Book reviews

Book review: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers


Book Cover

Title: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

Author: Becky Chambers

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication date: 16th March 2015

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn’t expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.
But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful – exactly what Rosemary wants.
Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years… if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.
But Rosemary isn’t the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.

My review:

This book was such a joy to read! My principal concern with Science Fiction is the emphasis on the setting and lack of character development but this really was no issue here; each character’s backstory is unique, personal and intriguing and there are many friendships built and relationships developed on The Wayfarer. The crew is incredibly diverse, including humans and several other species, and the result is an entertaining and delightful mix of conversation and events. Each character has their own voice and opinion and is respected by the other colleagues despite their personal tastes and differences, something which I really valued and admired when following their conversations. Apart from supporting each other on board, I also found the crew’s adventures upon coming across other hostile species fascinating and commendable. The appreciation and understanding for one another really shines here, along with their support and teamwork to fight off villains.

Despite my appreciation for each character, I was slightly disappointed with the slow pace and lack of plot which I felt was missing, especially towards the middle of the story. The main adventure that the crew embarks on is the building of a tunnel towards another planet, but it is not until the midway point until this becomes clear. After this, each chapter involves a confrontation with an enemy and the crew’s combined effort in protecting their ship and escaping from the imminent danger. I greatly enjoyed joining the Wayfarer on these adventures but would have preferred more action and a greater focus on the task, which I felt could have been developed more.

After finishing this book I am keen to join the crew on their further adventures in the sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, although I am also curious to explore more of Space Opera in particular. I was not a huge fan of Science Fiction before reading this book but the combination of a fun adventure and unique characters had me hooked from the beginning and laughing until the very end. I highly recommend The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet to anyone hoping to dip their toes in the diverse world of Science Fiction and those looking for a light-hearted and character-driven read.

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