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temporarilyhuman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Torture, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Child death and Chronic illness
Minor: Classism, Slavery, Racism, Drug use, Cursing, War, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Medical content, Body horror, Blood, Genocide, Gore, and Confinement
droggelbecher42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Here is a list of things that it felt like for me for some reason:
- a ttrpg campaign which leaves you with a deep appreciation for everyone's characters
- the specific kind of fanfiction you are lucky to find about your favourite character, where the author has a ridicously good sense for the characters and it's just a comfy read
-firefly & dark matter (tv shows)
- weirdly philosophical talks with a stranger at 3 am that you still think about years later
Graphic: Cursing and Chronic illness
Moderate: War and Xenophobia
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Confinement, and Genocide
Minor: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Medical content, Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Slavery
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, and Cursing
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Vomit, Sexual content, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug use, Colonisation, Blood, Animal death, Alcohol, and Ableism
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Trafficking, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Incest, Infidelity, and Genocide
The racial slurs aren't real ones, but in-world ones (for different species, not human races) Also CWs for nonconsensual medical treatment, andmalloryfitz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Blood, Genocide, and Slavery
starlessnights's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Cursing, Genocide, and Death of parent
wordswoods's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
We cannot blame ourselves for the wars our parents start. Sometimes the very best thing we can do is walk away.
This was exactly what I needed!
It's fast, it's fun, and there's so much packed in there, such as:
- Various species
- Various sexualities
- Various gender identities
- Fun and jokes, but also
- Deep, profound sadness
Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
Minor: Death and Grief
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Slavery
tachyondecay's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a difficult book to summarize, because the back cover makes it seem like Rosemary is the main character, but in actuality this is an ensemble cast. Chambers takes the time to ensure each of the crew receives at least some time in the spotlight. Rather than trying to introduce them all, let me just say that there is an eclectic mix of Humans and other aliens, each of whom has distinctive personality traits, some as a result of their species and some as a result of their personality. What’s interesting to me is how Chambers manages to make most of the characters fairly round. There are moments when you love each character as well as moments you dislike them, and that takes talent to do repeatedly.
This crew lives and works primarily in space, and the story is more about their relationships than their mission to tunnel a wormhole from alien space back to familiar territory. Chambers explores the conflicts that arise from multiple species living in close quarters, the misunderstandings and the fun, as well as the stress that is possible when you are an unarmed vessel out in deep space. Though I would likely describe this book as a slow burn, there are moments of action and tension that kick the pace up into heart-pounding territory.
I love the thoughtfulness Chambers has put into her species. Some people will no doubt fault the level of exposition in this book, and you know … cool. That is a legitmate critique here, and I’m not going to say you’re wrong. But I think that’s the case for a lot of science fiction (Charles Stross called), so this is more about whether or not you like or can tolerate infodumping. If you can, if you want to go on this fun ride through the gallery of alien biology, customs, and foods that Chambers has created, then you will have a good time.
Another noticeable stylistic element is just the way that Chambers weaves humour throughout the book. This is particularly evident in the dialogue, which is rich with asides and moments that, in a tightly-paced 43 minute TV show or a novel that took itself too seriously, would be cut for time. This book revels in the idea of breathing room, the idea that there really isn’t any hurry to get on with the main plot. And while it is tempting to single out humour as the dominant emotion on display, I think that misrepresents the wealth of tones Chambers infuses into these scenes. There is plenty of humour, yes, but there is also anger and righteous fury; there is awkward bigotry and accidental insults; there is intense attraction and abiding love.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is one of those books where, if you like it, you like it for the reasons others dislike it. If you want direct, precision-plotting, this book is not for you. This is a book for people who religiously complete every side quest in a video game before daring to continue the main plot. If you want a book where you get to hang out with video game NPCs for a couple of hours—and oh yeah, galactic events are happening just outside the ship, but let’s not worry about those—then this is the book for you.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content
jehansflowers's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Police brutality, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, Violence, Racial slurs, Medical content, Gun violence, and Genocide
Minor: Blood and Slavery