Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - A Closed and Common Orbit

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A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

71 reviews

saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

"The law forgot to make space for people like me."

I am a simple man. You write a book about robots learning to be human and understanding their feelings, I'm going to have a good time.

A Closed and Common Orbit is a lot darker and more existential than its predecessor, which makes sense given the setup for it in A Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet was the most tragic section of that book, but damn it was a lot darker. In this, we follow an AI in an illegal synthetic body and a clone trying to escape a desolate planet with the help of an AI.

Something I've noticed in this and Becky Chambers's other series, Monk and Robot, is that she's in love with the cultural and sociological aspects of world building and it just oozes off the page. Though her books certainly have plots, they tend to be slower and lacking in tension. Really what makes them good is the world building, so fascinating, so alien, and so goddamn optimistic! She creates worlds I want to live in and populates them with lively characters and emotional bonds.

As for this book specifically, I found it so deeply fascinating and thought-provoking, questioning who gets to be counted as sentient in this galaxy. As I said, this is a lot darker than the first book, specifically with the clone storyline. The added edge made the optimism strike so much deeper, it was bittersweet and just so earned. But it's also still a story about what mundanity looks like in an interstellar society, which maybe paradoxically, makes this series stand out.

TWs not included under the tag: dogs die and there's dog-on-dog cannibalism.

Content Warnings

elliv's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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amyreh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.25

Content Warnings

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

“The enhanced call us misfits - people who don't fit their intended purpose. So maybe you're a misfit too. Doesn't mean you're not deserving. Doesn't mean you shouldn't be here.”

➽ A Closed and Common Orbit was a great, introspective companion novel in the Wayfarers universe. I read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet ages ago and was eager to check out more books from the Wayfarer series. I like Becky Chambers's full-length sci-fi novels much more than her novellas (the Monk and Robot series was unfortunately mediocre for me)! I definitely recommend reading the first book, as A Closed and Common Orbit follows Lovelace, the former AI system of the Wayfarer who is now setting out on her own in a (highly illegal) body kit. Due to a system restart she's lost her previous identity and parting ways with her former crew that she doesn't really feel attached to anymore.

➽ Lovelace (later renaming herself Sidra) struggles with finding her place and purpose! Since AIs are considered property and only allowed to be installed in specific areas, she has to hide her true identity from everyone. Pepper (and her partner Blue) are the only people who know as they offer her refuge in their home Port Corisol. I really liked seeing Sidra trying to fit into human society when she isn't like everyone else. She still has issues with overstimulation and a lack of constant linking access. Fitting into the human world is difficult for Sidra as she's something other and has to hide it for her own safety! Her POV is introspective and slow-paced, so don't expect any big action scenes!

➽ There's also a second perspective that takes place almost 20 years prior and follows Pepper (formerly named Jane). I have to admit that I enjoyed this POV slightly more, as Lovelace's journey was slow and focused on slice-of-life instead of action. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Jane's journey as it's uncommon to look into the past of a supporting character. It worked out here as it showed why Pepper was willing to help Lovelace in the first place. Her story is heavy, as she starts out as a factory worker unaware of her true identity who's been locked up all her life. After a daring escape, she uncovers an abandoned ship with an AI on board who is her only point of contact. This perspective is much more survival-focused as Jane has to survive with whatever she can scavenge and dreams of somewhere escaping!

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