Wednesday, July 26, 2017

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

My book for July was The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. After seeing her second book was nominated for a 2017 Hugo Award for best novel, I bought Chambers' debut novel. Chambers originally self-published her first book via a Kickstarter campaign.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet received a fair amount of acclaim. The book was included on Library Journal's Best SFF of 2016, the Barnes & Nobles Sci-Fi Fantasy Blog Best Books of 2015, the Tor.com Best Books of 2015, Reader’s Choice, as well as nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Kitschie, and the Bailey's Women's Prize.

Set in Chambers' fictional universe called the Galactic Commons, the story follows Rosemarie Harper. Fleeing her old life, she joins the multi-species crew of the Wayfarer as a file clerk and follows them on their various missions throughout the galaxy.

The book is worth reading for its characters and world building. The development of the alien characters and the relationships created between her human and non-human characters is imaginative.

I give the book a strong "B+" grade. I am definitely going to read the sequel titled A Closed and Common Orbit.

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