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A review by alina_leonova
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
5.0
Characters
I think that character development is one of the most impressive things about the book. It's done so masterfully and beautifully that it carries the story forward even when not much happens. I believe that Becky Chambers has mastered the craft of living in other people's skins (including aliens and AI), seeing the world from their unique perspectives, with challenges and quirks and all the things that require a depth of understanding unavailable to most people. The level of detail and intimacy with which she's created the crew of the Wayfarer is unmatched. It's a huge inspiration to me.
I often say that the characters felt real when I read a good book. It's one of the most important things for me as a reader. With the Wayfarer crew, I feel like I know these people. Like they are my family. Like I understand them, their annoying habits, endearing quirks, ways of thinking. I can predict what they'll do, and I know why they do it, even if I'm angry with them or disagree. I can usually achieve this level of connection after reading a series. Here, it was done in one book.
Not all the crew members got the same amount of attention, but all of them were well-developed. I won't talk about them — you'll meet them yourself if you pick up the book. The crew consists of humans, aliens and an AI.
Plot
The plot is straightforward. It's not packed with action, in fact, not much happens. I believe the crew get into two dangerous situations on their way to a big and dangerous task. The task itself gets them into a lot of trouble, it's heartbreaking and intense, but that happens at the end of the book. Most of the time, we spend with the characters doing their jobs or visiting their families, stopping to get supplies or getting to know each other. Normally, I'd probably get bored with a book like that. But the characters themselves are so interesting and the relationships between them are so exciting, bizarre, unusual, satisfying, etc. that it provided all the drama and tension I needed.
World-building
The world-building reminded me of an open-world game. It's exciting, diverse, strange, interesting. Just interacting with the world, even if you are merely doing a low-stakes side-quest is a pleasure. Here, you'll meet different aliens and get to know their unique cultures, you'll live on a spaceship with a sentient AI, visit several planets and look at humans through the eyes of the aliens (or smell them through their noses :D). There is some political stuff happening in the background, and there is enough to understand what's going on, but it's not at the forefront of the story. The crew aren't anyone special. They're not heroes who make things happen and are always in the center of events. They make space tunnels. That allows for a more relaxed, in-depth exploration of various cultures. Seeing the more "mundane" side of the world, but because the world itself is so bizarre and alluring, the "mundane" is fascinating, and it makes you fall in love.
Impressions
For the first two chapters, I was pretty bored. Then, I started getting more and more into the story, and soon I couldn't put the book down. I read it within a few days and I didn't want it to end. I laughed and I cried. I felt so many emotions. It was cozy like a warm blanket. It was wholesome and deep. It showed me perspectives I hadn't considered. It touched on an interesting subject of sentient AI rights, and the ways people would treat such entities. It was about friendship and found family, fascinating places and learning to truly, really accept those who are so different from us that they're impossible to comprehend.
In the end, I fell in love with the world that was just as real as the one behind my window. I loved the characters, and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and gratitude after reading the book. I was sad that it ended, and I was happy that it was the beginning of a series.
It's slow-paced but delicious. Reading it feels like savoring a great desert with a unique, unusual taste and intriguing textures to discover. I bought and started reading the next book in the series the moment I finished it.
Some people call it a space opera, but I don't know. I think it's something else, maybe a genre of its own. I feel that space operas always deal with a grand scale of things, with the highest stakes possible. This was different. Maybe I can call it a cozy space opera.
You might enjoy The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet if you don't mind a slow pace without much action, love great, in-depth character development and unique world-building, are interested in profound connections and emotions and want to feel good and cozy while reading the book.
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors . You'll find more reviews, interviews, lists, short stories and more there.
I think that character development is one of the most impressive things about the book. It's done so masterfully and beautifully that it carries the story forward even when not much happens. I believe that Becky Chambers has mastered the craft of living in other people's skins (including aliens and AI), seeing the world from their unique perspectives, with challenges and quirks and all the things that require a depth of understanding unavailable to most people. The level of detail and intimacy with which she's created the crew of the Wayfarer is unmatched. It's a huge inspiration to me.
I often say that the characters felt real when I read a good book. It's one of the most important things for me as a reader. With the Wayfarer crew, I feel like I know these people. Like they are my family. Like I understand them, their annoying habits, endearing quirks, ways of thinking. I can predict what they'll do, and I know why they do it, even if I'm angry with them or disagree. I can usually achieve this level of connection after reading a series. Here, it was done in one book.
Not all the crew members got the same amount of attention, but all of them were well-developed. I won't talk about them — you'll meet them yourself if you pick up the book. The crew consists of humans, aliens and an AI.
Plot
The plot is straightforward. It's not packed with action, in fact, not much happens. I believe the crew get into two dangerous situations on their way to a big and dangerous task. The task itself gets them into a lot of trouble, it's heartbreaking and intense, but that happens at the end of the book. Most of the time, we spend with the characters doing their jobs or visiting their families, stopping to get supplies or getting to know each other. Normally, I'd probably get bored with a book like that. But the characters themselves are so interesting and the relationships between them are so exciting, bizarre, unusual, satisfying, etc. that it provided all the drama and tension I needed.
World-building
The world-building reminded me of an open-world game. It's exciting, diverse, strange, interesting. Just interacting with the world, even if you are merely doing a low-stakes side-quest is a pleasure. Here, you'll meet different aliens and get to know their unique cultures, you'll live on a spaceship with a sentient AI, visit several planets and look at humans through the eyes of the aliens (or smell them through their noses :D). There is some political stuff happening in the background, and there is enough to understand what's going on, but it's not at the forefront of the story. The crew aren't anyone special. They're not heroes who make things happen and are always in the center of events. They make space tunnels. That allows for a more relaxed, in-depth exploration of various cultures. Seeing the more "mundane" side of the world, but because the world itself is so bizarre and alluring, the "mundane" is fascinating, and it makes you fall in love.
Impressions
For the first two chapters, I was pretty bored. Then, I started getting more and more into the story, and soon I couldn't put the book down. I read it within a few days and I didn't want it to end. I laughed and I cried. I felt so many emotions. It was cozy like a warm blanket. It was wholesome and deep. It showed me perspectives I hadn't considered. It touched on an interesting subject of sentient AI rights, and the ways people would treat such entities. It was about friendship and found family, fascinating places and learning to truly, really accept those who are so different from us that they're impossible to comprehend.
In the end, I fell in love with the world that was just as real as the one behind my window. I loved the characters, and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and gratitude after reading the book. I was sad that it ended, and I was happy that it was the beginning of a series.
It's slow-paced but delicious. Reading it feels like savoring a great desert with a unique, unusual taste and intriguing textures to discover. I bought and started reading the next book in the series the moment I finished it.
Some people call it a space opera, but I don't know. I think it's something else, maybe a genre of its own. I feel that space operas always deal with a grand scale of things, with the highest stakes possible. This was different. Maybe I can call it a cozy space opera.
You might enjoy The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet if you don't mind a slow pace without much action, love great, in-depth character development and unique world-building, are interested in profound connections and emotions and want to feel good and cozy while reading the book.
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors . You'll find more reviews, interviews, lists, short stories and more there.