My Goodreads review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is yet another book (audiobook, in my case) that made me long for the ability to assign half stars in ratings. To me, this one was actually a 4.5 star read -- so I guess I've compromised by giving it a solid 4 stars on Audible & 5 here.

However it ought to be rated, this bit of apparently light & (mostly) happy SF actually carries a lot of weight along with its in-depth worldbuilding & character development. Chambers has fitted a number of important SF questions into her plot, without ever bogging it down in philosophy. Along with that perennial favorite, Who Counts As a Person? she also gets in queries about the ethics of saving a life against the wishes of the person being saved, the limits of pacifism in a hostile universe, the choice of an intelligent species NOT to survive, the rights of clones, & a few others.

There is also the refreshing change of having humans (Terran or offworlder) not being at the center of things, but rather being minor league newcomers with a lot to prove. Some of the other species found here may seem a bit familiar to veteran SF readers (coldblooded reptiles, two-in-one species, naturally armored & violent types) , but most have more going on than it first appears.

I haven't detailed the plot of this one, because (a) plenty of reviewers have done an excellent job of this, & (b) the plot is only a small part of the pleasure here. Readers looking for immersive space adventure with a generally upbeat tone & sympathetic characters won't be disappointed.



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