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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Let’s do astrobiology science fiction with mama
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not my favorite, but it may just be because I'm not a huge space fan. Loved Chambers' other novel about the robot & monk, but this just missed for me. I would've loved a bit more character development and less sci-fi terminology.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
Warning: I would not really classify this book as cozy sci-fi like some of Becky Chambers' other books! This was so good but also gave me quite a bit of existential dread. Beautifully written! Painful! Funny!
The writing in this was great, obviously, and it felt like a very careful, probing book. I liked it--I really felt for the crew when they were stuck on that terrible water planet with those horrible aliens (but it wasn't their fault, they were just doing what animals do, and I felt that too) and when they had to deal with the animal that got in through the airlock I was as devastated as the crew was--and I definitely wish we had more time to spend with the crew and I really wish we could have delved deeper into the relationship between the four of them, because the brief glances we got seemed really interesting. I was a little put off by the whole thing written in some weird mix of first and second person (I think, I'm not really sure what to call it--if I were tagging it on AO3 I'd put "MC & reader" in the character tags, and I frankly avoid anything with "reader" in it like the plague) and the heartfelt plea at the end of the book fell a little flat for me. But overall I really liked it, I would have read a whole novel of it, and I adore Becky Chambers and think she's doing really amazing great work.
There was a part towards the end where they go to a (seemingly) uninhabited planet, and the main character Ariadne describes what it's like there, after being on that horrible water planet (I think I hate that water planet as much as those characters did, down in the marrow of my bones--that's how evocative it was, how visceral). But anyway, spoilers:
Ariadne is talking about walking along the surface of Votum, the planet, and she says this:
"I did not feel joy in this simplicity, as I did on Aecor. I don’t
know what to call the feeling. ‘Emptiness’ sounds depressing,
‘stillness’ dull. I think that Votum is like the mirror in my
cabin. It doesn’t presume anything, doesn’t force any decisions.
It doesn’t angle itself toward me. It just lets me think. I
respect it deeply for this."
I don't know why (or, maybe I do, but I don't feel like getting into it here) but that passage did something to me. I don't know. It resonated with me in a way that's hard to describe, and in a way that I don't think I would have necessarily felt as strongly if we hadn't gone through this terrible year like we have. But I did, and we have, and in some ways it's amazing that things can line up like that and hit you in a way you know wouldn't have been possible even a few months ago, and at the same time I resent it with all of my heart. I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to get into it, whatever.
Anyway I love Becky Chambers' books, I loved this book (novella, whatever), and I'll be first in line to read her next one. Wholeheartedly recommend.
There was a part towards the end where they go to a (seemingly) uninhabited planet, and the main character Ariadne describes what it's like there, after being on that horrible water planet (I think I hate that water planet as much as those characters did, down in the marrow of my bones--that's how evocative it was, how visceral). But anyway, spoilers:
Spoiler
Ariadne is talking about walking along the surface of Votum, the planet, and she says this:
"I did not feel joy in this simplicity, as I did on Aecor. I don’t
know what to call the feeling. ‘Emptiness’ sounds depressing,
‘stillness’ dull. I think that Votum is like the mirror in my
cabin. It doesn’t presume anything, doesn’t force any decisions.
It doesn’t angle itself toward me. It just lets me think. I
respect it deeply for this."
I don't know why (or, maybe I do, but I don't feel like getting into it here) but that passage did something to me. I don't know. It resonated with me in a way that's hard to describe, and in a way that I don't think I would have necessarily felt as strongly if we hadn't gone through this terrible year like we have. But I did, and we have, and in some ways it's amazing that things can line up like that and hit you in a way you know wouldn't have been possible even a few months ago, and at the same time I resent it with all of my heart. I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to get into it, whatever.
Anyway I love Becky Chambers' books, I loved this book (novella, whatever), and I'll be first in line to read her next one. Wholeheartedly recommend.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced