The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Ratings794
Average rating4.1
So... this is “hopepunk”. I like it.
I am not quite sure about the bit about the cure... He seemed to be OK with the results, but it was still not OK. This kind of justifies violations of bodily autonomy with the “they'll thank you later” explanation.
I like the love stories. Very warm, soft, lovely. All of them. Yes, I cried. Of course I cried.
Also... I read a review where the reviewer talked about the attitudes about disabilities. I have Aspergers (or, I am autistic, as it's properly said nowadays) and I wouldn't want a cure for it. Now, I cannot see being blind or deaf as anything that people wouldn't want to “cure”, but I am not blind or deaf, so I wouldn't. To me, an able-bodied person, a future without disabilities sounds like a great thing, but... it would mean a future without autism, ADHD, and other things like that. My husband has ADHD and that is one of the reasons why I love him. I wouldn't want him “cured”.
I have to say I don't quite understand this, but, well... I'm going to listen to disabled people and take their word on it. I'm probably ableist without being aware of it, because of my privilege.
Loved the book from the get go. Each character stands out on their own and the world building was fun. It was also great to not have everything be solved via violence. Each alien culture did feel different and unique.
Very bland for my tastes. Dropped Abt 140 pages in. I wasn't feeling the need to pick it up unfortunately.
This was an odd book. The characters are likable enough, but it seemed to be lacking in an overall story, more feeling like a long stream of semi random events in the lives of the characters.
There was also no real conflict. I mean things happened that the characters had to react to, but once the immediate was done, it was done and over. I honestly have no clue where this series might be going. Actions that might have been the source of conflict between different characters in other stories were just brushed aside way too easily.
It was also somewhat heavy handed when it came to its messages. Its not that I disagree with them, but they were blatantly obvious and tended to happen one after the other. It sometimes felt more like I was being preached to than reading a story for enjoyment.
Which makes it seem somewhat odd as well given one particular scene.
When Jenks changes his mind about the the body kit, Lovey just says something along the lines of "its ok, I was only doing it for you" and that was that, resolved and done. It felt rather creepy to me that Lovey was supposed to be a person to his eyes and yet all she was doing was molding herself to his desires and this was ok. No discussion about how it should have been her real choice, it was just ok. If Lovely is supposed to be a person, supposed to be sentient, that would absolutely not be ok in any way, shape, or form.Yes, the body kit comes into play at the end of the book, but instead they could have decided to wait until after the mission to go through with the change, and then the events that transpired caused Lovey's death, which would have added to Jenks' grief. He would have been so close to getting his desire. Blaming himself thinking if they hadn't been delayed that she would have survived.
Given the messages in the rest of the book, this just came across as rather creepy.
And then there was what happened between Corbin and Ohan.This was not ok, not in the slightest. Ohan's right to make their own personal choices about their own body and life was violated. This would have been a wonderful opportunity to discuss conflicting morals. When does a persona's right to live their life as they see fit, to die as they see fit (death with dignity anyone?) end? Jehovah's Witnesses believe its against God's will to receive blood transfusions, even if it would be life saving. Is it ok for a doctor to force the subject against the patient's wish? If it is, then where do we draw the line?
Whether or not I agree with what was done, the result was just Ashby shrugging his shoulders and saying its over now so its ok. The author shows no interest in actually delving into what a true diverse society actually is, a huge mass of compromises and conflicting ideas, morals, societies, cultures, and similar. Instead it was “the right thing” to happen because it was the author's personal belief and she designed the story to make it so.
And then the scene with Rosemary and Sissix after their visit to her world. I have no problems with interspecies relationships. I've been reading SF/F for most of my life, this is nothing new. But the way it happened feels creepy to me again. Rosemary realizes that the crew is Sissix's Feather Family and its not the same as the affection and custom's Sissex would normally have. She wishes to offer Sissex more and that's perfectly fine. But it immediately goes straight to the sex part. It would have worked better if Rosemary had shown some kind of interest in Sissex like that prior to visiting her world. Instead it comes across more like Rosemary molding herself to what she thinks Sissex needs instead of it being something she already desires and has found the opportunity to move forward with it. It again is something that comes across as creepy to me and it also stands out in my mind that in both cases it is happening to female characters.
I will continue with the next book. As I said, the characters were likable enough that I'm willing to keep going to see if it gets any better, less preachy, or maybe even finds some kind of character growth. Something other than a novel full of “diversity is wonderful!” and nothing more.
