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 …
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.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and don't think I've ever read anything else which so aptly weaves relatable examples of how to be kind into an engaging story. That said, it's not just a story which is a container for giving examples of #kindness. The worldbuilding seems quite strong and consistent to me and reminded me favorably of Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought, right down to the way data streams are presented, but containing a lot more admirable behavior.
I listened to the #Booktrack edition, which gave the audiobook a pleasantly cinematic feel. Some of the choices for background music didn't really seem to fit, but in most cases the production was nicely done, especially the sound effects.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and don't think I've ever read anything else which so aptly weaves relatable examples of how to be kind into an engaging story. That said, it's not just a story which is a container for giving examples of #kindness. The worldbuilding seems quite strong and consistent to me and reminded me favorably of Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought, right down to the way data streams are presented, but containing a lot more admirable behavior.
I listened to the #Booktrack edition, which gave the audiobook a pleasantly cinematic feel. Some of the choices for background music didn't really seem to fit, but in most cases the production was nicely done, especially the sound effects.
Fremde Alienspezies treffen aufeinander. Schon mal gut. Aber in Wayfarers (Der Name der Buchreihe kommt vom Namen des Raumschiffes) wird das schon seehhhrrr lang ausgelebt. Technische Aspekte kommen hier etwas zu kurz. Hier geht es um das Zusammenleben verschiedener Spezies in einem Raumschiff. Und das Entwickeln von Verständnis füreinander.
»Kartoffeln habe ich noch nie kapiert«, sagte Sissix. »Der einzige Sinn einer Kartoffel besteht darin, dass man Salz darauf streut, damit man nicht schmeckt, wie fade sie ist. Wieso leckt man dann nicht einfach Salz und lässt die Kartoffel weg?«
Neben der Alienkunde geht um Wertekodex und Richtlinien. Aber das alles sehr tuckerweise. Die Autorin nimmt sich viel Zeit und schickte mich durch mehrere Episoden. Wie ich auf meiner Reise mit der Wayfarers schon kommentiert habe, erinnert es streckenweise an die großartige TV-Serie Firefly (mit einem großartig coolen Captain, der jetzt als Streifenpolizist in The Rookie streng die Regeln befolgt), also …
Fremde Alienspezies treffen aufeinander. Schon mal gut. Aber in Wayfarers (Der Name der Buchreihe kommt vom Namen des Raumschiffes) wird das schon seehhhrrr lang ausgelebt. Technische Aspekte kommen hier etwas zu kurz. Hier geht es um das Zusammenleben verschiedener Spezies in einem Raumschiff. Und das Entwickeln von Verständnis füreinander.
»Kartoffeln habe ich noch nie kapiert«, sagte Sissix. »Der einzige Sinn einer Kartoffel besteht darin, dass man Salz darauf streut, damit man nicht schmeckt, wie fade sie ist. Wieso leckt man dann nicht einfach Salz und lässt die Kartoffel weg?«
Neben der Alienkunde geht um Wertekodex und Richtlinien. Aber das alles sehr tuckerweise. Die Autorin nimmt sich viel Zeit und schickte mich durch mehrere Episoden. Wie ich auf meiner Reise mit der Wayfarers schon kommentiert habe, erinnert es streckenweise an die großartige TV-Serie Firefly (mit einem großartig coolen Captain, der jetzt als Streifenpolizist in The Rookie streng die Regeln befolgt), also so eine Art WG im Weltall. Bloß, bei Firefly gab es wesentlich mehr Action. Die fehlt hier. Viel. Manchmal geht es mehr Richtung Fünf Freunde. Im Weltall. Ich meine, die haben ja noch nicht mal Waffen an Bord. Leichtes Spiel für Piraten. Ops... nicht spoilern...
Wenn die Spezies sich dann noch ineinander verlieben wird es für mich als hartgesottenen SciFi-Leser richtig schlimm. Tut mir leid. Ok, die Leserinnen sollen eine Beziehung zu den Charakteren aufnehmen. Gut, aber dann bitte in einem Nebenstrang der Story und bitte in einem höheren Tempo. Noch eine Geschwindigkeitsstufe niedriger und ich wäre richtig gelangweilt gewesen. Das trieb mich dazu diesem Buch zunächst nur zwei Sterne zu geben. Jepp, nur zwei. Und auch nicht mehr weiter zu lesen. (Ich wisst, das Recht von Leserinnen Bücher nicht zu Ende lesen zu müssen.) Zwischendurch kommt dann aber mal ein Satz, der mich zum Schmunzeln und zum Weiterlesen motivierte.
