Tag: wayfarers

Book Review | Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Posted February 21, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat.

Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.

Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn’t know where to find it.

Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.

When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:

What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #TBD)

The Reason

Because I loved the first two books in the Wayfarer series; The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and A Closed and Common Orbit and I want to continue the series.

The Quotes

“Our species doesn’t operate by reality. It operates by stories.”

“We are a longstanding species with a very short memory. If we don’t keep record, we’ll make the same mistakes over and over again.”

“The only way to really appreciate your way is to compare it to somebody else’s way. Figure out what you love, specifically. In detail. Figure out what you want to keep. Figure out what you want to change. Otherwise, it’s not love. It’s clinging to the familiar–to the comfortable–and that’s a dangerous thing for us short-term thinkers to do.”

“Knowledge should always be free. What people do with it is up to them.”

The Narrator(s)

Patricia Rodriguez. Same narrator as with the first two books and still as enjoyable.

My Thoughts

This book is a little different from the first two books, but while I was surprised and a little blindsided with the way it went, after I took the time to process my feelings, I think I love it for precisely that reason.

There are a few different main characters in this book, and the one I resonated with the most is Sawyer. I really like him as a person, and I felt like his story was the most interesting even though it didn’t end up where I expected it to. I also really like Eyas’ story. It was really interesting to see her perspective about the work she does and the respect she shows towards rituals and beliefs.

The worldbuilding is one of the best things about this series. I love how diverse and different everyone is. I love the way the author is so good at showing us the differences and similarities we all have, no matter where we come from, who we are, what we believe. There’s one more book in the series and I’m excited to read it, but I hope that the author will continue to write more books in the series.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Posted January 12, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for – and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
None

The Reason

This is the second book in the Wayfarer series; I just reread the first one, The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet and this is also a reread and a buddy read with my online bookclub. I plan to read the next books as well.

The Quotes

“I love learning. I love history. But there’s history in everything. Every building, everybody you talk to. It’s not limited to libraries and museums. I think people who spend their lives in school forget that sometimes.”

“And seriously, anybody working in a job that doesn’t let you take a nap when you need to should get a new job.”

“Owl had said it was important to know how swearing worked, and it was okay under the right circumstances, but that Jane shouldn’t swear all the time. Jane definitely swore all the time. She didn’t know why, but swearing felt fucking great.”

“Just because someone goes away doesn’t mean you stop loving them.”

The Narrator(s)

Patricia Rodriguez. Same as with the first book, I loved her narration and I was completely immersed!

My Thoughts

This is the second book in the Wayfarer series but they’re only tangentially related; set in the same world with a few of the same characters from the first book, but otherwise, a completely different story. This one follows Lovelace/Lovey as she navigates a new body and a new identity for herself. She becomes Sidra, and she’s living with Pepper, whom we also meet in the previous book.

One of the core themes of this book is about finding out who you are, and almost all the main characters in the book has different stories that cover this same theme. One of the things I love most about Becky Chambers’ books is how she explores diverse peoples with different cultures and beliefs and yet show us that they all have some things in common. I also love it because we have the same issues in real life in trying to figure out who we are.

I’ve read the first and second books in this series and loved them, but I haven’t read the next books and I’m eager to get to them and have my mind blown over again with the interesting insights the author shares with us about humanity. I also love the found family aspect in her books, which is so very present here as well. I highly recommend these books!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Posted October 11, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Audiobook Challenge

The Reason

I’ve read this book before and loved it. And it’s a buddy read in my online bookclub so I thought it was a great time to reread!

The Quotes

“Acting all sanctimonious while spouting bad info was a terrible way to win a debate, but a great way to piss people off.”

“No good can come from a species at war with itself.”

“That’s such an incredibly organic bias, the idea that your squishy physical existence is some sort of pinnacle that all programs aspire to.”

“Do not judge other species by your own social norms”

The Narrator(s)

Patricia Rodriguez. She was great! I got really immersed in the book.

My Thoughts

I want to share my review from my first read of the book in February 2021:

You know what I love most about this book? The way the people in this world handled race relations. The whole time I was reading this book and watching how the different races interacted with each other, being respectful of their different customs and um…body parts, asking questions when they weren’t sure, educating each other about their respective cultures and beliefs so patiently… I was thinking, this is the way.

Of course there were also hostile people and races in the story; I’m not so naive and/or ethnocentric as to think that there wouldn’t be those who believe in violence/war as part of their culture, but the point is that there is something important to be learned from this book. In fact, there were so many profound things that could be learned from this book, on so many different levels.

I just finished reading a book where I did not connect to the characters at all, and this book is the total opposite. I loved ALL the characters. The whole crew of the Wayfarer was just… they are now my people. My feather family. And that says a lot (both about this book and the other) because we’re talking about a crew of not just humans, but also three other “alien” races, AND an AI. I loved how different they were, the dynamics between them, how they fought and got on each other’s nerves but also stood by each other and had each other’s backs, because at the end of the day, they were a family. I related to them so much, and I loved them all. I grieved when they grieved, I loved when they loved, and seriously, to have a family like this would be my privilege.

There are other books in the series, and of course I’m going to read them all, but from what I understand, they are standalones in the same universe. That’s fine. I’m looking forward to getting to know more interesting people in this universe. You can never have too much family.

Reading this book a second time. I feel the same way, and even more so. The thing I remembered most about the book was how great it was at portraying interpersonal relationships between people of different cultures, beliefs, and species. And I continue to love it this time around, but I also paid a little more attention to the conflicts that arose because of the differences in opinions, beliefs, and cultures. Not just between the characters on the Wayfarer, but between worlds and species in the galaxy as well. It won’t surprise anyone to know that wars happen when there is an inability to accept each other’s beliefs and cultures or to be respectful towards people who are different from you. And feather family happens when you choose to love and respect each other despite your differences.

I still love this book, more now than ever, and it continues to make an impression on me.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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