3.25
I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, but I struggled with some things. There were a lot of interesting things, but it didn't feel like there was a plot. While I usually don't enjoy anything space-related, this book was pretty enjoyable, thanks to the characters.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is a wonderfully cozy sci-fi space adventure. Rosemary joins the crew of the Wayfarer, a tunneling vessel that punches openings in space-time for worm holes, and discovers much about the various species and worlds of the Galactic Commons, as well as a family along the way. The overall feel of this book reminded me a little bit of Martha Wells' Murderbot books, but it is ultimately extremely different and unique. I loved how affirming and positive this story was, while still having some suspense and thrills. I really enjoyed it, despite it being a little slower paced than my usual preferences. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had to come back to it a few times before I really started to get into it. I read a lot of sci fi and as much as I enjoy the action pack plot going on in most sci fi's it was really nice to read about the lives of Star chasing characters. A bit different. It was maybe a bit more fluffy than I thought it needed to be but it was a nice comfort book that I'll def read again. I LOVED that it was a diverse group of characters. Not the same old, same old!
A little all over the place but such a cozy crew to spend time with.
Less devastatingly beautiful than her novellas, but this work of sci-fi is different enough from all others that I have read to merit a four star. Chambers, once again, awes me with her ability to give the reader pictures into the complex motivations of her characters without bashing us over the head with them. In tandem, she crafts a really fascinating world and plot. Very good.
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 due to GR metric.
Things I liked:
- Feels like the love child of Firefly and Mass Effect, and fulfilled my desire to drop into random lives of aliens in the Star Wars universe and get a glimpse into their cultures and lives. I think Chambers does a fantastic job here with world building and making some alien species and cultures that feel well thought out and differences between set up interpersonal conflicts well.
- I think although the characters play archetypes they are written well, and there were some moments that really made me feel warm and fuzzy inside about some. Although Chambers' works are well-known for being more hopeful, as are most of her characters, I didn't find them cloying or saccharine as much as I thought I would (although at times it cleaves quite close to it).
- The “science” part of the science fiction here has some cool ideas, though I'm not a hard SF fan so much, I'm on board for hand-waving complicated systems if it fits the larger narrative to not spend a ton of time exploring it, but Chambers doesn't spend pages and pages expounding on systems, nor does she hand-wave it away. I think a nice balance is struck here, and I didn't find myself distracted by how technology or science is used in the book- and could tell she has a passion for it!
- As an fan of grimdark fan of fantasy/SF/horror what initially drew me to this series was the concept of a more hopeful look at a future, which I think Chambers really delivers on. What she keys into well I think is the idea that on a base level, most people want to be liked by others, and want to like them. It's kind of a basic human desire, and for some reason so much of literature and genre fiction totally misses this and we get a bevy of brooding, angsty, dickheads (which a lot of do exist in real life, don't get me wrong), so it's nice to see a universe where for the most part the people inhabiting it generally want to get along.
Things I wasn't so hot on:
- Personally I found Kizzy a tad grating at times. She seems to oscillate between hyperactive teenager (bordering on Tiny Tina from the Borderlands games) to more grounded and somewhat self-serious when things got serious or emotional. Mostly the hyperactive giddiness is the stuff that grates me, but I think that's just personal taste.
- I'm 100% behind more hopeful SF, and decolonizing our concepts of the future and not assuming the worst, but the first 1/2-2/3rds of the book felt kind of... frictionless? Not much happens aside from world building, relationship building, conversations, and the crew getting to know each other which was interesting and I'm here for it, but once the plot started to move I felt the overbearing sense that all the characters would be protected by plot armor due to it's more hopeful bent (I was at least partially wrong). I wasn't looking for George R. R. Martin by any means, but some characters make some pretty heavy decisions especially later in the book and it's not really explored to any degree and I would have liked to see how that dramatic tension played out with more detail.
- It felt a tad over-long. I get that there's a lot of ground for Chambers to cover in setting the world up here, and maybe the subsequent books are slimmer as a result, but I found myself dragging through some sections because the pace lagged.
What a wonderful book. All the characters are so adorable. This book is all about the chemistry between all these characters. Though they are from different alien races, it's very much a found family dynamic, it is very much about the people that we meet along the way and how they become part of our family, our group of friends, our colleagues. This is an adventure story with colorful and vibrant and lively characters but it's still science fiction.
I think I found my comfort Sci-Fi author in Becky Chambers. She is clever and very diverse.
I have a new favorite author in Becky Chambers! I loved this story so much! There's this whole found family/chosen family thing going on and a delightful queer relationship that forms as well! I can't wait to read everything else she has written!
Simplemente amo este libro. Cualquier persona a la que le guste leer debería darle un try.
Grupo de besties en el espacio que viven aventuras y las cosas salen casi siempre bien
This was really charming. It is definitely more character driven than plot driven. The characters are so well defined, which is something I find lacking in a lot of science fiction. I can see why it's so popular.
4.5 stars. Science fiction is a genre that I've been slowly trying to read a bit more of recently, and this is an incredibly refreshing entry to read. Unlike most science fiction novels which tend to ruminate on the effect of technology on civilisations and/or broader galactic politics, Small, Angry Planet instead concentrates on imagined alien species and what makes their cultures tick. It's heavily character-focused and is so wonderfully imaginative that I'm absolutely here for it.
