Reviews

I loved this book so much. Really lovely exploration of what it means to be human and how to survive and accept a present that was chosen by others in your past.

Some content warnings are probably needed for mistreatment of children, but the subject matter was handled so thoughtfully and delicately I was very impressed. I read the previous book in this series and wasn’t terribly impressed with it (though I loved Chambers’ other work, the Monk and Robot duology). But I think she really found her footing with this one.

Content Warnings

westcoastalice's review against another edition

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5.0

'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' was a super fun read, but it didn't settle into the crevasses of my mind and lurk for weeks and months after I'd finished the last page. This book did. The 2nd book in the Wayfarer series is about two people (Lovelace and Pepper, both minor characters in the 1st book), one who cannot fulfil the purpose others have intended for her, and another who ran from hers. This novel about what happens afterwards: the profound delight in discovering new and surprising things about yourself, free of expectation and constraint, and the equally profound terror that others will discover your "true" self, the one you were supposed to be, and punish your wrong existence. (What would I know about that, hmm?) It's about the endless freedom, and the ever-present threat, of being someone who has defied cruel power or unbending law to become a person of your choosing. When you're a person without a purpose, how do you find your own? Can you? Must you? And it's also about solidarity. Pepper's story is told in the past tense, Lovelace's in the present, with Pepper acting as her guide, someone who has undergone this process before. As Toni Morrison said: "Your real job is that if you're free, you have to free somebody else." Having already become free, Pepper feels a responsibility to help Lovelace do the same, even if she doesn't know what that freedom will ultimately look like for her. It's her job. If we're free, it's ours, too.

jorkla18's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

katep's review against another edition

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5.0

I wasn’t sure it would be possible to like this book as much as the first, to which it is the sequel, but I did! It’s fantastic!!!

loralyyn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

austdan's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

They took the 2 least interesting characters from book 1 and wrote a few days of plot with them. The theme and motifs were cool but it was really missing the feeling of adventure of the 1st book. None of these factors take away from Rachel Dulude’s narration though. She’s amazing!

Also the thought of eating dogs disgusts me immensely

aclockworksub's review against another edition

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5.0

I don't really have much to say about this, mostly because I loved this book even more than the first one. Stories where AI are the main characters are some of my favorites and this one worked in every possible way. I loved it.

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