latida94's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Can't get through a single one of these books without crying. Something always catches me.
This one is about home and change and tradition and the terrifying moment where you need to make a change and needing to experience new things so you can appreciate what you've always know.
This one is about home and change and tradition and the terrifying moment where you need to make a change and needing to experience new things so you can appreciate what you've always know.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
sybersecurity'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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
moonknitter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.75
So far this one was my least favorite unfortunately because there were so many different characters and their perspectives it was hard to stay engaged since I felt like I needed to keep remembering where we’d left off with the other characters. I found the descriptions and information about Exodan life very interesting I liked how things came a bit ful circle at the end and with the epilogue and learning about what the characters were doing later. But the multiple perspectives really tripled me up whereas the last book there were only 2 that we were going between which made it easier to keep track of their parallel stories
Spoiler
but the death of sawyer was very abrupt and felt sort of random
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Toxic relationship
mercerhanau's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book is slower paced and less dramatic than the previous two books. I personally found the “slice of life” style less compelling, but still cozy and enjoyable to read. It continues to flesh out the galaxy Becky Chambers has created, focusing on the people living on “homesteaders” (generation ships, but self-sustaining and not heading to a new planet), especially from the perspectives of teenagers, parents with ordinary jobs, and elders. The author does her usual great job of having characters explore what they really want from life.
It’s fun to read sections of an ethnography about humans by a Harmagian. Interesting to see a human culture described by an outsider and compared to squishy, slug-like aliens with different rituals and cultural norms around birth and death.
Real-world themes the book touches on: (hidden for some minor spoiler details)
* Collective trauma, mass death (at the very beginning of the book)
* How we handle the dead, relationship to resources in a closed system (whether planetary or in a spaceship), human composting.
* Communal living
* Sex work (pro! As an important, legitimate, unstigmatized profession with regulations and safety measures for all involved)
* Ethical non-monogamy (mentioned more briefly than previous books)
* Challenges of solo parenting with a partner who travels frequently
* Children and toddlers using technology like video games (“sims”)
* Shared labor: everyone healthy and over 14 years old in the fleet takes turns working on sanitation so it isn’t out of sight or out of mind. Nothing is left to “lesser people.” Other roles are more specialized, but this shared responsibility both breaks up undesirable tasks and keeps people humbly in touch with the resource recycling.
* Professions and compensation: Labor isn’t compensated, nor do some professions receive more resources than others. All basic needs are met: food, water, housing, oxygen, etc. It’s rare for adults not to work, but it’s scorned. The question “what do you do?” asks what a person does for the community, for “us”. People thank each other for what they provide: artists for murals, farmers for food, doctors for medical attention, etc.
* Personal property: Property is communal until it enters a family home. Then stealing would be illegal, but people don’t need to steal anyway since their basic needs are met. (Cf. better social support reduces crime, rather than more criminalization and policing)
* Economics with multiple currencies: trade worked fine until outside currency and goods entered the equation. (Cf. Cuba, from my understanding?)
* Caring for aging parents. Some of this book’s topics remind me of A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: body mods, medical intervention for failing body parts, community care, alternative economic systems without strict currency
* Pros and cons of this lifestyle, especially for raising kids. Parents struggling to explain traumatic subject matter to their children, but also nice examples of parents being supportive and good listeners regarding their kids’ fears (and possible PTSD)
* Critiques of the inefficiency of bureaucracy meant to ensure fairness. People breaking protocol to claim more resources for themselves.
* Stages of fetal development between different species: a Harmagian reflects on how she doesn’t remember her life as a polyp, so it wasn’t really “her”. The transition between being a polyp and one’s baby self is seen as a death in her culture. Perhaps commentary on pro-life arguments of “life begins at conception”? She’s also bringing it up in the context of grieving for children and human parents holding their children close when they hear of a young person’s death. She has a different, more distant relationship to her own offspring.
* Politicization of the death of a newcomer. Who to blame, who to grieve, what this means for immigration acceptance vs. restriction, outsiders using limited resources, how to prevent future tragedies, etc.
* What kinds of jobs can (and will) be replaced by artificial intelligence
* A Harmagian’s brief reflections on her species’s “superiority” by means of conquest. Regret, reparations, sharing of technology and partnership with those they once harmed. What makes a species “worthy” of membership in the Galactic Commons?
* Archives and museums: what’s the point of keeping old things around rather than repairing/recycling them? Are people studying them and learning useful things? The homesteaders’ archives keep digital records and no physical objects, since space and resources are limited.
It’s fun to read sections of an ethnography about humans by a Harmagian. Interesting to see a human culture described by an outsider and compared to squishy, slug-like aliens with different rituals and cultural norms around birth and death.
Real-world themes the book touches on: (hidden for some minor spoiler details)
Spoiler
* Collective trauma, mass death (at the very beginning of the book)
* How we handle the dead, relationship to resources in a closed system (whether planetary or in a spaceship), human composting.
* Communal living
* Sex work (pro! As an important, legitimate, unstigmatized profession with regulations and safety measures for all involved)
* Ethical non-monogamy (mentioned more briefly than previous books)
* Challenges of solo parenting with a partner who travels frequently
* Children and toddlers using technology like video games (“sims”)
* Shared labor: everyone healthy and over 14 years old in the fleet takes turns working on sanitation so it isn’t out of sight or out of mind. Nothing is left to “lesser people.” Other roles are more specialized, but this shared responsibility both breaks up undesirable tasks and keeps people humbly in touch with the resource recycling.
