- Buy the book here
- Page Count: 416
- Genre: Science Fiction
Spaceships. Aliens. Found family. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is the lighthearted, slice-of-life style science fiction novel I didn’t know I’d been longing for. The story follows the crew of the Wayfarer, a tunneling ship working on a long-haul job. As opposed to the plot-heavy style of most popular sci-fi, Chambers chooses to focus more on the interpersonal dynamics of a crew crammed in close quarters. There’s the eclectic Kizzy and fellow engineer Jenks, steadfast captain Ashby, reptillian pilot Sissix, removed navigator Ohan, argumentative algaest Corbin, newcomer Rosemarie, and Dr. Chef, whose name describes his position on board perfectly.
What really makes this story is the characters. Chambers fleshes each of their backstories out and lets readers in on their secrets, desires, and dreams. It’s not hard to imagine an entire galalxy existing outside of the Wayfarer even though the story tends to keep close to the crew. Chambers weaves the backstories of the characters into the narrative in order to craft this larger implication of places and planets unknown, as well giving a hypothetical history for how humans departed from Earth and joined into the larger universe.
Most of the conflicts are small, and the entire essence of the story tends to stay lighthearted and friendly. Sissix and Corbin fight, Rosemarie holds back on sharing her past with the others, and Ashby’s personal life is guarded. But tensions are amended, and the close-knit crew lean on each other as they travel across space. Chambers brings a unique perspective to adventure stories by focusing on the parts of life that may seem mundane. It opens up the term “adventure” to be more than points of heavy action, violence, and suspense, but rather shows the emotional lives of characters on a journey. Change continues to come at the crew of the Wayfarer in the most unexpected ways. And while they might not be shooting space lasers or navigating asteroid fields every other page, each character comes out incredibly changed by the time they reach their destination.
With so many characters, that means a lot of narrative voices on the page. Some, in my opinion, carried more weight than others. Jenks, Sissix, and Ashby tended to feel the most developed in their voices, though I also found myself drawn to Rosemarie’s story as the ship’s newcomer. I wanted to learn more about her, and hoped her story would step more into the center of the story.
That famous Emerson quote “Its the not the destination, It’s the journey” and every similar iteration really applies to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. The character studies and focus on the mundane of space travel is what makes the story so special. For a setting as expansive and daunting as the entirety of outer space, the book’s cozy, warm atmosphere is really what makes it special.
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