A review by cjblandford
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

I  liked this one a little more than The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. This was a smaller, more contained story that focused on two main characters and flipped between two timelines to tell their stories. It continues the story of Lovelace, the AI who was given a body at the end of the first novel and how she learns and adapts to a different body and environment while trying to keep herself safe from the authorities there are laws against sentient AI having sapient bodies. The other story is about Pepper and how she was raised as a child slave in a scrap sorting factory and after her escape, how she survived thanks to an AI on a derelict ship. The novel is largely about the power of found families, and ends on a rather hopeful note. Despite some pretty heavy subject matter, the novel focuses more on hope and love than wallowing in the despair. 
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