A review by bookishlyem
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
5.0
I went into this book feeing really apprehensive. Sci-Fi has never been my thing despite my interest in it. But this book seriously changed my mind about Sci-Fi! I absolutely adored this book. I adored the characters, the writing, the tie back to the title, all of it.
The book is mainly character driven but the call backs to the plot are seamless. I believe the point of the book is to, yes--tell the story of how the Wayfarer gets to said small, angry planet, but more importantly describe a dysfunctionally functional found family. Each crew member has a chance to narrate the journey from their point of view, so I suppose if I had to categorize the point of view this book is in, it would have to be third-person limited x9. (Forgive me if there is an actual name for a multitude of third-person limiteds, I'm still learning all of the correct names for different aspects of literature.) If I could name one or two of my favorite characters, I would. But the truth is I loved almost all of the characters.
I found the history of the GC and the general occupation of space to be extremely interesting. There are humans and then there are actual alien species. The way Chambers goes about writing all of the different species throughout the story is truly masterful. There is history, anthropology, geology, race-relations, and so much more Chambers covers both explicitly and implicitly. Because of how intricate this future way of living is written, the world building felt very real and harmonious. The details that Chambers brought to life in this book are ridiculously cool! Vocal, food, locations, tech...the works!
Personally, I found Chambers' writing to be extremely easy to read, understand, and absorb. The way she weaves in small details that end up being pivotal to the whole story is amazing. The way she introduces new characters, planets and such things is incredibly captivating. As the story progressed, I didn't find myself tripping up or getting super confused with the world building--I grew into it pretty quick which is great. Another aspect of her writing that I found great was how she didn't reveal much about each character until necessary. Even though she didn't reveal much, Chambers revealed a lot implicitly about each character. There are small nuances about each character that Chambers wrote in that seems to reveal a lot about the characters and the world around them.
The circle back to the title is really important in my opinion. Because the book is very character centric, it can be hard for many writers to flawlessly reintroduce the plot/keep the plot at the front of their readers' minds. I've read character-driven books where the plot had absolutely no correlation or no importance whatsoever, or books where there wasn't even a plot when there should've been. But I think that because of the fact that the title literally describes the plot/a significant part of the plot, Chambers was given a constant reminder of its importance. It's because of the plot that these characters are learning so much about each other and going through so much development. Chambers could've easily named this novel something like "The Wayfarer" or whatever, but "The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet" is perfect. So much has happened on this journey and I'm so glad I was there for the ride. I enjoyed the plot itself, giving us the chance and a reason to learn so much about the galaxy.
Overall, I am really impressed with this novel and I am immensely looking forward to reading the other books in the Wayfarer series as well as Chambers' other works!
The book is mainly character driven but the call backs to the plot are seamless. I believe the point of the book is to, yes--tell the story of how the Wayfarer gets to said small, angry planet, but more importantly describe a dysfunctionally functional found family. Each crew member has a chance to narrate the journey from their point of view, so I suppose if I had to categorize the point of view this book is in, it would have to be third-person limited x9. (Forgive me if there is an actual name for a multitude of third-person limiteds, I'm still learning all of the correct names for different aspects of literature.) If I could name one or two of my favorite characters, I would. But the truth is I loved almost all of the characters.
I found the history of the GC and the general occupation of space to be extremely interesting. There are humans and then there are actual alien species. The way Chambers goes about writing all of the different species throughout the story is truly masterful. There is history, anthropology, geology, race-relations, and so much more Chambers covers both explicitly and implicitly. Because of how intricate this future way of living is written, the world building felt very real and harmonious. The details that Chambers brought to life in this book are ridiculously cool! Vocal, food, locations, tech...the works!
Personally, I found Chambers' writing to be extremely easy to read, understand, and absorb. The way she weaves in small details that end up being pivotal to the whole story is amazing. The way she introduces new characters, planets and such things is incredibly captivating. As the story progressed, I didn't find myself tripping up or getting super confused with the world building--I grew into it pretty quick which is great. Another aspect of her writing that I found great was how she didn't reveal much about each character until necessary. Even though she didn't reveal much, Chambers revealed a lot implicitly about each character. There are small nuances about each character that Chambers wrote in that seems to reveal a lot about the characters and the world around them.
The circle back to the title is really important in my opinion. Because the book is very character centric, it can be hard for many writers to flawlessly reintroduce the plot/keep the plot at the front of their readers' minds. I've read character-driven books where the plot had absolutely no correlation or no importance whatsoever, or books where there wasn't even a plot when there should've been. But I think that because of the fact that the title literally describes the plot/a significant part of the plot, Chambers was given a constant reminder of its importance. It's because of the plot that these characters are learning so much about each other and going through so much development. Chambers could've easily named this novel something like "The Wayfarer" or whatever, but "The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet" is perfect. So much has happened on this journey and I'm so glad I was there for the ride. I enjoyed the plot itself, giving us the chance and a reason to learn so much about the galaxy.
Overall, I am really impressed with this novel and I am immensely looking forward to reading the other books in the Wayfarer series as well as Chambers' other works!