The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

A Novel Wayfarers, #4

Audiobook, 336 pages

Published April 19, 2021 by HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing.

ISBN:
9781799957201

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (24 reviews)

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to …

5 editions

The last wayfarers book!

5 stars

Content warning minor ref to stuff that happens near end

Review of 'The Galaxy, and the Ground Within' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

When it came to the Wayfarers series, I used to believe A Closed and Common Orbit would never be topped for me. I'm happy to report I was very wrong. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is an absolute triumph, the ultimate torchbearer for the particular brand of optimistic, heartwarming, humanist sci-fi that Chambers has championed throughout the whole series, and a new personal favorite, without a doubt. I got more than teary eyed at multiple times throughout this book, as it weaves a tale of personal drama, all-too relatable themes of normalized oppression, cultural identity, found family... it's a doozy. It's outstanding science fiction, it's everything I could've wanted from its premise and more. I couldn't have clicked that 5 star rating any faster.

Review of 'The Galaxy, and the Ground Within' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A beautiful ending to a series I've loved


Alysa Winans’s Instagram post of her endpaper design

This is a beautiful ending to a series I’ve loved, being the 4th and final book in her Wayfarers series‚ which won Chambers the Best Series Hugo in 2019.

A handful of sapients, from a handful of species, are forced together for longer than expected. And, as a result, Becky Chambers has made me weep again with joy, several times.

This one only just fits into my self-imposed category of queer lit — while Chambers is herself queer, the characters of this novella aren’t really, beyond an adolescent of a species who don’t decide on their gender until adulthood. That said, there is discussion of gender, including non-binary and trans identities — and with a beautifully dismissive line where 2 characters (neither of which is human) are discussing the post-adolescent gender-reveal customs of a …

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