The Galaxy, and the Ground Within audiobook

Again, a commonly seen sci-fi trope is described from a new, fascinating perspective of which no other author had the ingenuity to see the potential.Back to the roots of the ingenious first novel, this completely character focused part again deals with social, sociological societal, and psychological topics by using the good old “putting people that will certainly have interesting debates and conflicts together in a small space they can´t escape from“ trope. In contrast to older social sci-fi that sometimes had a lecturing and biased undertone that lead to less identification with the characters, Chambers uses permanent character povs to construct intensive, credible, and deep pictures of future worlds, adding much philosophy, social criticism, and depth in the best way possible. By integrating it into the main red plotline, character motivations, and fractions ideological goals, letting it explode in mostly nonviolent, still very thrilling ways that leave the reader with thoughts about many important issues, Chambers shows how social sci-fi can flex its muscles and own the genre with innovative, progressive ideas. Adding the suspense, mysterious backstory element to the show makes it even more thrilling than Chambers´other works, following the tradition of luring crime and thriller fans into sci-fi lands, Asimov and Lem loved to use in their works. Again, without violence and action by fully focusing on internal thought processes, dialogues, inner monologues, using some of the most difficult to write styles like a boss. Just as Octavia E Butler and Nnedi Okorafor, Chambers goes fully subtle against discrimination, prejudices, and racism, putting the bad human habits into future scenarios where only the tech is shiny and new, while the ideology of tribalistic Stoneage idiocy is still big in many species. It´s opening the fascinating question if the superficiality and xenophobia of the human, and other alien, species will someday really be the reason for not just hate crimes, but wars and xenocides as first acts of galactic or intergalactic first contact diplomacy. If every technological development and physical discovery has been successful and just the ape, squid, insect, or whatever instinct, to attack and kill everything new and foreign, is the reason for unnecessary suffering. I wish I would remember more of what I´ve read, and of course have generally read more, sci-fi to get all the hidden easter eggs and innuendos, because I have a kind of intuitive, subjective feeling that Chambers is the kind of person that likes to put extra hidden inside jokes besides all the underlying social criticism. Or I´m just projecting too much into it because I´m fanboying and glorifying too much, who knows. What I´ve noticed the most while reading groundbreaking, ingenious, social, female sci-fi is how much more accessible, and especially more entertaining it is, for all other readers who aren´t used to the genre and prefer to go with the protagonists or not too complex worldbuilding. Too detailed descriptions, technobabble, dozens of page long fights and terraforming projects, author ego driven hypercomplex philosophical, technological, and societal concepts, and especially hard sci-fi and too grimdark dystopias making it difficult for readers to enter the future worlds. And that´s where female sci-fi writers rock, taking great characters with everyday, relationship, and all kind of gender identity problems and letting them live in future worlds with some grains of tech and action, but mostly character development. It´s so good and so different from what I am used to read from mostly male, white WEIRD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychol...STEM writers. They´re great, but have created a kind of monoculture where other cultures and especially the feminine perspective are completely underrepresented, just as in real life. Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

This series though! 🥰Another wonderful addition to the Wayfarers series. Although I don’t think any of them have topped A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, I’ve enjoyed continuing nonetheless. Book 4 is set at a truck stop in space. For all your fuel, food and relaxation needs. But when a technical malfunction means that 4 very different characters are stuck together, things get tricky. 3 visitors plus the woman who runs the shop and her child. Becky Chambers’ world building is so intricate, with all the stereotypes and discrimination between the species. She manages to incorporate discussions about war, climate change and the weirdness of cheese - all in a book about aliens! But ultimately it has Chambers’ feel good vibes, I loved the characters (maybe Speaker least but 🤷‍♀️). Becky Chambers has cemented an enjoyment of Sci fi in me. ********************** Library copy available for pick up Really needed some good news and this has cheered me 😊******************Another book in the Wayfarers series? Sign me up!!!!

My heart!!!!!!! What can I say about Becky Chambers that I haven't already said a thousand times before? I just absolutely adore the Wayfarers series and this book was no exception. The characters in this wrapped themselves around my heart in all the best ways and I cried my way through the last 10% of this one because I just cared for all of the characters so damn much. If you love character driven stories and haven't yet checked out this series, YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO RIGHT THIS MINUTE. It is EVERYTHING.

