Scan barcode
A review by bookwormjimmy
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
An interspecies crew aboard a space tunneling ship adventure across many adventures. Rosemary is new to the crew, and is hiding a dark history. Sissix is the reptilian pilot who is still missing something even though everything feels right. Jenks and the AI Lovey have a complicated relationship, and Kizzy cannot stop talking Dr. Chef's ears off. All this while Captain Ashby is trying to maintain his own secret relationship with another species. But though it all, this is a crew that will come together.
This book read more like a season of episodic TV. Once I realized that each chapter felt like its own self-contained episode that focused on different characters' plotlines, I started to really enjoy it for what it was worth. Each chapter gives us a new perspective to look at these characters, to realize that they're all much more multi-faceted than what their initial introductions might've appeared to the reader.
There are a lot of themes that are brought up within the book that take a look at our own humanity and pose big questions on the labels that we apply to our everyday lives. What does it mean to love someone different than us? What is one's right to refuse life-saving medicine if it goes against your beliefs? At what point is gene editing beyond what's ethical and right? These are questions with no easy answers in society today, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet offers an entryway to these discussions through classic science fiction.
If you're looking for a lighthearted jaunt through space with a crew that treats each other like a found family, then this would be a fun read for you!
This book read more like a season of episodic TV. Once I realized that each chapter felt like its own self-contained episode that focused on different characters' plotlines, I started to really enjoy it for what it was worth. Each chapter gives us a new perspective to look at these characters, to realize that they're all much more multi-faceted than what their initial introductions might've appeared to the reader.
There are a lot of themes that are brought up within the book that take a look at our own humanity and pose big questions on the labels that we apply to our everyday lives. What does it mean to love someone different than us? What is one's right to refuse life-saving medicine if it goes against your beliefs? At what point is gene editing beyond what's ethical and right? These are questions with no easy answers in society today, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet offers an entryway to these discussions through classic science fiction.
If you're looking for a lighthearted jaunt through space with a crew that treats each other like a found family, then this would be a fun read for you!