A review by fancybone
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
4.0
A fun read about a space adventure. The plot seemed to mostly serve as a reason to tell a number of parables by way of the main characters interacting - PTSD! Interspecies romance! Non-traditional family structures! (Well, non-traditional by human standards; it's totally normal by the Aandrisk standards, and to be honest, it's not even that radical compared to humanity.) Artificial Intelligence rights!
My only major complaint is that the major conflict at the end seems tacked on, and we never really get to know much about the Hedra Ka beyond a quick snapshot of one of them.
The universe feels like the beginnings of Banks' Culture universe - most of the societies are largely socially liberal, and those that have conservative leanings have protagonists who buck the trend.
If you like John Scalzi, both as an author and opinion-haver, you'd probably like this as well.
My only major complaint is that the major conflict at the end seems tacked on, and we never really get to know much about the Hedra Ka beyond a quick snapshot of one of them.
The universe feels like the beginnings of Banks' Culture universe - most of the societies are largely socially liberal, and those that have conservative leanings have protagonists who buck the trend.
If you like John Scalzi, both as an author and opinion-haver, you'd probably like this as well.