Chambers does it again with her character-driven warm-fuzzies-in-space-opera fiction.I've enjoyed all of these books for exactly what they are. Not a traditional space-opera in any normal sense of the word except in the dodads, alien species, and space-travel, but while we DO have all of these bits, the story is always down-to-earth, small, and focused on getting by, developing relationships, and sometimes even a taste or three of a few universals.You know, like being upset with governmental stupidities in crisis, learning to live and love in very restrained and difficult situations, and coming to grips with old injustices and even the injustice of certain ideas.In other words, it's our modern world with SF trappings. 'Wayfarers', in the title, is not misleading. We're literally stuck in a space truck stop for the entire novel. It's not getting out of this backwater place that is the core of this plot. It's getting out of ourselves.

While this isn't my favourite book of Becky Chambers', I can't deny that it felt good to be back in the Wayfarers universe.While this one has arguably even less plot than the earlier instalments in the series, Becky's writing is so comforting to me at this point that I am happy to be along for the ride in these cosy sci-fi stories that put a new perspective on modern societal issues on the back drop of an incredibly diverse universe.

The Lovers' FarewellThink of home when you are far from here.Let it be your comfort.Think of us when you are alone.Remember always our bright days,Remember song,Remember joy.Remember the purple sky.Remember dark faces, old and beloved.Remember children, their shells still white. Cheese! And an embarrassingly out-of-their-depth government agency that very much reminded me of governments and how they are (not) handling this pandemic. Just two very hilarious / poignant details in this 4th volume of the Wayfarers series and yes, there is a direct connection to the characters of the first book. :)We’re on the planet Gora, a barren world known only because it happens to be situated closely to more popular worlds, making it the perfect stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep this series’ galaxy connected. At the "Five-Hop One-Stop", spacers can get fuel, transit permits and assorted supplies. But when something happens (what exactly is quite unimportant), three such spacers (all different species) are suddenly stranded with the alien running the place and her offspring.The actual story is about who these individuals are, where they’ve been and where they want to go from here.As is usual for this author, the story is not about explosions and action scenes, but about the character studies and developments. This results in a very colorful and interesting story but one that isn’t "loud". Either one likes that sort of thing or one doesn’t. I happen to appreciate both, depending on the execution.Especially since the "quietness" of this series doesn’t mean no deep and complicated matters such as (class) warfare, intercultural expansion, physical disabilities or other socio-political problems are being addressed.I also liked the setting in which the topics where explored. I mean, what do you do if you can’t just walk away? If you can’t just call emergency services in case of an actual emergency? When you’re stranded and shut in?While I did like volumes 2 and 3 of the series a lot, volume 1 will always be the best - but this 4th volume is a very close second!The writing style was once again wonderful, the descriptions rich and conveying the necessary gravitas of certain events while also highlighting emotional impacts, letting the events flow as smoothly as any conventional, action-packed adventure story.Moreover, there were some nods to the other books and a strong bond with the first that had me laugh in delight (including a serious "d’aw"-moment). :DThe series is a bit different from the usual sci-fi stuff out there, but truly great.