* Professions and compensation: Labor isn’t compensated, nor do some professions receive more resources than others. All basic needs are met: food, water, housing, oxygen, etc. It’s rare for adults not to work, but it’s scorned. The question “what do you do?” asks what a person does for the community, for “us”. People thank each other for what they provide: artists for murals, farmers for food, doctors for medical attention, etc.
* Personal property: Property is communal until it enters a family home. Then stealing would be illegal, but people don’t need to steal anyway since their basic needs are met. (Cf. better social support reduces crime, rather than more criminalization and policing)
* Economics with multiple currencies: trade worked fine until outside currency and goods entered the equation. (Cf. Cuba, from my understanding?)
* Caring for aging parents. Some of this book’s topics remind me of A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: body mods, medical intervention for failing body parts, community care, alternative economic systems without strict currency
* Pros and cons of this lifestyle, especially for raising kids. Parents struggling to explain traumatic subject matter to their children, but also nice examples of parents being supportive and good listeners regarding their kids’ fears (and possible PTSD)
* Critiques of the inefficiency of bureaucracy meant to ensure fairness. People breaking protocol to claim more resources for themselves.
* Stages of fetal development between different species: a Harmagian reflects on how she doesn’t remember her life as a polyp, so it wasn’t really “her”. The transition between being a polyp and one’s baby self is seen as a death in her culture. Perhaps commentary on pro-life arguments of “life begins at conception”? She’s also bringing it up in the context of grieving for children and human parents holding their children close when they hear of a young person’s death. She has a different, more distant relationship to her own offspring.
* Politicization of the death of a newcomer. Who to blame, who to grieve, what this means for immigration acceptance vs. restriction, outsiders using limited resources, how to prevent future tragedies, etc.
* What kinds of jobs can (and will) be replaced by artificial intelligence
* A Harmagian’s brief reflections on her species’s “superiority” by means of conquest. Regret, reparations, sharing of technology and partnership with those they once harmed. What makes a species “worthy” of membership in the Galactic Commons?
* Archives and museums: what’s the point of keeping old things around rather than repairing/recycling them? Are people studying them and learning useful things? The homesteaders’ archives keep digital records and no physical objects, since space and resources are limited.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, War, Drug use, and Alcohol
broken_biscuits's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Very poetic and thought provoking. Def had heavier themes than the first of the series, but it all felt held well. My heart is quite moved, and I'll be thinking about this all for a long time yet. My godds, I love her writing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
laurel616's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.75
I really enjoyed this read. It's been a while since I have read the first two books in this series, and I think that helped my enjoyment of this book.
This book is exactly what I would think of when I think of character study books. There was also good atmospheric descriptions that kept me entertained. However, I was hoping that the character viewpoints we read would interact more with each other in the end.
We also got a bit in the prologue about this terrible event that happened in the past, but then we really minimally returned to that event, and really only saw the effects of that event on one character and her family. I feel that could have been expanded on greatly, how a trauma like that could effect everything.
This book is exactly what I would think of when I think of character study books. There was also good atmospheric descriptions that kept me entertained. However, I was hoping that the character viewpoints we read would interact more with each other in the end.
We also got a bit in the prologue about this terrible event that happened in the past, but then we really minimally returned to that event, and really only saw the effects of that event on one character and her family. I feel that could have been expanded on greatly, how a trauma like that could effect everything.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Xenophobia
literarylily's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
emilyvelle's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
The first half of the book was a slog to get through, not gonna lie. Something happens halfway through that kept me interested & i did like where it ended. But personally, it wasn’t on par with the first two in the series. This book is mostly vibes, not a strong plot there. I’m glad I read it, but would only recommend if you really love this universe—or maybe you’ll connect to the characters more than I did! The second half is a LOT stronger than the first half of the book
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
dreamersmind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.25
This book took me forever to read. It started out very slow and I was worried I wouldn’t like it as much as the first 2 books of the series but it rounded out very nicely in the end and I was left with a familiar warm cozy feeling that I had in the other books.
Things I liked in this book:
1. Getting to see more world building and getting to understand fleet society
2. Each character brought interesting parts to the story to allow the reader to get a fuller picture of the fleet.
Things I didn’t like in this book:
1. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it took a while to get my bearings and stop confusing characters with each other.
2. The first half of the book was extremely slow paced.
“Our species doesn’t operate by reality. It operates by stories. Cities are a story. Money is a story. Space was a story, once. A king tells us a story about who we are and why were great, and that story is enough to make us go kill people who tell a different story or maybe the people kill the King, because they don’t like his story, and have begun to tell themselves a different one. When our planet started dying our species was so caught up in stories. We had thousands of stories about ourselves —that’s still true, don’t forget that for a minute— but not enough of us were looking at the reality of things. Once reality caught up with us and we started changing her stories to acknowledge it, It was too late.”
Things I liked in this book:
1. Getting to see more world building and getting to understand fleet society
2. Each character brought interesting parts to the story to allow the reader to get a fuller picture of the fleet.
Things I didn’t like in this book:
1. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it took a while to get my bearings and stop confusing characters with each other.
2. The first half of the book was extremely slow paced.
“Our species doesn’t operate by reality. It operates by stories. Cities are a story. Money is a story. Space was a story, once. A king tells us a story about who we are and why were great, and that story is enough to make us go kill people who tell a different story or maybe the people kill the King, because they don’t like his story, and have begun to tell themselves a different one. When our planet started dying our species was so caught up in stories. We had thousands of stories about ourselves —that’s still true, don’t forget that for a minute— but not enough of us were looking at the reality of things. Once reality caught up with us and we started changing her stories to acknowledge it, It was too late.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Xenophobia
teaxmillions's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death