Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

I'm sad that Becky Chambers' brilliant Wayfarers series has come to an end.

This series filled as it is with love, compassion, and kindness, is a soothing balm in an increasingly unkind world ‐ and this final book in the quartet is no different.

This is not a book to read if you want fast-paced action, because beyond the brief triggering incident that brings the main characters together, not a lot actually happens.

These books are all about humanity, and it's such a clever idea of Chambers to use aliens as a conduit to explore its many facets.

Galaxy is about family, about doing what makes you happy, about learning to disagree respectfully, about the beauty in everyday life.

I loved it.

Content Warnings

avacadosocks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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fionamclary's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

A compact conclusion to an expansive series, taking place in a limited area of one small planet over the course of five days and involving only five characters for the vast majority of the book, yet retaining the sense of vastness and diversity of the galaxy built up in previous books and exemplified by the unlikely group we encounter in book 4. I especially enjoyed having an Akarak POV character. This disabled anarchocommunist bird woman has my whole heart. Becky Chambers has created a unique species with a tragic history of colonization and cultural genocide, now living on the fringes in a fascinating social structure. The contrast with having an Aeluon POV character (recurring from book 1!) allowed for especially nuanced cultural and political commentary. And of course, Roveg the Quelin is an icon, the party-hosting, food-offering, considerate exile artist we all wish we had in our lives. I'd like to be his friend please and thank you. As always, Becky Chambers develops complex analyses and critiques of the world she has created that are unique to this scifi universe as well as mapping onto our own world.

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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.0

I really respect how she writes children; it's beautiful when you can tell that someone likes and respects children in real life by how they write child characters. There is so much love in this book.

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hannahpings's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

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librarianmage's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

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