Once again Becky Chambers has restored my faith in humanity. This novel feels like the perfect remedy to the shit show that was 2020 and honestly could not have come at a more perfect time. Her writing has this captivating quality that takes you in it's arms and makes you feel like everything is going to be okay with the world. The Galaxy and The Ground Within is a very quiet yet profound novel and personally I think it's such a refreshing change from a lot of the high octane sci-fi thillers we get nowadays. The major theme of the book is a contemplation on what it means to accept both others and yourelf, to me this is such a beautiful thing to explore and definetly a lesson I think a lot of the world needs, on treating people who are different from you with respect, grace and kindness. In terms of plot and characters, we follow a small group of characters (who I absolutely adore, they might be my fvaourite cast of the wayfayers books, although I do also adore the wayfayer crew in the long way), who are all strangers at the start of the novel, but due to unforseen circumstances they are stuck together planetside on Gora. Gora is a planet which doesn't have its own indiginous species, but instead has become a sort of stopover port, in the middle of a wormhole gate system.The main charcaters we follow are:Ouloo - Ouloo is the owner of the one stop five hop, a sort of resort for travellers to take a rest on their way to where they are going next, whilst waiting for their turn in the wormhole gate crew. Ouloo is mother to Tupo and is very passionate about making her guests feel welcome and accepted. Tupo - Xe is Ouloo's child and is one of my favoruite characters ever. Becky chambers perfectly captured the spirit of a pre-teen/teenager who wants to be xyr own person but also very much still needs xyr parent. Tupo is sweet yet mischivous and so curious about the world. Pei - Another one of my absolute favourites, we have actually met Pei before, as Ashby's love interest. But seeing her on her own and discovering her character as an indivual, her wants and goals, as well as her struggles (paticularly about her relationship with Ashby - which she feels a lot of guilt about) was such a pleasure to read. Her storyline is so beautiful, coming to terms with what she wants for her life and standing up for herself to herself (idk if that makes sense but it's the best way I can describe it!). Also some of the choices she maes towards the end of the book were so impactful and I think will resonate with a lot of women. Roveg - Roveg is a Quelin, an species which has ostracised themselves from the rest of the GC, who is exile and is very much the glue who holds this fledgeling group together (Pei and Speaker have very strong perosnalities and Roveg is the perfect balance to this). Keeping his own secrets and anxieties about the situation is character arc is very interesting to watch unfold throughout the novel. I also love how respectful and interested he is in other cultures and how fundamentally tied to his character this is. Speaker - She is another character who I just feel head over heels for, part of the Akarak race, a species we don't know much about, nor do the rest of the GC, Speaker has made herself into someone who is almost an ambassador for her species, however she often feels this burden and wants people to just accept her for who she is rather than who she presents to the world. She is also seperated from her twin sister at the start of the novel and you truly feel her anxiety and love for her sister and wanting to get back to her. We watch as the characters grow closer in their forced proximity, but also how they clash with one another and their differing world (galaxy?) views. Also how the characters are forced to take a break from their everyday lives and just spend a few days doing very little, just looking after themsleves and the others they are stuck with. This is a very important takeaway, especially with the current work climate of work yourself to death, as well as a reflection on how COVID has forced a lot of us to take a break and maye reflect a little on what we truly want from life. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, as well as some really emotional character moments, paticularly around themes of parenthood (which I am always a sucker for). Also some really sweet and wholesome moments, especially around the sharing of food and how that can help bring people together - another theme which resonated deeply with me. Finally there is an element of medicine/healing care which of course I also loved!!!! In conclusion The Galaxy and the Ground Within is probably tied with the Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for my favourite Wayfayers book, a beautiful novel about where you've been, where you are and where you are going.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.To say I was excited to get a Becky Chambers ARC would be an understatement. Becky Chambers has quickly become one of my favorite authors of all time, and I will read every single thing she publishes until the day she stops writing or the day I die, whichever comes first. In particular, her Wayfarers series never fails to transport me to this amazing world she’s developed.Something I really enjoyed about The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is that, unlike the previous books in this series, which were very centered around the Human experience in Chambers’ world of the Galactic Commons, none of the point-of-view characters were Human. We have Ouloo, the Laru owner of the Five-Hop One-Stop and single mother of Tupo; Speaker, an Akarak traveling with her sister, Tracker; Roveg, an exiled Quelin artist; and Pei, an Aeluon captain we originally met in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.As a result of finally focusing on more than just the Human perspective, Chambers really shows off her worldbuilding skills in this book. Almost the entire book takes place in one location, and yet I learned so much about different species, different worlds, different cultures, some of the political issues within the Galactic Commons, and more. I spend so much time in my reviews praising Chambers for her characters, and I truly do love her characters, but I wanted to add some praise for her worldbuilding up front because it’s honestly just as good as her character development and deserves the attention.Now back to the characters. A Close and Common Orbit was my favorite book in the series so far in part because of how much I related to one of the main characters, Sidra. I’ve always enjoyed Chambers’ characters, but there’s something special and validating about a character who’s going through something you’ve been through. I was able to get that experience again in The Galaxy, and the Ground Within with Pei.Pei is in a relationship with Ashby, the Human captain from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which they have to keep a secret because Aeluons have a strong taboo against interspecies romance. Pei’s internal struggle between not wanting to keep this secret any longer but also not wanting to damage her career by telling everyone the truth was very similar to the internal struggle I went through when I was in the closet. Not for the first time reading one of Chambers’ books, I felt seen.I fell in love with the other characters as well. Ouloo and Tupo were so wholesome, especially their efforts to make all their guests feel welcome. Roveg was impossible not to like, and his budding friendship with Speaker was heartwarming. In typical Chambers fashion, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is an extremely character-driven story, maybe even more so than any of the previous books in this series. If you like that about this series, you’ll probably like this book too. If you didn’t, you probably won’t. My one complaint about this book – other than the lack of plot, which I more or less expected – would be that the characters felt more introspective than in previous books, to the point where I sometimes felt I was being told and not shown their personalities and emotions. But overall, as always, the characters were great, their relationships were great, and the worldbuilding was spectacular.

