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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)

Becky Chambers

Start date: April 19, 2016

Finish date: May 22, 2016

Discussion: Monthly Bookclub Read

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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
By Sparrow Knigh… · 1 post · 12 views

last updated Mar 12, 2016 05:12AM

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Jun 29, 2017 Althea Ann rated it did not like it

The sequel to this was a Hugo nominee, so I figured I'd start with the first one, and requested it from the library. Well, maybe the sequel was a lot better, but unless I am assured of such a circumstance by a large and passionate crowd; I'm unlikely to bother to find out.

"The Long Way..." is a concept piece. It's a reaction to traditional space opera. In a "normal" sci-fi adventure, the scrappy crew of the "Wayfarer" would end up getting pulled into some kind of conflict bigger than themselves The sequel to this was a Hugo nominee, so I figured I'd start with the first one, and requested it from the library. Well, maybe the sequel was a lot better, but unless I am assured of such a circumstance by a large and passionate crowd; I'm unlikely to bother to find out.

"The Long Way..." is a concept piece. It's a reaction to traditional space opera. In a "normal" sci-fi adventure, the scrappy crew of the "Wayfarer" would end up getting pulled into some kind of conflict bigger than themselves; something with universe-spanning ramifications; and would team up to defeat the enemy against overwhelming odds; regardless of the traitor in their midst... (Think Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian.)

Becky Chambers has decided to make a point of telling a different story. One where no universe-shattering events happen; one where colleagues might be annoying but not actually evil; one where secrets turn out to be pretty mundane and have no meaningful effect when revealed. One where people spend most of their time worrying about things that aren't really important and doing boring crap.

Now, I often very much enjoy stories that get "down to earth" and talk about what it's like to actually LIVE as an ordinary person in an imagined society: character-driven stories. I see other reviews of this book raving about the characterization here. I wasn't feeling it. I found the characters to be flat and stereotypical. The protagonist, Rosemary, didn't intrigue me at all. The captain is a generic "nice boss guy." Jenks is your stereotypical nerd guy. Lovey exists to show that AIs are people too. Some aliens and disabilities just to show that aliens and the disabled are people too. And let me not forget Kizzy the WACKY engineer gal who is (supposed to be) just SOOO ENDEARING! (God, I wished she was real so that I could literally strangle her.) And of course Corbin the biologist who's the cranky loner who no one really likes 'cause he likes his privacy and isn't wholly on board with the social lovefest that's life aboard the Wayfarer. (I could relate, considering - but you're not supposed to, dear readers! APPLAUD when he gets dragged into the fold and drinks the kool-aid, dammit!)

There is a scene with pirates in this book. Even the pirates are reasonable and fairly "nice." Nothing much happens. There technically IS a plot device, but it's utterly forgettable. I mean, I genuinely don't remember what it was already.

If you work in an office, or live in a shared apartment with several roommates: imagine if someone wrote daily letters to their parents about your office politics or quotidian household drama; making sure to not include anything too upsetting or serious. That's what reading this book is like. Chatty... and dull.

I initially gave it two stars, but upon consideration, after the fact, I'm downgrading it to one, because not only did I not enjoy the book; I object to it on principle. I want my gritty betrayals and world-smashing explosions, dammit!

Addendum: I see others comparing this book to both Ursula LeGuin (?!?!?) and Star Trek. For the record, I am an enthusiastic fan of both LeGuin and ST, and disagree strongly with both comparisons. ...more

258 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2018 Fiona Knight rated it it was amazing

Shelves: off-world, absolute-favourites, happy-place, scifi, found-family

With a terrible silence, the sky ripped open.
It swallowed them.
Rosemary looked out the window, and realized that she'd never really seen the color black before.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first full-length novel from Becky Chambers, and this book has not only stolen my heart, but also my brain, my imagination, and my sense of wonder.

We're introduced to the Wayfarer and her crew - and on a larger scale, this gloriously diverse and interesting universe - by way of Rosemary, a pl ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2021 Audrey Zarr rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books

I really enjoyed this. I may come back and up my review to five stars once I have read more in the series. This book in particularly struck me for its anti-violence ribbon thru it. If you're looking for a rag-tag group of adventures in a space opera without much violence and what violence there is is taken seriously? Look no further. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2015 Damon rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

Very funny little book. Pacifist captain with an oddball crew and they don't want any trouble. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2015 Eric David Hart rated it liked it · review of another edition

An entertaining first novel, with an interesting cast of characters making up the crew of the Wayfarer. The plot is almost inconsequential. The narrative is episodic as the crew solve problem after problem on the way to their assignment. What really matters here is the interaction between the different species, and how each one deals with the others' different cultures. This is the novel's virtue but also its major problem: everyone is so understanding, so tolerant, so noble, just so nice, that ...more

1 like · Like · see review