Reviews

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

emmabeckman's review against another edition

4.0

Super fun! Low plot, and a bit heavy handed in its moralizing for so late in the series. But probably my second favorite of the series.

burningupasun's review against another edition

5.0

I love this series, and this book was no exception. It always takes me just a little bit to get into them, especially since this book didn't have any human characters in it as main characters. And I still struggle to picture what all the different alien races look like (really makes me wish there were drawings, haha). But this book was so good. When it comes down to it, it's just about different people learning about each other, arguing, but also becoming friends, etc. I really loved it.

Also I always love these books for their nuanced portrayal of gender in the different species. There's a nonbinary character in this book who hasn't "chosen" their gender yet. There's also mentions of other species with fluctuating genders and sexualities, including mention of an alien changing gender to help another alien fertilize an egg. It's done so casually but interestingly.

raebeen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

waurayo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

flexmcnutly's review against another edition

5.0

I love everything about the Wayfarers universe, and really enjoyed learning more about alien species that don’t feature as much in the earlier books. The plot is gentle. As a reading experience, honestly just lovely.

melissah's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

cathannahs's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-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

4.0

katyfranc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Not my favorite of the Wayfarers series but it still gets 4.25 stars so clearly there's a high bar here! The best parts (as always) were the world-building and character development, learning about more types of people in the universe as well as the unique individuals in this story. As usual Becky Chambers delivered a pleasantly low-stakes and cozy read, without being slow/boring at all. I love how the stories interconnect while standing alone as well. This one felt a little more like it was hitting me over the head with its main points but not so much that it detracted from my enjoyment. I will miss this series and look forward to more from this author!!

ofbooksandtrees's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Read September 2024

rmclain1989's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

5.0