The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Stratki reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Fluffy en warm

4 stars

Je moet er een beetje van houden denk ik, het is een beetje fluffy en lief met allemaal aardige mensen die het beste met elkaar voor hebben. De Grote Geheimen waar het in de flaptekst over gaat zijn niet heel erg wereldschokkend, en zelfs de (weinige) slechteriken zijn grotendeels niet echt slecht. Niet echt een nagelbijter dus. Maar ach, het is bijna kerst, en we kunnen wel wat woke feelgood gebruiken in de wereld.

Tindra reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

A LOT going on

5 stars

This book has quite a bit going on - not really any one main character to follow, but an ensemble cast.

And that’s really the strong point - the fact that each member of the crew is a fully fledged character with their own hopes and fears and good and bad that happens to them, while the crew is working towards a goal together.

And not everything turns out perfect for each character. They each experience some pain. Which is just life

TQ@wyrms.de reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Needed to get used to the pacing, loved it in the end

4 stars

Enjoyed the weirdness of the worldbuilding, loved the relationshis and interactive, just liked the characters. I needed to get used to the slow pacing but enjoyed it in the end.

Eph (they, them) reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Review of 'The long way to a small, angry planet' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Start here and you will never turn back!

Matt K reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

A long eventful journey

5 stars

Everyone has stakes and a journey and I am fond of all of them. Now I’m in for the next books.

Daniel reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

An incredible story. A real delight.

5 stars

Wow this book is incredible! There’s so much to say that I’m afraid I don’t have the words to convey it all. Becky Chambers’ book gave me so many FEELINGS. Each new page revealed some unexpected delight or curiosity that kept me hooked right to the end.

I love science fiction, but especially stories that involve both the minutia of the daily lives of spacefarers or colonists and the sweeping grand scale of interstellar travel and galactic politics. Combine this with a healthy dose of chunky, tangible tech, sentient AIs and a variety of different races and cultures and I’m in my happy place.

The Long Way delivers on all of this and so much more. The multi-species crew of the Wayfarer are all fleshed out as distinct individuals, each with their own personalities, belief systems, desires and struggles. It was thrilling to discover little snippets of their backstories and …

Wow this book is incredible! There’s so much to say that I’m afraid I don’t have the words to convey it all. Becky Chambers’ book gave me so many FEELINGS. Each new page revealed some unexpected delight or curiosity that kept me hooked right to the end.

I love science fiction, but especially stories that involve both the minutia of the daily lives of spacefarers or colonists and the sweeping grand scale of interstellar travel and galactic politics. Combine this with a healthy dose of chunky, tangible tech, sentient AIs and a variety of different races and cultures and I’m in my happy place.

The Long Way delivers on all of this and so much more. The multi-species crew of the Wayfarer are all fleshed out as distinct individuals, each with their own personalities, belief systems, desires and struggles. It was thrilling to discover little snippets of their backstories and how this influences their relationships with each other. I also really enjoyed that our window into their world was initially that of an outsider, Rosemary, and that as I grew more accustomed to the crew, so did she.

(Kizzy is my absolute favourite❤️ Jenks asking “are you making them hats?” absolutely killed me😂)

Becky makes expert use of the interpersonal relationships between this small cast of quirky characters living in tight quarters to explore themes of identity, family, gender and sexuality effortlessly. It never feels heavy handed and the variety of species only made it more natural. It was refreshing to discover a universe where multiple gender pronouns, sexual orientations and found families are the norm.

All this set against the backdrop of the Galactic Commons and the political concerns of different planets and species. The destination, Hedra Ka - the small angry planet of the title - is only found after a long and meandering journey, but what a journey. This is a story that’s all about what happens when you take the long way round and it’s SO worth it. I adored this book.

I’m really sad that it’s over - a little stunned to be honest - but I’m so grateful for the heartwarming, emotional story that now lives rent free in my brain. Better still, I am delighted to discover that, not only is there a sequel, this is the first book of four in the Wayfarer series. The little preview of the second book was a nice teaser and I’m looking forward to what comes next. Highly recommended.

Derek Caelin reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Optimistic sci fi about a long journey and chosen family

5 stars

So wonderful. I heard that this was an "optimistic" read, and it's true; the characters tackle the adversity they face by being emotionally intelligent, thoughtful, supportive, ethical. It scratched the same itch as, say, Kim Stanley Robinson. Chosen family was a constant theme. To switch mediums, it felt like a mix between Firefly, Star Trek, and She Ra.

I inhaled it! So good!

sifuCJC reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Great characters

4 stars

You get to know the whole crew on the journey; they are friends of yours by the end.

kino reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Review of 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I liked this but did want a little bit more conflict between the crew characters. Seems like there were just one or two to pick on.

Library Orb reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Charming Sci-Fi

5 stars

An utterly charming story. If you enjoy spaceships full of goobers, you'll love this.

Kadomi reviewed The long way to a small, angry planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers, #1)

Review of 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I had my issues with the book at first. Highly praised, I had gone in expecting an ass-kicking story with diverse, interesting characters in an SF world. The book most definitely had the most diverse cast I have ever experienced in any SF universe. What it did not have was an ass-kicking story. Once I got over my disappointment that there's basically no plot and opened myself to the character relationships on the Wayfarer, then the book clicked for me.

The Wayfarer is the a punching ship, a spaceship that opens travel routes through out the galaxy. Humans are just one race amongst many in the Galactic Commons, the alliance that controls the galaxy. The Wayfarer has a human captain, a pilot from the reptile race of the Aandrisk, a doctor and chef in one person called Dr. Chef from a race that is described as a mix of gecko …

I had my issues with the book at first. Highly praised, I had gone in expecting an ass-kicking story with diverse, interesting characters in an SF world. The book most definitely had the most diverse cast I have ever experienced in any SF universe. What it did not have was an ass-kicking story. Once I got over my disappointment that there's basically no plot and opened myself to the character relationships on the Wayfarer, then the book clicked for me.

The Wayfarer is the a punching ship, a spaceship that opens travel routes through out the galaxy. Humans are just one race amongst many in the Galactic Commons, the alliance that controls the galaxy. The Wayfarer has a human captain, a pilot from the reptile race of the Aandrisk, a doctor and chef in one person called Dr. Chef from a race that is described as a mix of gecko and otter, one of the techs on-board has dwarfism and is in love with the AI on board, etc etc. There are inter-species relationships, there are inter-species lesbian relationships, and the tech tries to illegally get their AI Lovey a body kit. These are just examples. There's a vague story about a new race trying to join the GC but ultimately it's not about the Toremi Ka but all the relationships of the Wayfarer crew. It's about people who ultimately love each other, and their reactions to that crazy world out there.