24 in ’24 Challenge – Book 22 “The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers

I think that I originally bought A Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet by Becky Chambers because I read a recommendation on Social Media and then saw the book in a second-hand bookshop at a very reasonable price. It has, like so many of the volumes in my 24 in ’24 Challenge, lingered on my to-be-read pile for a long time because my attention has been grabbed by other titles. I am very glad, however, that I made the decision to add it to this challenge because this is a wonderful book.

In my time I have read a lot of science fiction set on spaceships travelling across the galaxy for one reason or another and I have tended to find them fixated on the technical side of things, mostly about exploring new worlds, and nearly always dealing with conflict and war between worlds and species. This book is a little different in that the spaceship is only the setting for telling the stories about the ship’s crew. This is a character driven story rather than a plot driven one.

The crew of the Wayfarer is one made up from various different species in a universe where travel between planets and solar systems is enabled by making tunnels in space. The Wayfarer makes these tunnels and has been engaged for its biggest commission ever which involves a long journey through space to create one end of the tunnel. The story takes place during this journey as the crew interact with each other and with planets and other ships they meet along the way.

There is a story or a secret for each member of the crew. Some are romantic, some require an important decision to be made and some are about the crew member’s background which is revealed. There are real issues raised in these sub-plots about identity and relationships and during the long journey the crew find themselves having to overcome personal issues as well as deal with what happens along the way. At the end of the journey there is real conflict and the crew has to work together to try and save themselves and others.

I thought that this was a brilliant book. I loved the way in which the author blends all the stories together until you feel like you know these very different people of many species. I liked the fact that the book didn’t throw lots of technical or scientific information at the reader. I felt that the book was very hopeful about the coexistence of different species whilst realistic about the fact that conflict creates losses.

I was not aware when I sat down to read this book that the author has now written several more set in the same universe and peripheral to the crew of the Wayfarer. I am very much looking forward to reading more stories told this way and set in this universe.