Becky Chambers writes science fiction which emphasises humanity, society and relationships more than it does the actual science. I have already reviewed two of her books which I loved – see here and here for reviews. Record of a Spaceborn Few is set in the same universe as the previous two stories and peripherally shares some characters, but it can be read as a stand-alone with no detriment to understanding.
In this universe and a few centuries in the past a huge fleet of ships left Earth holding the final humans. It has travelled through space and generations of people have been born and grown up on board but now that Earth and humans have been fully integrated into the galactic community humanity is free to live on any planet. The remaining inhabitants of the fleet are preserving their way of life but beginning to question why it needs to continue.
This book tells a number of stories focussing on different narrators. They all become linked, although each featured character faces their own challenges. I found this way of telling the story easy enough to follow and I liked how each new narrator enhanced and elaborated on what previous voices had shared with the reader. By the end of the book you get a full picture of the challenges facing this fragile society, how they are perceived by those outside the fleet and how things are beginning to change.
The story here is slight and there is very little plot to drive things along. I liked the emphasis on the way of life and the slow changes in this society but if you are looking for a standard space opera then this is not the book for you. I loved it. I thought that the writing was superb and that the author talked about belonging, letting go and the responsibility that we owe to strangers in a clever way. I found myself emotionally engaged with the characters and the decisions that they had to make.
Even if you are not a great fan of science fiction I would recommend these books because they talk about people, our choices and our hopes for the future.
Anne Is Reading 