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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, 1)

National Bestseller!

The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece, Hugo Award winner for Best Series!

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space--and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe--in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn't expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she's never met anyone remotely like the ship's diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy--exactly what Rosemary wants. It's also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn't part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary's got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs--an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn't necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

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464 pages

Average rating: 7.92

103 RATINGS

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13 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
10/10 stars
4.75

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is one of my favorite books of all time, and yet it took me a while to finally pick this up. Like a Psalm for the Wild-Built, the sci-fi setting is both a compelling atmosphere and a mechanism for philosophical discussion. The descriptions of how non-human sentient species approach the world and each other will often lead the presumably human reader to reconsider aspects of our own culture in comparison.

The book is also an excellent example of a found family almost slice-of-life story with a diverse cast of characters dealing with a variety of circumstances with a variety of stakes. It's like Firefly, but with more focus on the "small stuff" and interpersonal relationships. The emotional experience of the characters is always at the core of the more action-heavy sequences, which I appreciated. I did cry at one point, so I certainly got invested in this crew.

The audiobook narrator wasn't my favorite, but she did well enough covering a variety of voices.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Violence
Minor: War, Sexual content, Drug use, Xenophobia, Genocide, Medical content, and Terminal illness
m_m
Oct 10, 2024
9/10 stars
A nice science fiction story which deals into some deeper aspects of the human condition, from an alien perspective. The ending is bittersweet, and I was really hoping that these characters would continue in the second book but seems not be the case...
Rayna
Aug 30, 2024
10/10 stars
One reviewer stated this as “beginner sci-fi”, and from my limited experience with the genre I’m tempted to agree because I absolutely loved this book. The world building was interesting without being hard to keep track of. Could there have been more depth? Maybe, but the length of the novel was perfect for me, and more depth would’ve made it a longer read. I loved all the forays into different species and conversations around different ways of thinking, being and accepting one another. I loved the representation of beings that don’t get recognized enough in our own society. I loved the messiness of inter-species interactions. I just flat out have only positive things to say about this self-published story, and am excited to read more in the series.
Thommy
Aug 04, 2024
10/10 stars
I inhaled this book. Chambers takes on the tradition of such sci fi franchises as Star Trek, which paints the hope for a better and more understanding future.
M00NBUN
May 13, 2024
10/10 stars
I'm not usually a big SciFi consumer but this book was full of life. The world building and character details were so vibrant and unique. Becky Chambers is absolutely brilliant.

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