a_kt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
This book was basically what would happen if Firefly and The Odyssey had a baby. Technically, the plot is about the ragtag crew of a wormhole-punching long haul ship on its way to a newly allied planet. However, what the book is actually about is found family. Every crewmember on the ship, from the friendly-yet-exasperated captain Ashby to the feathered reptilian pilot Sissix to the very polite AI Lovey has their own "thing" going on, and you will learn about it throughout the course of this book. Basically the chapters follow this structure: One of the crewmates has a "thing", something happens on the ship (or off the ship) that directly impacts that "thing" and forces said crewmember to acknowledge this "thing" and either deal with it (through the power of friendship) or learn to cope with it and move on (through the power of friendship). Now, I know it may sound like I'm being overly critical about this, but check the star rating. I really really enjoyed this book.
I have previously read Chambers' Monk and Robot series and found it be lovely, introspective, cozy sci-fi. I'm happy to say that Long Way follows a similar vein. There is definitely more at stake in this story, but at the end of the day, its a series of episodic character profiles that culminates in a mildly-tense conclusion where the crewmembers have to each use what they've learned or grown from along the journey. Chambers takes a very interesting look at the differences between species, cultures, and perspectives with each character and weaves them into very believable characters that each have their own stipulations and views about the universe and their place within it. Its progressive while still showing political and cultural strife, its wholesome while still being conflicted, and its optimistic while not shying away from the more difficult side of inter-species dynamics. If any of this sounds even remotely up your alley, I'd recommend giving it a try. While not as short as the Monk and Robot novellas, I was able to get through this book fairly quickly despite it not being what I would call a "page-turner". I do think I will try and read the rest of the books in the series but probably not concurrently, as I do feel like I need to read something with a bit more conflict after this.
I have previously read Chambers' Monk and Robot series and found it be lovely, introspective, cozy sci-fi. I'm happy to say that Long Way follows a similar vein. There is definitely more at stake in this story, but at the end of the day, its a series of episodic character profiles that culminates in a mildly-tense conclusion where the crewmembers have to each use what they've learned or grown from along the journey. Chambers takes a very interesting look at the differences between species, cultures, and perspectives with each character and weaves them into very believable characters that each have their own stipulations and views about the universe and their place within it. Its progressive while still showing political and cultural strife, its wholesome while still being conflicted, and its optimistic while not shying away from the more difficult side of inter-species dynamics. If any of this sounds even remotely up your alley, I'd recommend giving it a try. While not as short as the Monk and Robot novellas, I was able to get through this book fairly quickly despite it not being what I would call a "page-turner". I do think I will try and read the rest of the books in the series but probably not concurrently, as I do feel like I need to read something with a bit more conflict after this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Medical content, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness
toastedoats42's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, and War
anjasshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Torture, Colonisation, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Drug use
chelseareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
So much gender, orientation, and relationship structure representation withOUT actual sex scenes (not my thing, personal preference not a judgement)!!! A wonderful ship and crew. Loved that.
The book read like a season of an episodic (with a season-long arc incorporated) sci-fi television. I don't know if that's a good thing as a book or not, but I'd LOVE to watch that show. And now I'm excited to read the tenuously-related Season 2.
The book read like a season of an episodic (with a season-long arc incorporated) sci-fi television. I don't know if that's a good thing as a book or not, but I'd LOVE to watch that show. And now I'm excited to read the tenuously-related Season 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Death, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence
misty_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Xenophobia
ekcd_'s review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
The characters are lovable but only because they designed to be lovable. As a result they come off as unrealistic and one dimensional. Even the cantankerous foil to the other sickly sweet personas on board is given a tragic backstory designed to inspire the reader to love him.
It’s an incredibly slow book, plot wise, and the few plot events we do see dont make sense. The characters have odd reactions - socially and culturally. And god knows Becky Chambers lives to talk about how different all her aliens are. There is a weird fixation on sex and sexual differences in the book which could have been a fun exploration in sexuality if it was done well but instead it felt like she was patting herself on the back for coming up with such sexually diverse races/species. Several times in the book she says outright “yeah XYZ is so different from humans” and like that’s it.
I feel like I read a different book than all the critics (formal and informal) who have such high praise. This read like a YA novel or children’s cartoon that feeds the reader emotions with a spoon. I’m fact, most of the world building in general is fed to the reader with a spoon- it’s explicit and heavy handed OR it’s nonsense words that are never explained or expanded on. It’s clear the author uses letters and characters who are librarians to shoehorn in world building she wasn’t creative enough to build into the narrative. No nuance, no complexity. Just a feel good mill, which I personally do not like. I want moral ambiguity and conflict in my space opera.
It’s an incredibly slow book, plot wise, and the few plot events we do see dont make sense. The characters have odd reactions - socially and culturally. And god knows Becky Chambers lives to talk about how different all her aliens are. There is a weird fixation on sex and sexual differences in the book which could have been a fun exploration in sexuality if it was done well but instead it felt like she was patting herself on the back for coming up with such sexually diverse races/species. Several times in the book she says outright “yeah XYZ is so different from humans” and like that’s it.
I feel like I read a different book than all the critics (formal and informal) who have such high praise. This read like a YA novel or children’s cartoon that feeds the reader emotions with a spoon. I’m fact, most of the world building in general is fed to the reader with a spoon- it’s explicit and heavy handed OR it’s nonsense words that are never explained or expanded on. It’s clear the author uses letters and characters who are librarians to shoehorn in world building she wasn’t creative enough to build into the narrative. No nuance, no complexity. Just a feel good mill, which I personally do not like. I want moral ambiguity and conflict in my space opera.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Police brutality, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, War, Death, Genocide, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Blood
oceanescence's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Drug use and Sexual content
annamorgan27's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, War, Vomit, Death, Gun violence, Alcohol, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
analenegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a spectacular story with characters that felt so real it was hard to remember that one of them was essentially a dinosaur! (I would say Lizard but that is a slur in this book.) I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Racial slurs, Body horror, Classism, Death, Grief, and War