PDF The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)

Read online The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1).pdf PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, DOC The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) There was a nebula there, an explosion of dust and light, the fiery corpse of an ancient giant. Within the gaseous folds slept clusters of unborn stars, shining softly. She took an inventory of her body. She felt her breath, her blood, the ties binding it all together. Every piece, down to the last atom had been made out here, flung through the open in a moment of violence, until they swirled round and round, churning and coalescing, becoming heavy, weighing each other down. But not any more, the pieces were floating free now. They had returned home. She was exactly where she was supposed to be THIS BOOK this stunning, beautiful, complex piece of sci-fi. I love you. I love you and you have me so shook. THIS is what my universe looks like, THIS is what I see when I imagine what the universe which if filled with over 60 tillion planets could look like, this is the voice and the direction I yearn to see more science fiction takingTHIS IS SPACE like youve never seen it before Theres no doubt The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is absurdly charming. I mean, just that title is bizarre, yet delightful. This whole book is like that. Its ODD, maybe a bit much for some people, but oh my god its delightful. Becky Chambers creates a space story thats unlike any Ive read before. The sheer magnitude and complexity of the universe system, and the species that fill it is outstanding on its own. This is a truly creative and breathtaking novel -- and one which looks at our world today and offers a universe where all we see WORKS, or at least tries to. This is an incredibly progressive book and I love itTHIS REVIEW IS MAKING NO SENSE THOUGHI realise I am ramblingOh god theres just so much to sayMaybe I should start with what its about. Its the future. Humans fucked up. Earth is dead, we had to leave. We enter space, live on Mars .... aliens are so fucking real.The planet is filled with them .. all different species. Theres ones with scales and feathers, some that communicate through swirling colours on their cheeks, some that come in pairs and are non-binary. Theres aliens that start as female and become males. Theres aliens with power, aliens without power, aliens whos species are going extinct, aliens who are warring with themselves. And humans are a blip. Just another species, a new member to the Galactic Commons (Kind of a space European Union) But this book isnt about humans - talking about humans, how very speciescentric of meThis is about a ship. Its about a group of friends, lovers, enemies. This is about the crew aboard the Wayfarer, a multi-species tunneling ship whos job it is is to create wormholes in space that essentially act as space highways. The crew of the Wayfarer: You got your humans, Rosemary, Kizzy, Jenks, Corbin and Ashby. You got an Aandrisk, Sissix, A Grum, Dr Chef. And a Sianiat, Ohan. And their AI, Lovey. This crew is hired to create a new tunnel to the new members of the GC, the Toremi. But its not even about that. Its about all the stuff in the middle, about what happens on the long way to that small, angry planet. And its amazing, its incredible. Its complex. Its actually such a joyous read. HONESTLY, this review is sucking. So heres what Im gonna doThis book is underrated, and its amazing. And I think everyone needs to read it, because its so fucking clever. So here is TEN REASONS YOU (YES YOU) SHOULD READ THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET 1: The title is a fucking delight. Like, I know thats maybe not gonna instantly sell you on the book but seriously the title is so good and I love it. Its absurdly catchy.2: The cover is pretty (dont even TELL ME youve never judged books by their covers smhhh)3: The world building is detailed and complex. Do not think this book is simple, it is not. The universe is expansive, and its features so many different species of aliens. All with their own cultures, behaviours, politics, and features. These are aliens whos beliefs so fundamentally challenged mine as a human, and not only that THE FACT EVERYONE IS SO DIFFERENT IS SO OFTEN ADDRESSED. This is a system where aliens actively try to understand and comprehend eachother, but often end up doing things that are insensitive on accident. This is a universe where things are not the binary ideas us humans cling to. There are aliens who have no gender and so use they/them pronouns !! there are aliens who are cold-blooded !! there are aliens who cannot speak !! there are aliens who lay eggs !! there are aliens who have multiple family systems and aliens who suffer from specific alien viruses and aliens of all different shape, colour, type, culture. Its amazing, and the intricate way the humans/aliens try to relate to eachother, and be compassionate of eachother despite fundamental differences in their morality/beliefs/culture is amazing. 