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grumpusgoblin 's review for:
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
by Becky Chambers
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A curious but wholly unsurprising way for Chambers to end the Wayfarer series! I wonder if fans were disappointed that they never received one final adventure with the Ashby crew from the Long Way first novel, which seems to reign champion as the favorite of these four entries.
This was a charming book. Definitely cheesy and heavy-handed too, one of my biggest critiques for Chambers' writing. For sure, I wanted desserts constantly because of this story (many ice cream bars have been devoured over the last week...). I almost feel like cozy sci-fi and slice of life anime shows should hang out together and drink tea + eat pastries, all while avoiding their plotlines 🤣
I liked the characters well enough, especially Pei (a returning character from Wayfarer 1, Ashby's interspecies Aeluon love interest) and Roveg, an exiled Quelin, a beetle-like species. He was giving old queen vibes with his particular and fancy interests, all backed by his rich background of traveling the galaxy and making oodles of friends. Ouloo, their Laru hostess, was mainly the overly anxious mother character and her kid Tupo annoyed me to no end (perhaps that was a successful character since kids can be SO irritating IRL). And I found Speaker the Akarak compelling, but also her argument with Pei near the end was incredibly frustrating and rigid and I have no idea how Chambers wants us to unpack that argument. It almost made me pissed at the author rather than the characters, I don't know why!
All in all, I'm happy to have finally completed the Wayfarer books, took me long enough. Since they're cozy sci-fi/hopepunk, I found them harder to binge as there often wasn't enough action or plot to sink my teeth in. But that's what many readers love now! The first Monk & Robot novella is still my favorite of Chambers' works, but I will be tackling To Be Taught, If Fortunate. I've heard excellent things, so we'll see!
This was a charming book. Definitely cheesy and heavy-handed too, one of my biggest critiques for Chambers' writing. For sure, I wanted desserts constantly because of this story (many ice cream bars have been devoured over the last week...). I almost feel like cozy sci-fi and slice of life anime shows should hang out together and drink tea + eat pastries, all while avoiding their plotlines 🤣
I liked the characters well enough, especially Pei (a returning character from Wayfarer 1, Ashby's interspecies Aeluon love interest) and Roveg, an exiled Quelin, a beetle-like species. He was giving old queen vibes with his particular and fancy interests, all backed by his rich background of traveling the galaxy and making oodles of friends. Ouloo, their Laru hostess, was mainly the overly anxious mother character and her kid Tupo annoyed me to no end (perhaps that was a successful character since kids can be SO irritating IRL). And I found Speaker the Akarak compelling, but also her argument with Pei near the end was incredibly frustrating and rigid and I have no idea how Chambers wants us to unpack that argument. It almost made me pissed at the author rather than the characters, I don't know why!
All in all, I'm happy to have finally completed the Wayfarer books, took me long enough. Since they're cozy sci-fi/hopepunk, I found them harder to binge as there often wasn't enough action or plot to sink my teeth in. But that's what many readers love now! The first Monk & Robot novella is still my favorite of Chambers' works, but I will be tackling To Be Taught, If Fortunate. I've heard excellent things, so we'll see!