The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece, Hugo Award winner for Best Series!
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… 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.
Also included on Library Journal’s Best SFF of 2016, the Barnes & Nobles Sci-Fi Fantasy Blog Best Books of 2015, the Tor.com Best Books of 2015, Reader’s Choice, as well as nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Kitschie, and the Bailey’s Women’s Prize.
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A small band, multispecies with all the silliness that goes with it, learns to live together in very tight spaces while making each other both crazy and feel good about themselves. It’s a wild romp through space, repleat with old tropes, new tropes and somewhat wacky tropes. I enjoyed and and will likely read the next…
Really well written and good, but odd characters. A fun read.
Woo-wee! I really loved this one! The drama at the end really threw me for a loop. I can’t wait to read the sequel.
This novel contains perhaps my favorite crew of spacefarers, each trying to outrace their pasts out among the stars. I found it reminiscent of Star Trek, but with more aliens and at times far more complex moral dilemmas (and also more queer and disability-friendly). If you love deep character relationships while exploring in-depth alien worlds and cultures (and punctuated with the occasional space battle), this is the book to read.
I liked this book as it has good characters that while flawed, were interesting enough that the reader could come to like them. A good creative story where humans are definitely not the dominant species. In this galaxy humans are a younger, technological inferior species working with some of the more human tolerant older species. I would like to see another book in the series concerning the ship Wayfarer.
Super book — good story, interesting well developed characters, good pace.
Enjoyed this book and the next two after it, A bright new female scifi author with a promising future !!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
(Wayfarers #1)
by Becky Chambers
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. I didn’t read any blurbs but dove right in. I was grabbed by the mysterious reason Rosemary is being evasive and sneaky about who she really is. This book is really character driven and totally fascinating in how the many species are introduced and the background given. Plenty of action too, romance, friendships, and learning to live with others. I really enjoyed it! Never bored!
I was sorry when I finished the last page, wanting more.
Wonderful book.
One of the most entertaining SciFi books I’ve ever read, without being crude or overly satirical. Just really fun.
World-building and character design are Ms. Chambers’ forte. The plot didn’t keep me hooked, but the world and characters did. I wanted to know what became of them. I read this on Audible.com, and the narrator (Rachel Dulude) did a good job. Angel’s adjectives: quirky and charming
Life abroad a tunneling ship with an interesting crew. Going to places no one should go.
An excellent Scifi read. I liked the characters. The plot was not predictable
This is a very good book. The audio version is also well done. You are drawn into the characters and by the end of the book, you don’t want the story to end. There are two other books in the series.
I am a lousy reviewer. Having got that out of the way, I highly recommend “The long way to a small, angry planet”. The story line and characters, and especially their interactions, draw the reader effortlessly into the story(ies) that unfold. The characters are very well written; I can see them in my minds’ eye when reading their stories. A thoroughly enjoying read.
This was an excellent book. The characters were completely engaging and the plot sucked you in. While there was a bit of a sad ending, it certainly was no a heavy ending. A great entertaining read!
I really liked how each character was given their own story as part of the entire story
Excellent character-focused sci-fi
This is a story of tolerance, relationships and love set on the Wayfarer, a utilitarian space ship.
Chambers wrote a story that was far more than a space opera. The characters were noble and yet felt like people you might have as acquaintances. Jenks and Kizzy reminded me so much of some of the technicians on my staff when I had a computer business. Sissy was the embodiment of some of my relatives who have a serious science bent. I had no trouble at all relating to the characters and felt an enormous empathy for them.
The demonstration of tolerance and the facing of intolerance was an unflattering mirror to our less than tolerant society as demonstrated by the current election process and some of the vicious and racists demagoguery.
Chambers clearly showed the camaraderie and loyalty that is inspirational and laudable. This could be a workbook for team building.
It should be abundantly clear that I really enjoyed this book.
I highly recommend it.