Finished my first book of 2023 - an absolute gem - The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by #BeckyChambers.
Wow this book is incredible! Thereâs so much to say that Iâm afraid I donât have the words to convey it all. Becky Chambersâ 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 Iâm 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 favouriteâ¤ï¸ Jenks asking âare you making them hats?â absolutely killed með)
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 thatâs all about what happens when you take the long way round and itâs SO worth it. I adored this bookâ¤ï¸
#Bookstagram #AmReading
Posted on 5 Jan 2023