National Bestseller!Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Series!Brimming with Chambers’ signature blend of heart-warming character relationships and dazzling adventure, Record of a Spaceborn few is the third standalone installment of the Wayfarers series, set in the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, and following a new motley crew on a journey to another corner corner of the cosmos—one … following a new motley crew on a journey to another corner corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored.
Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.
Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.
But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?
A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.
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I’m on the way to Italy this summer, but my beach reads are taking me into outer space! I love Becky Chambers’ creative (and romantic!) sci-fi series that began with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet; I can’t wait for the third book, Record of a Spaceborn Few. Another series I love is Jim Hines’s Terminal Alliance—in which the heroine is the top janitor on a big spaceship: it’s hilarious and totally original. All sorts of great romances are coming soon, including Lucy Parker’s Making Up, Sarah Maclean’s Wicked and the Wallflower, and Ilona Andrews’ Iron and Magic. I can’t wait to read them!
Becky Chambers does an amazing job with this follow up to her first in series. One of the best explorations of AI sentience I’ve seen. But there is a lot more than that here!
While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the previous two entries, I still find this universe fascinating and have to give it a five star review. Just the amount of thought that went into the world-building as well as how all the species are respectful of each other and treat each other is such a breath of fresh air in this genre. I really hope the author continues to write more books in this universe as I will happily buy and add them to my shelves.
This is Ms Chambers third novel. Each novel has been set in the same universe, though this story has completely different characters. The story takes place mostly in the Exodan Fleet, a collection of generation ships that left a ravaged Earth generations ago in the hope of finding a new home among the stars. At first it seems like a very familiar story… But unlike most generation ship stories, the Exodan Fleet has already completed its voyage. It has settled into orbit around a new sun, encountered multiple alien races and its citizens are trying to figure how they fit into this brave new world. Unlike most other stories there is no Big Bad – no villain, no hostile aliens, no world threatening catastrophe. Instead, this a story of the lives of half of dozen people in the Fleet whose lives are shaped by a terrible accident at the beginning of the novel and another tragedy around two thirds into the book. Unlike other stories, these characters are not engineers or scientists or military – the characters are librarians, dock workers, parents, teenagers, etc. It seems to me this allows Ms Chambers to describe the details Exodan society and the existential crisis that almost always accompanies societal change from a different and rather humane perspective. Rereading this review, it seems to me I am making the book sound boring. The was not at all boring. The challenges might have been small scale but the author and her characters made them seem important. Exodan society was interesting and the characters were very well drawn. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it. Probably closer to 4.5 stars than 4.
I really liked this, but I kept putting it down. There was nothing wrong I could think of but it didn’t hold my attention – maybe a book problem, maybe a me problem? I definitely want to read the last one still, but maybe after some quick fluff reads.
Once again, Becky Chambers has created a cast of characters real enough that I cared deeply about each one. This time, all the main characters are humans aboard the Asteria, a ship of the Exodus Fleet, descendants of people who left a ruined Earth behind to seek a new home in space. All were affected by a big traumatic event: an accidental hull breach of the Oxomoco, another ship of the fleet, that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. With that event four years in the background, the book focuses on the day-to-day lives and decisions of teenage Kip, 20-something Sawyer, 30-something Eyas, 40-something Tessa, and 70-something Isabel. While the characters have only fleeting interactions with each other, they are all affected by “grounder” Sawyer’s decision to return to the fleet of his ancestors.
While the Oxomoco disaster shadows the book, the story isn’t about that. It’s about people at their most tenderly, infuriatingly human, trying to make the right decisions for themselves and their families. I appreciated how it was the death of one, not thousands, that nudged each life-changing, life-affirming decision in the right direction.
Thoroughly enjoyed….I won this kindle book in a giveaway on Goodreads so I started at book 3 instead of one. It was a wonderful feel good read, with some sad parts. I could envision the settings.
Now I must put it in reverse and read the first two books.
Why are there not more books in this series?! *cries* This series is one of my new favorites. It’s the kind of scifi I really love, focusing on the people instead of the technology. I could have spent forever with Eyas, Isabel, Kip, and everyone else. I wanted to just sit in the hex and listen to their stories. I really hope this book is not the end of this world! Becky Chambers is now an insta-buy author for me.
Read for 2019 Hugos.
This was…disappointing. I really liked the first two books and Chambers continues the same great humanizing of her characters. But…nothing happens. There’s no real plot. It’s just talking about the lives of people in the fleet. Chambers does it really well, but I kept getting excited that something was going to happen and then…it didn’t. It says something that I was much more engaged with the epilogue of the book than with the last third.
The third book in Chambers’s series doesn’t quite reach the level of the first two books. A book without a plot or character development.
I ‘ve read the other books in the Wayfarer series and enjoyed them so much that getting this book just made sense. It’s a bit slow, and has a really thin story line but I did enjoy the continuing story of the Wayfarers.
Fun science fiction
A nice end to a series. A bit more slower paced than the previous books. There seemed to be a thoughtful tone with lots of reflection on culture, human nature, and how we choose to structure our lives. I could have done with less narrators though. The chapters were so short, I kept getting a little confused in the beginning. Overall, a good book.
This space opera SF series (each standing alone) is quite good, but this 3rd is an exploration of a not-quite-utopian human culture. I found it moving and give it top rating. “From the ground, we stand. From our ships, we live. By the stars, we hope!”
I love (the kind of love where you’ll stop strangers on the street who have a book in hand to tell them about a book love) the Wayfarer’s Series by Becky Chambers. I will admit that Space Born was hard to love at first. The Wayfarer’s series does not follow specific characters, but characters in the world Chambers has created. Space Born took a 180 turn from book 1 and book 2 which left me confused for the first several chapters. There were many characters with back stories that needed minding in order to understand where the author was going with the story.
I approached Space Born like a tangle in my hair, slowly combing it out till it was smooth. I focused and listened to the story making mental notes of who was doing what and before I knew it I was no longer studying the audiobook but enjoying it.
Every book in the Wayfarers series hits different notes. Book 1 A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is an exciting Aunt who loves to party but is always there when things get tough. Book 2 A Close and Common Orbit is a best friend having lunch with you and paying attention even though you’ve been bitching about your coworkers for 20 minutes now. Book 3 A Record of a Space Born Few is you and your mom (dad, grandma, favorite Uncle. You get the idea) sitting at the kitchen table and suddenly she/he tells you a long, but interesting story of their youth. Read The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers you won’t be disappointed.
This book explores a possible future that I have not often seen explored. My only criticism is the the author seemed so intent on exploring this future and all the variation it was difficult to keep characters and species strait.