Review: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Title: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Author: Becky Chambers

Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: July 2014

Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars

 

Although space opera is one of my favorite subgenres, I admit that sometimes fiction written in that vein can be hit or miss. Sometimes the world building is off, or there isn’t enough believable characterization, or the story draws too much upon genre tropes. A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, however, is like a breath of fresh air and a must-read for space opera fans who are interested in character development, well-drawn world-building, and drama and adventure that falls squarely on the warm and fuzzy side. Following a connecting web of characters, this novel takes place in a future where humans have become a spacefaring species and cooperate with a diverse array of alien races. The focus of the tale is the crew of the Wayfarer, a civilian tunneling ship that digs tunnels through space-time to allow for galactic travel. Headed by Captain Ashby, the crew consists of endearing techies Kizzy and Jenks, pilot Sissix who belongs to a free-loving reptilian-esque alien race, a personable AI named Lovey, a multi-limbed alien named Dr. Chef who patches up the crew and prepares their meals, a mysterious, spiritual navigator, and a pink human that nobody really cares for. We meet the crew just as Rosemary Harper, their newest addition as clerk, is joining their adventures.

The standouts of A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet are definitely the ways that the characters interact, and the means that Chambers conveys information about the world. The crew is diverse and each member has their own unique backstory contributing to how they ended up on the Wayfarer and why they view the world the way that they do. Rosemary, as the newest member, is our means to get to know them, learn more about the alien races and their cultures, and learn more about the world in general. Instead of an info dump, Chambers reveals history about different alien races through conversations, logs, and revealing interactions. This provides an immersive reading experience that allows the reader to fully commit to this world and accept its fantastic elements.

Characters in Chambers’ Sci-Fi are also non-traditional and the development of the human race is believable. Humans appearing Caucasian is a maligned novelty, as most humans have become multiracial. Although each alien species has their own cultural standards, there is an overall acceptance of a spectrum of sexual orientation, gender identification, and cross-species interaction. Certain species are bisexual and uninhibited about mating; other species belong to both male and female genders across their lifetimes; some species are matriarchal while also militaristic; and humans have their own hierarchy of class and issues with upgrading their race to perfection. One crew member is a little person who some in this world of perfectly tailored humans would view as being lesser due to his size, and he chooses to augment his body in other ways through tattoos or wearable tech. Still, he never wants to completely change the way that he was born despite how society may view him. There are some interesting philosophical discussions raised throughout the book, like issues of cloning and monogamy, without taking away from the light, feel-good tone of the story.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough! If you played and loved Mass Effect, or if you wish there were more seasons of Firefly, this is the book for you. The second book set in this world, A Closed and Common Orbit, is a stand-alone sequel and was just released in October. You better believe I’m reading that next!