In her writing, Becky Chambers is remarkably adept at exploring any conflict through a compassionate perspective that sometimes verges on the overly-sugary but also just happens to be something we all need in this capitalist hellscape.This book in particular, focuses on a planet-wide crisis that leaves its characters stranded, isolated and reliant on strangers. Had I read the blurb, I would have been sure it wouldn't work because it's too soon. We aren't desensitized enough to read pandemic inspired science fiction and not get offended by atleast some aspects of it. But Becky Chambers always surprises me.This book captures the simultaneous close-encounter-with and detachment-from the here-now that we experience during a crisis really well, while also incorporating several other themes like a refugee crisis, speciesism, ableism, war, social taboos, motherhood, the unbridgeable gap between us and the other and the extra kindness that our interactions therefore demand. And relief of all reliefs: there isn't a single heteronormative, white, human male character here. Actually, there isn't any sort of human character if you don't count mere mentions.More than anything, Becky Chambers here shows (shows, not tells) that compassion, understanding and sustainable solutions are possible even during a situation that enforces a collective alienation. Oh and about that whole debate between Pei and Speaker, I am and will always be team speaker. Don't try telling me that there are no teams. Even here, Chambers brilliantly demonstrates how a position of privilege and power can and will cloud your scope for any sort of egalitarian and objective understanding.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, isn’t it, Becky? At the same time, my nerves were frayed and my spirit low, so a Wayfarer novel was just what the doctor ordered when my pre-order was finally delivered – even if it’s the final tome of this beloved series.Gora is a little planet with no natural ecosystem or natural resources, but it happens to be located at the juncture of several wormholes managed by the Galactic Commons to facilitate long-distance space travel; in other words, it’s the perfect spot for a rest stop that will give travelers a chance to stretch, rest and have a snack during a layover. This is precisely what three aliens of different species had planned to do: a little stop at the homely establishment of Five-Hop One-Stop to refuel before moving on. But alas, when a freak accident seriously damages the planet’s satellites and brings down all comms for an indeterminate period of time, the travelers are stranded.Chambers works with a classic crossroads metaphor with this book, as all of her characters have a personal choice to make in order to go forward when they end up stranded at the Five-Hop. The personal and the political are subtly mixed, because they do remain closely intertwined, even if we like to pretend otherwise (and even on other planets, I assume).As usual, she gives us wonderfully fleshed out, multi-dimensional characters, incredibly imaginative aliens species and cultures and fun, intriguing settings to explore. Ouloo and her teenage child Tupo have made their little hostel as comfortable as possible for any alien species who might drop by, and frankly, it sounds like the rest stop I would love to find on my next roadtrip: a little garden, a spa room and endless cake? Yes, please!But as usual, where Chambers really shines is with her amazing character development. Rovek (a Quelin – a crustacean-like species with multiple legs and a hard keratin shell) might have been my favorite, and it was great to reconnect with Pei, the Aeluon captain (and girlfriend of Captain Ashby https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) but I was both fascinated and saddened by Speaker’s story, and I felt deeply for Ouloo, who gave herself no small task when she decided to raise her child in as diverse an environment as possible. Exile, parenthood, survival in a world that is simply not build for you, the loyalty to one’s culture while understanding that its flawed… Those things are not easy to deal with, and different cultures have different ideas about them, but under the shell or fur or scales, we are not as different as we might think, as these five aliens find out during the outage. (I must add that as an unrepentant cheese-addict, I have to tip my hat to Chambers for describing cheese in a way that made me go "oh god, that IS fucking weird!" in this book. I'm still going to shove brie in my face, but I definitely see why aliens would find that upsetting.)I love the way this series’ books are connected, because it draws a wonderful picture of the interconnectedness between people, even when they are from different planets, and that even when they don’t agree on everything, they are still part of each other’s lives. It makes me happy to think that her characters are better off for having known each other, even if they could never have imagined such a thing. While I wouldn’t say her books are didactic, Chambers is clearly an advocate of compassion, tolerance and open dialogue, something the world could use a bit more of, and as I said in my other reviews of her books, sometimes, it’s just nice to imagine a world where people get along better. It may feel too cutesy for some, but I needed the warm and fuzzy hug of this book.A series that I am sad to leave behind but already look forward to revisiting!