theharbourreader's Reviews (73)

A Closed and Common Orbit

Becky Chambers

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-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

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Becky Chambers

3.75

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Some books aren’t about what happens so much as who it happens to — and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is absolutely one of them. This is soft science fiction with a warm, beating heart: a story of found family, intergalactic connection, and radical empathy aboard a patchwork tunneling ship called the Wayfarer.

The novel follows a mismatched crew through space as they prepare for a high-risk (and high-reward) job — but the real magic lies in the quiet moments between. Lunches shared in the galley. Cultural misunderstandings navigated with tenderness. Grief carried and unspoken. Romance unfolding across species lines. It’s a book that finds joy and meaning in the small things, even as it moves through a vast and unknown universe.

That said — it took me a little while to settle into it. The early chapters felt a bit episodic, and I occasionally lost track of the stakes. But somewhere along the way, I stopped needing a central conflict and started simply enjoying the company. These characters grow on you, in the way crewmates probably would in real life — gradually, organically, until you realise you care deeply for all of them.

There’s something radical about the kindness in this book. It doesn’t shy away from hard things — trauma, exile, injustice — but it insists on compassion as a form of resistance. That felt rare. And very welcome.