Before properly going into this book, I read a review for it on here that described its action as “episodic” and that term has stuck with me throughout my read. There isn't really a huge amount of plot - the crew of the Wayfarer undertake a job to deliver cargo to a planet that's undergoing civil war. It's as straightforward as that. There aren't a lot of plot twists along the way, but that isn't really what the book is here to do. The book is primarily interested in the lives, personalities, backstories, and respective cultures of the Wayfarer crew.
The book does a masterful job at pacing. I loved how we aren't just thrown into the deep end of things, but instead spend a good part following Rosemary Harper, newest member of the Wayfarer crew, and also sheltered Human who doesn't know enough about other alien species. She makes a great self-insert for the reader to slowly learn about the other crew members from scratch, their dynamics, and their respective civilizations.
The crew of the Wayfarer aren't anything to shout about at first, but we slowly get to know each of them on deeper levels that by the end of it, you don't really want the book to end because you don't want to leave the new friends you've made. Each of them brings something new and interesting to the table: Ohan the Sianat Pair makes us think about using plural pronouns for an entity, Sissix the Aandrisk makes us reexamine our concept of the parent-child bond and the sanctity of biological vs found families, Dr Chef the Grum lets us think about how gender fluidity might have evolved in an alien species.
I like to think of this book as F.R.I.E.N.D.S in space, except much more character-focused. It doesn't take itself too seriously but exhibits so much creativity when it comes to imagining alien cultures and their inter-species dynamics. It's got everything I've always found lacking in a lot of science fiction: a celebration of the diversity of life and cultures that could potentially be found out there, and of these species coming together to work, cooperate, bond, and just having fun and cracking jokes at each other.
Smart, funny, exciting and moving. I loved the sprawling story, and the narration was clever and deft.
A comfy sci-fi read. I really enjoyed the care the author put into building out its cast of alien species. The aliens aren't just humans with different skins, but there's some thought put into their cultural differences and histories as well. And even within the humans, there's a varied mix of cultures too, depending on whether you were rich and managed to escape Earth to live in colonies on Mars, or if you spent your entire life living aboard a generation ship.
Keen to give the second book a go!
This was a drag. The plot here was really minimal for my taste. I get it is a book focusing on the characters, but seriously, they all were super bland, super polite bunch with almost no conflicts created to make their journey a struggle (character journey). Everything just happens and is resolved outright without much problems.
Cute and sweet, amusing at times. It's definitely lightweight fun. Chambers stimulates the imagination with aliens and space travel, not to mention entertaining characters such as neuro-divergent Kizzy and the warm and wise Dr. Chef. The reader experiences this universe through Rosemary, a new crew member aboard the spaceship Wayfarer. It's a good setup, as Rosemary has lived a sheltered life; we learn as she does.
The rest of the crew are a charming group of misfits composed of various alien species and humans from different backgrounds. Throughout the novel, the group travels through space “punching holes” for quicker hyperspace travel, often interacting with alien species. The characters spend time navigating different customs, morals, ideals, and friction between groups. There is a simple message to the novel, which is summed up nicely by this quote:
“Do not judge other species by your own social norms”
It is reminiscent of the show Firefly but less angsty as everyone's “deep, dark secrets” are discovered quickly and with minimum fuss. Most of the characters aboard the Wayfarer are a well-adjusted and close group. The two exceptions are ill-mannered Corbin and solitary Ohan. They each come to terms with their issues a little too easily for a satisfying conclusion. At times it feels like a lesson for kids in “talking out your problems” and “not judging others.” Nothing in this story is astonishing or controversial. With a little more tension and depth this would have been a big hit with me.
cozy sci-fi. I really liked it in the beginning, but kind of got bored with it. I think because it is very focused on the characters which can be great! It just didn't quite work for me because I was so focused on the plot not realizing the plot didn't really matter.
UPDATE 2025-01-23, reread. Okay, it's really more four stars than five but I'm keeping my original rating because that's how it impacted me the first time. I still find it charming, warm, cozy and very much needed in today's world.
Squee! I really needed this book right now, and I didn't even know it; in fact I almost put the book aside “for later” because the first few chapters were eversomuch on the treacly side. I'm so thankful to have kept going; it was SO worth it.Fun story. Great characters, with swoonworthy relationships (professional, emotional, physical) between them. Rich undertone-filled dialog. Many chapters are set up to model Valuable Moral Lessons on diversity, relationship models, sexuality, body autonomy, conformity, courage ... but it was done so playfully, so tenderly, that I adored the ride. (Then again, it helps that my moral compass seems to align closely with Chambers'). But it's not just unicorns and rainbows: there's plenty of tension (including the kind that had me staying up way past bedtime); there's drama and pain and loss.I read this book in parallel with Disordered Cosmos and The Journey of Crazy Horse, both of which are disturbing and haunting, dealing with much of humanity at our worst. Angry Planet provided a refreshing contrast of People (human, alien, and electronic) at our imperfect but compassionate best. I needed to read those other two to understand our world in its context; I needed to read this one to know and feel how much better we can do.
