Paperback
English language
Published Dec. 17, 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton.
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.
Jak sem psal uz u jednicky - "Pomerne klidna space opera." - porad plati. Je to takovy zensky a bavi me to vlastne vic a vic. Opet spis psychologicka sonda, tentokrat jak by to mozna mohlo byt, kdyz je vlastne tvoje puvodni poslani prezity, ale mozna neni.
This was good. Great character development, interesting ideas, unforeseen consequences—Becky Chambers is a great writer.
Nice to be reminded that Chambers can weave her deeply attentive human and social reflections into compelling longer form, and live up to high expectations for unconventionally but quite comfortably answering what matters in a story or a culture.
My favorite of this series
Another wonderful installment in the Wayfarers series. This was an interesting change of pace which hyper focused on the human experience in this beautiful universe that Becky Chambers has constructed. The story follows a few different perspectives from a fleet of human ships that are largely self sustaining and permanently spacebound. This "Exoden" life is in contrast to the normal human experience of living on stations like most humans, independent colonies on terrestrial planets like pioneers, or back in the original Sol system like the wealthy and privileged. These stories are each an exploration of the unique culture of Exoden life, the challenges it brings, and the relationship to the greater galaxy.
Frankly I found some POVs to be more interesting than others, and I found the intersection of the POVs to take a while to get to. Related, the overarching "conflict" happened around 3/4ths of the way through the …
Another wonderful installment in the Wayfarers series. This was an interesting change of pace which hyper focused on the human experience in this beautiful universe that Becky Chambers has constructed. The story follows a few different perspectives from a fleet of human ships that are largely self sustaining and permanently spacebound. This "Exoden" life is in contrast to the normal human experience of living on stations like most humans, independent colonies on terrestrial planets like pioneers, or back in the original Sol system like the wealthy and privileged. These stories are each an exploration of the unique culture of Exoden life, the challenges it brings, and the relationship to the greater galaxy.
Frankly I found some POVs to be more interesting than others, and I found the intersection of the POVs to take a while to get to. Related, the overarching "conflict" happened around 3/4ths of the way through the book, and the last quarter felt like falling action, making the pacing feel a bit awkward. But with that being said, you can expect many of the same feelings in this book as you have had with the previous two. Heartbreak, love, respect, grief, and a permeating kindness are all present in this new setting. I really love how each of these books is its own insular story that serve as one paint stroke in the artful construction of this universe. The last book is in the mail, and I don't think I'm emotionally ready to be finished with this journey.
I absolutely loved the development of Exodan culture and I want to be best friends with all of the characters. A plot twist around the middle of the book shook me up a little bit in a way that other books in this series mostly haven't done, but it was so important for the rest of the storyline and the development of the other characters. Becky Chambers is one of the best authors out there, no doubt about it.
so many thought about societies, community, socialism, what is necessary for survival and how that might (or not) translate to happiness... Not the best starting point into the wayfarer's universe, though, but such a good read!
I liked it! After finishing the trilogy-so-far, I think the first book is my favorite (the second was my favorite for a lil bit, but the first one has been growing on me over time). That's not to say this one wasn't great! It's a real cool look at communities trying to preserve their identity and struggling with the loss of identity as they join a larger community. I'm actually real inspired to try and explore this kind of thing in a game project. I love a cozy lil community and the cozy lil community sized problems that come with it. Nothing is overwhelmingly a threat to their survival, but all the problems are about communication, selfhood, individuality, and meaning.
The Wayfarers series has so far been a series of home runs for me and this one is no different. A Closed and Common Orbit remains my favorite of the bunch so far, but it would be unfair to compare that novel directly to this one due to the different approach this book has regarding the multiple points of view it presents, as well as its intent. The multiple PoVs I enjoyed despite thinking some were stronger than others; but as a whole they came together nicely. The style is very slice of life, with some thematic undercurrents that are very optimistic and warm-feels-ish about the future of the human race and the search for purpose which are appreciated right now. Overall enjoyed it and can't wait for what's next in the series.
Very much not my usual speed, or what I was expecting, but the writing was good throughout. Felt more like slice-of-life bits, and a lot of interwoven elements that I'd probably have tracked better if it hadn't ended up being a migraine read. As it was, only really connected with a couple of characters.
This book is quite different from the previous two in the series. It has more emotion but less tension. It’s more like literary fiction that just happens to take place in space than science fiction. The characters are vivid and the world-building is excellent. It’s just a bit slow.
This book does some world-building in the Exodus fleet, which was only ever mentioned as a thing that existed in the previous books. I liked this very gentle book, following several people in the fleet, whose lives all intersect eventually. I particularly enjoyed the extended epilogue that makes sure every one of their stories has a happy ending
This one was much different than the first two, but also the only one that gave me actual chills -- like hairs standing up on my arms. (The Harmagian's "who should count as worthy to be part of the GC" scene.)
A great finale for the trilogy (if indeed it remains a trilogy - more stories can certainly fit into the Wayfarer universe), this book follows a different set of characters than the first or second book, with only a very tenuous connection to the Wayfarer crew. The exploration of what it means to be human, what it means to be sapient, and how life could be lived on generation ships - all of these are a background for a truly good story about good people trying to live good lives.
It would be easy for a generally optimistic story to become cloyingly sappy, but somehow Chambers is able to include enough conflict and growth and challenge to keep the tale grounded, while still being hopeful.
Initially, I wanted this to be a traditional series following a central narrative around a core set of characters. Partway through the second book I gave up on this expectation and went along with the author. This book takes place on the fleet, a backwater in the universe with a strong culture and a disintegrating way of life. There are several point of view characters in different stages of life. They are all facing the question of why they are still in the fleet and what it means to them. The backdrop of this gentle and meditative plot line is the incredibly rich and complete world Becky Chambers is constructing. I love these books, the stories, and the world they explore.