4: Its a new take on science fiction. This book felt really new to me in a genre thats been written in ALOT. For a start, its got a distinctly feminine voice. Men dominate science fiction, and having a book that felt feminine, that felt a little more empathetic (?) in some ways then science fiction which is often straightforward and factual was refreshing. I loved that. I also loved the complexity of the aliens (Because I hate that in alot of sci-fi aliens are like humans). Overrall, it just felt new. Its felt refreshing. 5: Its accessible to non-sci fi readers If you dont read Sci-fi alot, I think you can still really really like this. It also does away with the complex terminology and space mumbo jumbo that often pervades science fiction and instead is just about people - who happen to be in space. And while its still got many sci-fi elements, its not cold or withdrawn like some sci-fi. This lets you get involved, lets you immerse yourselves in the characters lives and in their world and feels much more friendly and welcoming then some science fiction on the market. 6: It is incredibly diverse. The aliens aside, it features LGBT+ and non-binary characters, an lgbt couple, as well as people of varying race/culture and religion. It includes a main character with dwarfism (which does not dominate his character) and all these issues are ..... well theyre not issues. Thats the amazing thing. These are not stories ABOUT people being gay or having physical disabilities. These are just characters, and some of them happen to be gay ect and its okay. Its all okay, and its amazing. I also love, like LOVE the humans didnt speak English. I love that its moved beyond thinking of our world so narrowly and has so incredibly expanded the horizons. I love that some of the aliens use xe pronouns, or some dont have any gender, some change gender to male or female or neither. I love that even amongst humans there are different pieces of history that have effected human nature and that the diversity is treated so complexly its honestly mindblowing and you need to read it to understand7: Its character driven This may be a turning away point for some people, but if you, like me, love stories which revolve around characters youll love this. This is very much about the crew on board the ship, and develops them and their relationships thoroughly. Its also just about people in general trying to understand and relate to each other, and if youre a fan of that I PROMISE YOU WILL LOVE THIS. The characters are incredibly well constructed, and I genuinely fell in love with every single one. They are all different, and all multi-layered people but each is so special and I love them all. Every character was incredibly well constructed right down to their fears, beliefs and morality being incorporated into the book and they drove this story amazingly. It also focusses on so many different types of relationships, found families, platonic and romantic relationships, between different species, between humans and AIs. Between all sorts. Its the best. Incredible female characters !! Including female mechanics (dont see often !!) and just kick ass girls in general. Also the male characters are great friends and lovers (some of them) but are not tropey and gross and I just LOVE the characters so much8: AI THAT MAKES YOU FEEL. In this world, AI are a big deal and there are full committees dedicated to AI rights. And the AI in this is so ... so lovely and will tear your heart out 9: Its progressive, thoughtful, and offers a little bit of a metaphor for our world now. This world, this beautiful universe where people attempt really hard to understand despite obvious differences could be us. It looks at alot of social issues and implements them into the world in a positive way. It also touches up on some ways we can be more tolerant. For example, I loved how Rosemary is always reminding herself to be less "human-centric" (ie. judge other cultures by human standards). I thought it was a good metaphor for trying not to be eurocentric. I love that this world offers legitimiate solutions and ideas as to how we can overcome cultural barriers to make living and working alongside people we may not understand completely easier, and its a book which preaches so much respect and love of neighbour. Its also a bit philosophical and thoughtful, looks alot into human nature and the human condition, and some of the things we do as people which are kind of crazy. 10: Its a bit of fun Despite everything, its an incredibly fun book. A wild ride through unfamiliar space, with a crew thats both wacky and wonderful. The characters are insane, and some of the things they do are just odd. Meeting the new species, experiencing cultures which are crazily bizarre is fun, and getting to picture and imagine all these new species with their outlandish appearances and behaviours was honestly a bit of an imagination workout -- which I LOVE. Its just a feel good book, in a feel good world where everything seems a little less bad and so it was nice to inhibit for a while. A BOOK FOR FANS OF: Illuminae (for alot of reasons), The Raven Cycle (if you like how its abt characters youll like this too), Enders Game, Star Wars, and dozens of others.I really think this is a book alot of people could enjoy. “All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.” ACTUAL RATING: 4 by Becky Chambers