athryn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A really fascinating read, these almost slice of life stories that Chambers does, but they just work their way in to you. Reminds me a little bit of the Emily St. John Mandel books I read earlier this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Drug use and Grief
Minor: Xenophobia
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Becky Chambers does it again, folks.
Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third book in her Wayfarers series, and her writing style is filled with compassion and enthusiasm for the intricate world - or in this case, galaxy - she has created.
These books are not for those who like their plots fast-paced. Indeed, for the first two-thirds of Record, there is hardly any plot at all.
I would normally count myself among those who prefer a fast pace, but for Becky Chambers I've learned to make an exception. Her books are slow, for sure, but for me, I find the worldbuilding to be incredibly detailed and endlessly fascinating, so I don't get too bored.
Such was the case - yet again - for Record. It took time for me to readjust to the pace, the terminology used in this series, but once I did, I found myself intrigued and absorbed.
Chambers uses Record to explore the concept of something with which we are all familiar: what makes us human. And here's the genius thing: she does this from the point of view of the descendants of the original humans who abandoned earth when it became uninhabitable, and built giant space ships to live in. The characters here are largely human, with a few notable exceptions which I won't spoil here.
I've read criticism that the vision of society depicted in Record is too idealistic to be believable, and I agree that argument has some merit. But for me personally, I'm willing to accept this idealised view, mostly because in the world we live in now, I like to be able to imagine a society where people work and live in harmony with one another. It's a fantasy, sure, but in my opinion we all need a little escapism from time to time.
To sum up, this book shows us Becky Chambers in peak form, and I look forward to reading the final book in the Wayfarers series, The Galaxy and the Ground Within.
Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third book in her Wayfarers series, and her writing style is filled with compassion and enthusiasm for the intricate world - or in this case, galaxy - she has created.
These books are not for those who like their plots fast-paced. Indeed, for the first two-thirds of Record, there is hardly any plot at all.
I would normally count myself among those who prefer a fast pace, but for Becky Chambers I've learned to make an exception. Her books are slow, for sure, but for me, I find the worldbuilding to be incredibly detailed and endlessly fascinating, so I don't get too bored.
Such was the case - yet again - for Record. It took time for me to readjust to the pace, the terminology used in this series, but once I did, I found myself intrigued and absorbed.
Chambers uses Record to explore the concept of something with which we are all familiar: what makes us human. And here's the genius thing: she does this from the point of view of the descendants of the original humans who abandoned earth when it became uninhabitable, and built giant space ships to live in. The characters here are largely human, with a few notable exceptions which I won't spoil here.
I've read criticism that the vision of society depicted in Record is too idealistic to be believable, and I agree that argument has some merit. But for me personally, I'm willing to accept this idealised view, mostly because in the world we live in now, I like to be able to imagine a society where people work and live in harmony with one another. It's a fantasy, sure, but in my opinion we all need a little escapism from time to time.
To sum up, this book shows us Becky Chambers in peak form, and I look forward to reading the final book in the Wayfarers series, The Galaxy and the Ground Within.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Colonisation, Racism, Death of parent, Medical content, and War
There are detailed descriptions of the ritual Exodan practice ofSpoiler
dead bodies being converted into compost and those who undertake these practicesandloveistoolong's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
ok7a'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Colonisation and Grief
librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? No
5.0
This book is a wish for a kinder future. It's optimistic while still being firmly rooted in realism. one of the things that I love the most about these books is that our heroes aren't fighting to save the universe. They're not struggling against a catastrophic war. And in the rare cases they're escaping apocalypse/catastrophe, what we see isn't statistical odds and the military. We see people surviving and thriving.
Spoiler
Sawyer's story arc and death, while upsetting, was realistic. It was a great catalyst for the changes made to the way that the fleet treats the returning descendants of former residents. I'm glad that we got to see more of Sunny and Eyas as friends beyond their work. Tessa being able to create a home in which her family feels safe and Isabel training Kip to continue the living memory of the fleet feel like a perfect way to round off the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Death, Colonisation, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this too, but found it a slower read than the previous ones. It was a bit more challenging to keep track of all the different characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
deedireads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
4.0
While Record of a Spaceborn Few wasn’t my favorite Wayfarers novel (that award still goes to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet), I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Becky Chambers never fails to deliver beautiful characters going grappling with relatable challenges in a way that makes us feeeeel feel feel.
This Wayfarers book is about a cast of characters who live on the Exodus Fleet (sort of like a nation of big space stations filled with humans who had to flee Earth when it became uninhabitable), one of whom is Tessa, the sister of Ashby from Small, Angry Planet. Without giving too much away, it tells a small slice of the story of a community that’s still healing from a big, years-ago tragedy and reckoning with the momentum of cultural change. Amid all that, another, smaller-level tragedy strikes that forces them to look inward.
While the plot here isn’t the strongest (having now read all the Wayfarers and Monk & Robot books, I can see that this is where she started to shift toward interiority over plot), her characters are as beautiful as ever. I really loved the way this book examined personal and cultural grief and guilt. And of course, very few people writing today treat representation as well as she does.
A worthy continuation of the Wayfarers books for anyone who read and enjoyed the first two!
This Wayfarers book is about a cast of characters who live on the Exodus Fleet (sort of like a nation of big space stations filled with humans who had to flee Earth when it became uninhabitable), one of whom is Tessa, the sister of Ashby from Small, Angry Planet. Without giving too much away, it tells a small slice of the story of a community that’s still healing from a big, years-ago tragedy and reckoning with the momentum of cultural change. Amid all that, another, smaller-level tragedy strikes that forces them to look inward.
While the plot here isn’t the strongest (having now read all the Wayfarers and Monk & Robot books, I can see that this is where she started to shift toward interiority over plot), her characters are as beautiful as ever. I really loved the way this book examined personal and cultural grief and guilt. And of course, very few people writing today treat representation as well as she does.
A worthy continuation of the Wayfarers books for anyone who read and enjoyed the first two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Death, and Grief
overbooked207's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📖 Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers Book Review 📖
9th and last book of August 2022 and 26th of the year:
Like all Becky Chambers books, this one had amazing world-building, lyrical writing, a great audiobook, queer representation, a queernormative world, great sex work representation, and beautiful conversations around humanity and how important communication and learning about different cultures are. There are a lot of point of views, and it was a bit confusing at first, but as the book went along, I got used to it and grew to like it and the characters. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is still my favorite, but I highly recommend the whole series, and I can’t wait to read more books in it! TW for death, mass death, child death, death of a parent, alcohol, drug use, sexual content, xenophobia, grief, vomit, and medical content📚🚀🔭🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
9th and last book of August 2022 and 26th of the year:
Like all Becky Chambers books, this one had amazing world-building, lyrical writing, a great audiobook, queer representation, a queernormative world, great sex work representation, and beautiful conversations around humanity and how important communication and learning about different cultures are. There are a lot of point of views, and it was a bit confusing at first, but as the book went along, I got used to it and grew to like it and the characters. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is still my favorite, but I highly recommend the whole series, and I can’t wait to read more books in it! TW for death, mass death, child death, death of a parent, alcohol, drug use, sexual content, xenophobia, grief, vomit, and medical content📚🚀🔭🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Grief, Child death, Vomit, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug use, and Medical content
shadereads's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Racism
wilful_wisp's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief