Reviews

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

ruemilley's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i really liked the previous two in this series and this one is still Fine but man was it boring for over half of its runtime. the characters were not as interesting as ones from the previous book- i think this is due to the fact that they mostly have their own things going on with their own half developed side characters instead of interacting together and getting depth as a group. i do think this setup would be impossible to make work but the characters just did not appeal— i kept getting leads mixed up which seems like a bad sign.

that being said, once an Event Finally Happened i felt like the characters worked a bit more. maybe if the book had been more about the dealing of the fallout of the accident that happens in the beginning instead of jumping a ???? amount of time forward and going Wow That Sure Was Bad Wasn’t It we could have had similar development throughout. overall still not bad, just not as good as the other ones.

also i’m so puzzled by the author clearly wanting Communist Utopia (cool) but struggling to deal with things like… giving a kid allowance? what would a trade allowance be? what? early on they work hard to make it clear trade is NOT money but by the end they’re like ‘oops i’m out of trade for the week’ which seems like just money??? also a The Robots Are Taking Our Jobs plot in again communist utopia is fascinating. I HAVE LOGISTICAL CONCERNS IS ALL I AM SAYING

spirogyra_sp's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

simplykendra_reads's review against another edition

3.0

Again,  I think my expectations for this series were different than what I actually got.  I enjoyed the first book and for some reason I thought we were going to be following that specific group of characters and their dynamic for the entire series, but we don’t.  Even though the subsequent books do add to the world building and also make broader statements about life that can be applied to real life I am left with a sense of lacking and disappointment. 

geohound's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Excellent hopefully atmosphere, where humanity comes to grips with it's wasteful ways and seems to live in harmony with natural systems held together with advanced tech produced from the rubble of a failed civilization, which would be Earth.

daniellejdeon's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

otter_the_grouch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

graygraves's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book was a beautiful character study that was incredibly heartfelt and tender and expertly woven together. Deeply enjoyed this book. 

avey1990's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

rnburt92's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

bootrat'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? Yes

5.0

Becky Chambers has a unique ability to find the humanity in all the characters she creates - even those who aren't human. The Wayfarers series really is a tour de force, with every novel exploring different themes, different lives, different struggles, and different joys.

This book begins with a tragedy, and though this affects our characters it isn't central to their stories or their lives. I once again loved every character we met, and I definitely cried at this book too. Another 5 star book in this series, now onto book 4. Fuck me up, Becky!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Xenophobia and Murder