»Neunzig Prozent aller Probleme werden dadurch verursacht, dass Leute Arschlöcher sind.« »Wodurch werden die anderen zehn Prozent verursacht?«, fragte Kizzy. »Naturkatastrophen«, sagte Nib.
Zum Schluss passiert etwas Unvorhersehbares, was die Crew im Mark trifft. Da sieht man die Charaktere zusammenarbeiten. Vielleicht nahm die Autorin an, dass Leser*innen so lange brauchen, um eine Crew zusammenwachsen zu sehen. Nur Spekulation meinerseits... Deshalb vergebe ich drei Sterne. In der Hoffnung, dass der zweite Band besser ist (ja, ich will ihn versuchen, aber muss vorher was anderes lesen. Wegen dem Tempo, der Action und dem mal wieder ins Nachdenken kommen ;) ).
Getriggert hat mich der Abschnitt über Brüder (wichtige Leute im Leben, Schwestern aber genauso):
"Und es gibt nichts Besseres als Brüder. Freunde sind großartig, aber sie kommen und gehen. Geliebte sind nett, aber auch irgendwie blöd. [...] Brüder gehen nie weg. Das ist was fürs Leben. Und ich weiß, dass Verheiratetsein auch fürs Leben sein sollte, aber es ist nicht immer so. Brüder wird man nie los. Sie verstehen einen und wissen, was man mag, und es ist ihnen egal, mit wem man schläft oder was für Fehler man macht, weil Brüder mit diesem Teil deines Lebens nichts zu tun haben. Sie kriegen deine übelsten Launen mit, aber es kümmert sie nicht. Und sogar wenn man sich mit ihnen streitet, ist es nicht so schlimm, weil sie an deinem Geburtstag trotzdem Hallo zu dir sagen müssen, und bis dahin ist alles vergessen, und sie können zusammen Kuchen essen."
Definitely worth reading, if only because it feels different from other sci-fi.
4 stars
I want to just start that I genuinely enjoyed this book more than I was expecting. I've found myself quite disappointed by sci-fi as of late because so much of it feels... the same, even when it's recommended for being 'more queer' or 'more feminist' or something. It still follows the same patterns, same narrative beats, same... failure to even imagine something different or new.
It's also been quite tiring reading a lot of sci-fi that focuses on perpetual conflicts. And while this book includes a conflict of sorts, it does not focus purely on the conflict itself. Instead, it focuses on the relationships between all of the characters. It looks at how things impact them, how they feel about each other, how they get to know each other... It actually gives a very necessary look at people within sci-fi, which I think more stories are in need of.
…
I want to just start that I genuinely enjoyed this book more than I was expecting. I've found myself quite disappointed by sci-fi as of late because so much of it feels... the same, even when it's recommended for being 'more queer' or 'more feminist' or something. It still follows the same patterns, same narrative beats, same... failure to even imagine something different or new.
It's also been quite tiring reading a lot of sci-fi that focuses on perpetual conflicts. And while this book includes a conflict of sorts, it does not focus purely on the conflict itself. Instead, it focuses on the relationships between all of the characters. It looks at how things impact them, how they feel about each other, how they get to know each other... It actually gives a very necessary look at people within sci-fi, which I think more stories are in need of.
There are areas that I feel disappointed with, and it's largely because they felt glossed over. There's a whole thing between Ohan and Corbin, and their later interactions or the development of their relationship is never explored in the resolution. It's annoying because everything else is so beautifully done, but I feel like this one should've been handled much better considering the whole story around at least one of them. (And also, it leaves Corbin feeling really on the outskirts of the whole ship's crew.)
A lovable and diverse spaceship crew on an adventure. What's not to like. The main plot almost fades into the background because there's a lot of focus on the different characters of the crew, their lives, emotions and character development throughout the book.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books from this series.
A lovable and diverse spaceship crew on an adventure. What's not to like. The main plot almost fades into the background because there's a lot of focus on the different characters of the crew, their lives, emotions and character development throughout the book.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books from this series.
This book isn't about any grand adventure in space, instead it's more about a slice of life for one small ship, it's crew and their personal struggles. The aliens are of the plain space opera kind, they walk upright in some way or another like any regular biped (with an extra tentacle or three) and they behave like anyone else would.
But what really shines here are the characters and how they struggle with, almost, normal problems and how it affects them and the rest of the crew in the long run. Less opera and more drama I guess? But in a good way. I was a bit suprised how much I liked this book.
