A review by deathcabforkatey
Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers
5.0
Wow. Not my favorite of the series, but still absolutely and undoubtedly a 5 Star book. If she had opened the series with this book it would have been unappreciated but I think her fans understand. 3/3 books have now made me cry.
Chambers has written a book about the fleet - this part is the fiction. That earth has been destroyed and that humans have left it to find a new way. That humans have populated mars and other colonies and yet the fleet remains. The truth she speaks through these stories is the struggle we all have - who are we? How are we human? What does it mean to be human? What is the purpose of life?
The reason I love Chambers’ books is that they get to the deepest roots of sci-fi and force us to examine ourselves. We follow characters aboard the fleet who all have separate issues but are all seeking the same issue. Struggling with the identity of being Exodan in a world where their numbers are depleting. Searching for meaning in the midst of a closed system. What I love is that each finds their answer is a completely separate way, and Chambers is clear that this is okay. We all seek answers, we all seek guidance and purpose, and where that ends is not the same for each person.
I also love how she ties in the history of Earth and how humans got here. Yes, the fleet is this (almost) perfect socialist system but it’s origins are not in that. She intertwines this in with the Harmangian story, which so clearly almost mirrors the human story on earth. Those of the conquerors and masters of the environment. And yet, that is not the end all be all.
I’m so happy to say that this series has yet to disappoint. I’m so happy to say that my current favorite sci-if writer is a woman and that her stories are not only original, but rooted in the questions that make me love sci fi more than any other genre. Thank you, Becky.
Chambers has written a book about the fleet - this part is the fiction. That earth has been destroyed and that humans have left it to find a new way. That humans have populated mars and other colonies and yet the fleet remains. The truth she speaks through these stories is the struggle we all have - who are we? How are we human? What does it mean to be human? What is the purpose of life?
The reason I love Chambers’ books is that they get to the deepest roots of sci-fi and force us to examine ourselves. We follow characters aboard the fleet who all have separate issues but are all seeking the same issue. Struggling with the identity of being Exodan in a world where their numbers are depleting. Searching for meaning in the midst of a closed system. What I love is that each finds their answer is a completely separate way, and Chambers is clear that this is okay. We all seek answers, we all seek guidance and purpose, and where that ends is not the same for each person.
I also love how she ties in the history of Earth and how humans got here. Yes, the fleet is this (almost) perfect socialist system but it’s origins are not in that. She intertwines this in with the Harmangian story, which so clearly almost mirrors the human story on earth. Those of the conquerors and masters of the environment. And yet, that is not the end all be all.
I’m so happy to say that this series has yet to disappoint. I’m so happy to say that my current favorite sci-if writer is a woman and that her stories are not only original, but rooted in the questions that make me love sci fi more than any other genre. Thank you, Becky.