A review by hayley_reads
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers
5.0
I read this book way too fast. I needed a feel-good book that didn't sacrifice nuance and imagination, and this was PERFECT. Not the type of sci-fi I'd normally read, and surprised myself by what a joy this was! There are a few things that stuck out to me, excluding many more.
This book brings humanity and lots of complex character development into a space adventure. People have very interesting backgrounds, values, and goals. They are terrified and deeply impacted by seeing death, all in their unique ways, and they are able to hold both sadness and humor. In this way, the story feels very alive.
Disability justice, gender diversity, and sexuality have a big presence in this universe, but not in the ways one might assume. This story depicts a universe as an example of how we might take any body form, any access to any senses, any gender and sexuality, as a normal part of the crazy diversity of life. There are so many kinds of aliens (which include humans) in this universe. Neutral planets, diverse ports, and the Galactic Commons (an alliance between many of the alien communities) have diversity build in to the way they function, and it's not a big deal. When the Wayfarer ship docks at a port planet, the AI gives them instructions to find transport to other parts of the planet. The AI gives instructions for if you cannot hear and need visual guides, if you have no eyes and need a tactile or auditory guide, etc etc. All multi-species spaces have different chairs for every species body shape. Sure, many of the characters still marvel at each others' bodies if they haven't seen that species before, but in a respectful way. There's plenty of room for playful teasing about the habits of other species here. And when we're looking at romance between different aliens, same-sex coupling may seem very normal to conservative readers. In this universe, it doesn't even register as anything different than the normal diversity of ways to love.
I appreciate Chambers' respect for aesthetics and the small things in life. In no other stories (or movie, or show, for that matter) is there so much loving attention paid to eating good food, a nice hot shower, a good nap, or soft pillows and a cozy atmosphere than in her writing. By writing this in with the same detail (still making it exciting, funny, and sweet) as the action and danger scenes, she shows that these acts of sustaining and comfort are equally important to survival.
Lastly, the storyline is so fun and the world-building is incredible! Even if there wasn't any plot, this book would still have my rapt attention just by engaging my curiosity and imagination. Definitely a fun, thoroughly imagined, funny, suspenseful, loving book.
This book brings humanity and lots of complex character development into a space adventure. People have very interesting backgrounds, values, and goals. They are terrified and deeply impacted by seeing death, all in their unique ways, and they are able to hold both sadness and humor. In this way, the story feels very alive.
Disability justice, gender diversity, and sexuality have a big presence in this universe, but not in the ways one might assume. This story depicts a universe as an example of how we might take any body form, any access to any senses, any gender and sexuality, as a normal part of the crazy diversity of life. There are so many kinds of aliens (which include humans) in this universe. Neutral planets, diverse ports, and the Galactic Commons (an alliance between many of the alien communities) have diversity build in to the way they function, and it's not a big deal. When the Wayfarer ship docks at a port planet, the AI gives them instructions to find transport to other parts of the planet. The AI gives instructions for if you cannot hear and need visual guides, if you have no eyes and need a tactile or auditory guide, etc etc. All multi-species spaces have different chairs for every species body shape. Sure, many of the characters still marvel at each others' bodies if they haven't seen that species before, but in a respectful way. There's plenty of room for playful teasing about the habits of other species here. And when we're looking at romance between different aliens, same-sex coupling may seem very normal to conservative readers. In this universe, it doesn't even register as anything different than the normal diversity of ways to love.
I appreciate Chambers' respect for aesthetics and the small things in life. In no other stories (or movie, or show, for that matter) is there so much loving attention paid to eating good food, a nice hot shower, a good nap, or soft pillows and a cozy atmosphere than in her writing. By writing this in with the same detail (still making it exciting, funny, and sweet) as the action and danger scenes, she shows that these acts of sustaining and comfort are equally important to survival.
Lastly, the storyline is so fun and the world-building is incredible! Even if there wasn't any plot, this book would still have my rapt attention just by engaging my curiosity and imagination. Definitely a fun, thoroughly imagined, funny, suspenseful, loving book.