Paperback, 404 pages
English language
Published July 16, 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton.
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that's 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 reptilian 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.
I loved all the characters, and their history and interactions to bits (very much Serenity like in the best sense), but there just didn't really happen enough to engage me fully.
Sterne, wie habe ich dieses Buch geliebt. 🤩
Sympathische Charaktere, die alle auf ihre Art liebenswert sind, als Crew und Freund*innen aufeinander aufpassen und einen liebevollen Umgang miteinander pflegen. Gemeinsam erleben sie herzerwärmende und zugleich unterhaltsame Geschichten auf ihrer Reise zu diesem kleinen, zornigen Planeten.
Wer einen stringenten, zusammenhängenden und sich aufbauenden Plot erwartet, wird hier zwar nicht fündig (auch wenn ein Plot durchaus exisitert). Wer sich hingegen an herzlichen Charakteren, mitfühlendem und freundschaftlichem Zusammenhalt und optimistischen emotionalen Erzählungen erfreuen kann, wird dieses Buch lieben, denn davon enthält es eine Menge. Ich jedenfalls musste das Lesen mehrfach kurz pausieren, um vor Rührung und positiver Ergriffenheit zu seufzen. 😌
Kurzum eine wirklich wunderschöne, herzerwärmende und optimistische Space-Opera mit bewegendem, spannendem und emotionalem Finale. Absolute Leseempfehlung!
Reading this feels a lot like watching a soap opera. It's very much a character driven story with the plot serving merely to prod the story along as and when needed. And the characters are an entertaining and likeable bunch of misfits, doing their job and surviving as best they can.
It's also worth noting that this is a really nice story. The characters have spent years learning to get along with each other and... they get along with each other. What tensions there are are relatively minor and never distract from the fact that these people are looking out for each other.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a very easy read and a solid debut from Becky Chambers.
First book in a series that really builds a cool universe. Loved it
Great characters and world building, just not in the mood for the slow pace.
7.5/10
I really don't know where to start. This book just plain sucks, sorry. No overarching story and character development is pretty much non-existent. Just finished it, and I'm now sitting here thinking what the book was about. What was the story? I read a lot of not-so-good books, but this is the worst in a long time. Character story lines just come and go, none, except for Lovie is resolved. And that is also badly written. Wtf. I really can't fathom how this book has a 4.16 star rating. Is it because the author was "progressive" with the weird pronoun thing? Am I too old for this book?
What I did like though, where the characters and the energy of the techs.
What a fun book! It's a rollicking sci-fi tale like Red Dwarf and Hitchhiker's Guide, only with characters with better back stories and motivations. I can't help but appreciate how apt the title is. It's all about the journey and the people we meet, not the destination.
All hesitations I had at the beginning of this book quickly evaporated once the plot got going. In typical Becky Chambers fashion, this story was touching, gentle, compelling, complex, and fascinating all at once. In the beginning, I was concerned that the story seemed to simply just be about a spunky, diverse crew of lovable crew mates who all have wacky relationships and interactions with each other. And while that's not necessarily untrue, the character development and the depths that we explore each character's emotions and anxieties really made them come alive, each in unique ways. The pacing initially felt slow with a LOT of time being spent with characters just interacting with each other and no real forward movement of the story. But as the story picked up, it became apparent that so much of those seemingly "small" interactions played a role in the overall narrative. It all came …
All hesitations I had at the beginning of this book quickly evaporated once the plot got going. In typical Becky Chambers fashion, this story was touching, gentle, compelling, complex, and fascinating all at once. In the beginning, I was concerned that the story seemed to simply just be about a spunky, diverse crew of lovable crew mates who all have wacky relationships and interactions with each other. And while that's not necessarily untrue, the character development and the depths that we explore each character's emotions and anxieties really made them come alive, each in unique ways. The pacing initially felt slow with a LOT of time being spent with characters just interacting with each other and no real forward movement of the story. But as the story picked up, it became apparent that so much of those seemingly "small" interactions played a role in the overall narrative. It all came together in a truly masterful way, all the way through the end. For video game fans out there, this has an extremely Mass Effect feel with extremely unique characters, personal storylines, complex relationships, and a lot of love. I loved this so much, I think I'm going to immediately jump into the next one.
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The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while being interesting enough to always keep you engaged.
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while being interesting enough to always keep you engaged.
So cute & sweet, just tootling along on a space adventure where nothing truly terrible happens. Touches on all manner of complex topics, peril, sex, war, ethics, xenophobia, capitalism, eugenics, death - but it's all mild & heart-warming, somehow. I suppose it's all counterbalanced & so gently done. I've already started the second book because I don't want it to end.
When I first read this, I was kind of missold it as a scifi adventure and gave up a bit confused. Knowing later it is more about characters, vibes and community I gave it another shot and it rapidly became my favourite book in years. I’m really love the world in these books with the diversity of cultures across the species but remaining thoroughly character focused throughout. Some very sweet and tender moments. It's the beautiful hopepunk we desperately need right now .
What a charming, fun, thoughtfully put together book. I tore through it without being able to stop myself. Big Firefly energy, but with queerness and curiosity, and no machismo. I liked that it asked interesting questions and incorporated so many perspectives while keeping the action going and fully fleshing out the characters. I think Dr. Chef, Ashby, Sissix, and Kizzy (who is surely my ADHD brethen) are my favorite characters, but I enjoyed them all by the end. Can't wait to read the next installment!