There's also some small hints and inspirations from a certain space shenaningans... medium, I think, which I've enjoyed before :)
This book isn't about any grand adventure in space, instead it's more about a slice of life for one small ship, it's crew and their personal struggles. The aliens are of the plain space opera kind, they walk upright in some way or another like any regular biped (with an extra tentacle or three) and they behave like anyone else would.
But what really shines here are the characters and how they struggle with, almost, normal problems and how it affects them and the rest of the crew in the long run. Less opera and more drama I guess? But in a good way. I was a bit suprised how much I liked this book.
There's also some small hints and inspirations from a certain space shenaningans... medium, I think, which I've enjoyed before :)
Sometimes you read something that asks the very questions that are your own burning questions, your own personal project. It was so cool to have that experience reading this.
This book is about a crew of diverse backgrounds romps through space. It's all about forging friendships with the other--people of other cultures, religions, species, and even alternate life-forms. There is tension, but it is more often in the form of interpersonal drama rather than thrilling life-threatening conditions, although there are a few of those. If you're looking for combat in your sci-fi, you will find none of that here. This is not your action-packed shoot-em-up in space. Rather, this is something rarely seen in science fiction: a really close look at relational dynamics.
But most importantly to me, this book asks questions like: could an AI become a human? Become loved? What if people figured out a way to transfer …
Sometimes you read something that asks the very questions that are your own burning questions, your own personal project. It was so cool to have that experience reading this.
This book is about a crew of diverse backgrounds romps through space. It's all about forging friendships with the other--people of other cultures, religions, species, and even alternate life-forms. There is tension, but it is more often in the form of interpersonal drama rather than thrilling life-threatening conditions, although there are a few of those. If you're looking for combat in your sci-fi, you will find none of that here. This is not your action-packed shoot-em-up in space. Rather, this is something rarely seen in science fiction: a really close look at relational dynamics.
But most importantly to me, this book asks questions like: could an AI become a human? Become loved? What if people figured out a way to transfer AIs that were previously body-less to physical bodies? Should they get rights? It also asks a lot of questions about what social norms are "normal," and imagines a variety of other species in the galaxy that are reptilian, amphibian, chittinous, or even something without any analog on earth at all, and imagines how they might see the world through different eyes. These are all really great ways of challenging current societal norms around personal space, sex, relationships, how we do community, boundaries, and so much more.
I'm so thankful that Becky Chambers wrote this book, and look forward to reading more.
Review of 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I really needed a fun little sci-fi road trip story, and this delivered quite well! The characters are all quite likable, and the world building with such a diverse array of alien species made for a lot of fun scenarios.
There is a romance later on that comes seemingly out of nowhere, and I wasn’t a big fan of how Ohan’s they/them pronouns are treated as a symptom of a disease. It kind of nearly crosses the border into demonizing plurality, but I know for sure that wasn’t the author’s intention.
La fresque en 4 tomes des Voyageurs explore les liens que les personnages issus de diverses planètes tissent entre eux. Au-delà des disparités physiques, ce sont de nouvelles façons de se définir et de relationner qu'il va falloir apprivoiser. L'espace d'un an est le premier tome de la série. Passée la phase d'appropriation de l'univers, il manque parfois un peu de rythme mais accrochez-vous car le deuxième est vraiment génial.
La fresque en 4 tomes des Voyageurs explore les liens que les personnages issus de diverses planètes tissent entre eux.
Au-delà des disparités physiques, ce sont de nouvelles façons de se définir et de relationner qu'il va falloir apprivoiser.
L'espace d'un an est le premier tome de la série. Passée la phase d'appropriation de l'univers, il manque parfois un peu de rythme mais accrochez-vous car le deuxième est vraiment génial.
Bien heureuse de ne pas avoir lu la 4ème de couverture avant de terminer, elle raconte presque toute l’histoire !!
C’est assez rare les livres de SF et les spaces opera où l’on est agréablement confuse presque tout le long de l’histoire sur l’apparence, origine, us et coutumes des différentes espèces (au point que je me disais qu’il y avait un tome à lire avant celui-ci).
Esta novela es un ejemplo canónico de cuál es la verdadera función de la ciencia ficción, que no es otra que analizar los problemas de nuestro tiempo a base de plantear futuros más o menos factibles. En el mejor estilo de la CiFi optimista de #StarTrek la novela es una historia coral en la que la ambientación es poco más que un McGuffin para centrarse en su motor principal que es reflejar la convivencia entre individuos con grandes diferencias socioculturales. Imposible no sacar paralelismos con la época que nos ha tocado vivir. Una gran lectura que he disfrutado muchísimo.
