feel so authentic because, as has already noted, Becky Chambers spends more time developing them than she does on the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm excited for the upcoming installment in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness, Xenophobia, War
Minor: Drug use, Genocide
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
It's nice to read to a story, especially a sci-fi epic, where the are no Grand Prophecies or Evil Empires or Chosen Ones Handpicked By Destiny To Save The Universe From The Machinations Of Evil. The Long Way chooses to instead focus on the "little people", more specifically a multi-species found family whose main concern isn't overthrowing space tyrants, but of completing their next wormhole tunneling job. This story may be boring to some, with pages and pages of quiet yet intimate and endearing character development and visits to fascinating alien worlds, but to me it was a breath of fresh air in a sci fi landscape that seems to care more about cgi explosions than of crafting a story that will stick with you. Also I'm a sucker for tall reptilian ladies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, War
Minor: Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Vomit
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief
Moderate: Vomit
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
I loved this book so much. All of the characters are so loveable and I adore the found family aspect. It’s a great comfort read and I think would be great for anyone new to the sci-fi genre as well as long time sci-fi fans.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, War
Minor: War