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grace_b_3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
5.0
This book is a love letter to scientists and collaboration and humanity and instantly became one of my all time favourite books.
Chambers is amazing at interweaving sci-fi with philosophy and does it again here. The book has amazing and unique alien planets and applications of biotechnology, that made it super fun to read. I got so fascinated by the different environments, that I even forget the tension and mystery that the first chaper set up and got lost in the exploration, just like the characters.
And with the four main characters being isolated for a long time it also reads as a character and psychology study. The characters are really well-written and developed, which made the conflicts and discussions believable and grounded.
Chambers is amazing at interweaving sci-fi with philosophy and does it again here. The book has amazing and unique alien planets and applications of biotechnology, that made it super fun to read. I got so fascinated by the different environments, that I even forget the tension and mystery that the first chaper set up and got lost in the exploration, just like the characters.
And with the four main characters being isolated for a long time it also reads as a character and psychology study. The characters are really well-written and developed, which made the conflicts and discussions believable and grounded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death and Sexual content
hellavaral's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death
the_reading_wren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book perfectly fulfilled the form of a novella; it’s punchy and got me thinking. I also like the inclusion of the bonus content in this edition, which gives more context about Chambers’ thinking behind the book and how she was able to weave so much science so well into the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
messymimms's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Every time I read a Becky Chambers book (yes, the two whole times) I feel fortunate to be taught. Taught about something new, hopeful and inspiring.
The relationships between the characters of this book are not explained or displayed, but so much closeness is hinted at. You just know there’s so much behind it. Experience, love, complexity. Even if you wish you could witness it a little more.
As someone who took an astrobiology module on Coursera once (an expert), I loved the detail of this book. As always, the worldbuilding is epic yet thoughtful. The critters are excellent. Far-fetched and grounded and begging to be televised, honestly. Becky Chambers, CGI is ready for you. I’m ready.
As a bit of a philosopher (still not an expert but more so than I am in astrobiology) I loved the reflective, tender thread running through this novel. “Why are we here? What are we doing? Why are we doing it?” Ontologists, metaphysicians, epistemologists; my dudes, this one’s for you.
If anything, I wish this had been longer, I wish I was able to hear the crew’s deliberations and meander longer on these strange worlds. I wish I knew a tiny bit more of what was going on inside the characters’ heads, their history, their lives. But as Ariadne says, some things aren’t to be shared. I guess.
Still, it filled my mind with a sense of wonder. Which is one of my top one things a book can do. I guess it’s bigger on the inside.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death and War
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Grief
nathaeo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Beautiful language, beautiful descriptions and thought provoking. Several times I got that pleasant tingling feeling in my chest because of how immersed I got. The way the characters interact with the worlds and each other felt so calming and... nice. And when the crew goes through hardships, I felt that too.
I loved how the different planets served as different stages in the storytelling and their journey. My only problem with the book was how short it was. I wanted to melt into it for as long as I could.
I loved how the different planets served as different stages in the storytelling and their journey. My only problem with the book was how short it was. I wanted to melt into it for as long as I could.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
withlivjones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.75
I knew I’d enjoy this just because it was written by queen of cozy sci-fi Becky Chambers, and I was not disappointed. I loved the interactions between the four characters on board the spaceship, how they all have quite different personalities (in particular, how they deal with adversity in very different ways) but they still work so well together and they’ve become each other’s family on this long journey. There’s a lot of science talk but it’s explained in a way that’s pretty understandable, and I enjoyed Ariadne’s down-to-earth narrative voice. A lot of really interesting questions are brought up about the ethics of space exploration and studying extraterrestrial life. I wish the ending weren’t quite so ambiguous, but I suppose it fits with the format of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
depmythmoon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The novella follows 4 astronauts: Ariadne (the FMC whose name I’m still unsure how to pronounce), Jack, Chikandi, & Elena. They are sent on a mission to study planets beyond Earth’s solar system. Their trip there takes them 14 years—though they have something called ‘torpor’, which is similar to cryosleep without the ice; it slows their aging so that it’ll feel more like 2 years for them. The mission they’re on will last them a total of 80 years, but they get communications from Earth to hear about what happens in their absence.
This novella isn’t like your typical story that is action-packed or full of twists and turns. It’s not meant to be that, I’m sure. Rather than tell you of some alien that challenges the crew or life or death scenarios, this novella is more of a slice-of-life for astronauts. If you’ve ever been curious about the profession and what it entails, this will be the book for you. We keep track of the discoveries the group makes and get some detailed explanations of how they have to categorize this new information. So, if you’re jumping into this novella expecting a tale of alien civilizations or conquering planets, this may not be the read for you.
I wasn’t expecting it when I started reading, so I did find myself a bit bored for the first 50 or so pages, but I did get more enjoyment from it when the main conflict is introduced. The real enjoyment came when the story was ending. This is a novella that aims to make you think, and it leaves you pondering if the pursuit of knowledge is worth it. I love when reads make me question things in real life, so I found that the ending gave me a second wind of enjoyment. This novella also touches on our, human, impact on the environment. It points out that while there are dangers to us in new environments, we also have to recognize the dangers we cause knowingly and unknowingly. I enjoyed it.
Overall, the majority of the content in this book is mundane and tame compared to other books in the sci-fi genre, but the thoughtfulness and introspection it leaves you with are worth the read, in my opinion.
This novella isn’t like your typical story that is action-packed or full of twists and turns. It’s not meant to be that, I’m sure. Rather than tell you of some alien that challenges the crew or life or death scenarios, this novella is more of a slice-of-life for astronauts. If you’ve ever been curious about the profession and what it entails, this will be the book for you. We keep track of the discoveries the group makes and get some detailed explanations of how they have to categorize this new information. So, if you’re jumping into this novella expecting a tale of alien civilizations or conquering planets, this may not be the read for you.
I wasn’t expecting it when I started reading, so I did find myself a bit bored for the first 50 or so pages, but I did get more enjoyment from it when the main conflict is introduced. The real enjoyment came when the story was ending. This is a novella that aims to make you think, and it leaves you pondering if the pursuit of knowledge is worth it. I love when reads make me question things in real life, so I found that the ending gave me a second wind of enjoyment. This novella also touches on our, human, impact on the environment. It points out that while there are dangers to us in new environments, we also have to recognize the dangers we cause knowingly and unknowingly. I enjoyed it.
Overall, the majority of the content in this book is mundane and tame compared to other books in the sci-fi genre, but the thoughtfulness and introspection it leaves you with are worth the read, in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death, Mental illness, Torture, Vomit, Grief, and War
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Confinement
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail