The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014)

English language

Published July 16, 2014

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5 stars (7 reviews)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the 2014 debut science fiction novel by Becky Chambers, set in her fictional universe the Galactic Commons. Chambers originally self-published it via a Kickstarter campaign; it was subsequently re-published by Hodder & Stoughton.

11 editions

Review of 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I really needed a fun little sci-fi road trip story, and this delivered quite well! The characters are all quite likable, and the world building with such a diverse array of alien species made for a lot of fun scenarios.

There is a romance later on that comes seemingly out of nowhere, and I wasn’t a big fan of how Ohan’s they/them pronouns are treated as a symptom of a disease. It kind of nearly crosses the border into demonizing plurality, but I know for sure that wasn’t the author’s intention.

Review of "L'espace d'un an" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Bien heureuse de ne pas avoir lu la 4ème de couverture avant de terminer, elle raconte presque toute l’histoire !!

C’est assez rare les livres de SF et les spaces opera où l’on est agréablement confuse presque tout le long de l’histoire sur l’apparence, origine, us et coutumes des différentes espèces (au point que je me disais qu’il y avait un tome à lire avant celui-ci).

De la SF douce et heureuse

5 stars

On suit le quotidien d'un Êquipage multi-espèce d'un vaisseau spatial. Loin d'une SF oÚ l'humanitÊ guerroie et triomphe, l'univers de l'autrice nous prÊsentent comme faibles, divisÊs, sous le patronage d'autres espèces plus avancÊes.

L'autrice dÊcrit de manière très sensible cet Êquipage qui est un peu comme une famille, avec ses joies, ses amours et ses peines.

a story that thrives on its characters

5 stars

The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).

I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).

This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …

a story that thrives on its characters

5 stars

The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).

I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).

This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …

Review of 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book! Oh my gosh! So many people have recommended it to me. This book is about a crew of sapients, human and non-human, tunneling holes in space. They have to live with each other for long lengths of time. What does that do to a group? This crew becomes really close, except for, as you may guess, the one asshole in the group. I love the incredibly detailed and thoughtfully written aliens. I love that the ship’s crew, including the AI, are basically chosen family. It reminds me of Cedar McCloud’s writing in that the novel keeps subverting the dramatic directions I think it’s going to go. One friend described this book as a comfort read and I think he’s right. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.