Reviews

I think this was a very feel-good book. Where all the characters are ultimately good and well-meaning, and nothing particularly bad happens. And I think I don't really enjoy that kind of book.

I liked the characters, and it felt like they and their relationships were where the book was meant to shine. Everyone being pretty decent and slightly idealised meant for a less interesting story for me. I think I wanted more danger and drama, and more to go wrong.

There were things I enjoyed, especially to do with some of the characters later on in the book.

The dilemma with Ohan was really interesting, and I wish there'd been more of that.

I also thought all the different races were super interesting! And I quite liked the slightly episodic story structure that reminded me of Firefly or Cowboy Bebop.

jawairia's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

emtees's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective tense 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

4.5

This was a really sweet, fun book. The way it was structured made it very different from anything else I’ve read recently. It felt a bit like a TV show. The first few chapters were like a season premiere, setting up two new situations for the crew of the Wayfarer, a ship tasked with constructing wormholes through space to support a vast galactic community. The crew takes on a new job, traveling to a star system whose residents, the Toremi, have been recently accepted into the Galactic Commons community. At the same time, they take on a new crew member, Rosemary, a clerk with a mysterious past. Once that set up is done and the Wayfarer sets out on its long journey to Hedra Ka (the small, angry planet of the title), the book becomes very episodic. Each chapter covers some adventure the crew has along their journey - the one with pirates, the one with the captain’s secret girlfriend, the one where they visit a crewmember’s very alien homeworld, the one where the sole member of the crew no one likes gets his own story arc. Along the way, there are plot lines building up in the background, but the real focus is on the characters, their relationships and exploring the world around them. And then at the end there is a big climax, the “finale,” where all the various plot threads come together and there is a lot of action, excitement, emotion and drama. I kind of wish more books were written this way.

The characters are the strength of this series. Quirky crews of found families are pretty common in this type of sci-fi but the structure of the book and Chambers’ inventiveness when it comes to characters keep any of it from being cliched. We get to know each of the characters, both as individuals and in their places on the ship, as the POV switches between them (again, very much like an ensemble TV show.) The relationships between them are imperfect and feel very lived-in. Chambers’s does a great job with her alien species, whether that’s the lizard-like Aandrisk pilot Sissix, forever bewildered by mammalian species making a big deal about things like sex and nudity; Dr. Chef, the Grum cook/healer whose cheerful demeanor covers up a dark past; or Ohan, a Sianat Pair, part of species who deliberately infect themselves with a virus, the Whisper, that grants them the ability to understand the secrets of the universe and becomes a part of their own identity, though not without a cost. But Chambers is equally creative when it comes to her human characters. The humans are unique in the galaxy in that they have multiple distinct cultures brought about by their varied entrances into the galactic world, with the very hands-off, rigidly pacifist Exodans contrasting with the more individualistic colonies on the edge of space. Too often sci-fi and fantasy default human characters into the violent ones, or the chaotic ones, but what’s neat about Chambers’ worldbuilding is she takes those basic concepts and then expands on them. What if humanity’s tendency towards violence and self-destruction led to disaster - how would we as a people change? Our many cultural differences often cause conflict but what if they are also our strength?

That’s typical of the kind of thinky book this is, though Chambers has such a light touch that the story never gets bogged down by its ideas. There is such a range of topics covered in this book, all woven deeply into the story. There are chapters that talk about ideas of personhood and who has the right to create new life forms; what right people have to do things that harm themselves in the name of belief and when it is or isn’t okay for others to step in; when does pacifism cross the line into abdicating responsibility for those around us; what are the obligations of family and how do people with such different ideas of what that means form a family. And meanwhile there’s a colorful sci-fi world to explore and great, hilarious, touching characters to do it with.

ajkozak's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

4.25

kmacpr's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

4.5

lindzmace's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

i really can't figure out how to rate this one? incredibly well written and a joy to read but the characters sometimes felt a bit too idealised, if that makes sense? i think i've just been reading lots of stuff with tons of interpersonal drama lately and this book just doesn't have much of it. which is not a bad thing! i still found it engaging and entertaining to read. so who knows! i will be reading the rest of the series absolutely.
rosemary is just so kind? and so is everyone else, in their own way. idk, i just live here lol

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