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

Series: Wayfarers #1

Genre: Science-Fiction

Age Group: Adult

Paperback - 404 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - August 2015

Hodder & Stoughton

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Rating: 5/5

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. 

What this book is: A character centered story of found family aboard a spaceship with some space travel and difficult decisions.

What this book is not: Action packed, plot driven or hard science-fiction.

When I picked up this story I was a little hesitant because I've had trouble with science-fiction in the past. Though I had heard a lot of positive things, I wasn't sure this book would be for me as I'm usually more interested in fantasy than sci-fi. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and how it was much more character focused. Though we learn about the world throughout the book, it is more in context with how it has effected the characters we follow rather than a big picture. Space and science are not the focus of this story. The plot is thin for the most part, but the story works nonetheless. The focus of this story is the crew of the Wayfair as well as their interactions and relationships with one another.

While recommending this book to my IRL family and friends, I described it as Firefly meets Star Trek. There is a rag tag crew with tight knit relationships much like Firefly. Then much like Star Trek, there are interspecies crew members and inter-planet politics as well. It is rare that I push books on my family and friends because we all enjoy different books, but I think this holds appeal for readers of all types.

My Last Review--> River Marked by Patricia Briggs