The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
#1 in the Wayfarers series
HOLY FUCK BECKY.
I was blessed with this recommendation as a counterweight to all the male authors flooding my list of scifi I want to read and I had no expectations coming into this.
So again: HOLY FUCK BECKY.
Rosemary Harper is running away from a troubled past and therefore doesn't expect much when she joins the crew of the Wayfarer as their clerk. She expects a bed, food, a way to see the universe, colleagues she'll keep a safe distance with and if she's lucky she'll find some mind-numbing work.
But life aboard the Wayfarer is much more exciting than expected. A diverse crew of different species and cultures makes her realise that the importance of chosen family is much greater than that of blood.
It's all of the things I've ever wanted with scifi;
Pro's
- it's feel-good scifi, easy on the brain
- it also feels a bit like Firefly, but you know... well written...
- it's entirely character-driven
- speaking of characters: interesting characters is my jam
- not everyone is straight and that's never a bit deal
- it fucks with the gender binary system, because aliens, and that brings me life
- any one culture seen as strange from an outsider's perspective, even humans'
Con's
- it's entirely character-driven and that's not for everyone
- the general plot is kinda... thin
- there isn't much tension or conflict to speak of which some readers find dull
I like a good plot as much as anyone but to me it's not a true necessity if there are interesting characters in its stead. The fact that it was built like a tv show with episodes moving towards a general purpose was thoroughly enjoyable. I cried loads of happy tears, and even more loads of sad tears.
I'll give it a good 10/10, would cross the universe to read again.