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet made me fall in love with Becky Chambers’ writing and with her imagination. I enjoyed the next two Wayfarers books even if my excitement wasn’t always as high and my awe as all-encompassing as with that first book. Chambers’ writing is precise and meticulous, perfectly suited to world-building, with the right amount of details to feel complete without being dull or overwhelming.Besides the fascinating universe Chambers has created, another aspect of her books continuously delights me, and that’s the characters. Every single character feels whole and they all still live in me months or years after I’ve read the book. Pei is one of those characters. She may not have been one of the main characters in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet but I remember her very well, which, as you know if you’ve read my reviews before, doesn’t happen often. I loved the idea of getting to know her better and Chambers didn’t disappoint. The best part is, all the other characters were just as captivating and I enjoyed every second with each of them.The premiss of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is pretty simple: basically, it’s strangers stranded together “on a nothing planet in the middle of nowhere” (to quote Pei). Gora wouldn’t even register as a planet (its name means useless in Hanto) if it wasn’t perfectly situated between more interesting places. Think of it as a truck stop for spacers waiting in line to access the wormhole they need to get through to reach their real destination. One of the places where they can dock and rest, refuel and do whatever they need to do before getting back on the road – so to speak – is the Five-Hop One-Stop, operated by Ouloo and her non-binary child Tupo. All Ouloo wants is for her guests to be happy so when a technical incident stops all traffic, she’ll work twice as hard to make sure their stay is as comfortable as possible. Over the course of a few days, the hosts and their three guests will learn a lot about each other but also about themselves. They’re all different species: Ouloo and Tupo are Laru; Speaker is an Akarak with weak legs, whose sister Tracker stayed on the ship while she took the shuttle to Gora; Roveg is an exiled Quelin; Pei is an Aeluon, on her way to spend a few clandestine days with Ashby, the captain of the Wayfarer and the common denominator to all four books.There aren’t any humans in this story, and it feels like a perfect choice to end the series, especially as book three, Record of a Spaceborn Few, was all about humans. It brings perspective to the universe and while reminding the reader of how tiny each of us is in the grand scheme of things, it’s also fascinating to realise how relatable these characters are. One might argue that Chambers failed to make them diverse enough, considering they’re all different species, but I like the idea of common emotions and reactions regardless of how dissimilar they are in other respects. Their bonding over their shared confusion as to humans’ love of cheese is probably the funniest scene of the book.As I wrote before, there’s a deceptive quietness to the stories Becky Chambers tells. Stuff happens but most of it is not at the forefront. What matters isn’t so much events as how the characters react to them. The narrative may seem slow but there’s nothing boring about it. Chambers’ words envelop the reader whose only job is to let themselves be carried away. There’s something very poetic about the world(s) Chambers describes but – and that’s what I mean by deceptively quiet – that element doesn’t hide any of the ugly nor of the glorious.The message I got from this fourth and final book is one of agency. Which is true for the whole series, come to think of it. (Re)claiming one’s power, whether it be on one’s body, one’s mind, one’s story. Deciding for yourself, making your own choices in a way that, in the end, benefits everyone.The Galaxy, and the Ground Within doesn’t feel like an ending. I’m not sure if it’s a bad thing or a good thing, whether it should feel more final. I’ll let the optimist in me take over: if Becky Chambers was to change her mind and add more books to the series, they could fit seamlessly. I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

The entire Wayfarer series has been absolutely awesome, each entry wonderful in its own right, every one my new favourite. I adored all the characters in this story and found it very moving. Gave me the warm and fuzzies. Recommended.

I just adore this series, though I'm sad that this is the final book.

*weeping* how am I supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions??

ARC received from the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, in exchange for an honest review.4.5 stars.The Galaxy, and the Ground Within concludes Becky Chambers' wonderfully charming science fiction series with another heartwarming story that is so characteristic of all the Wayfarers books.This final volume harkens back to the themes that I've read and loved in the very first book, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. In most science fiction stories, there's always some form of study of the human condition as humanity is flung into circumstances which at this point only exists in the imagination of what-ifs and possibilities of what's to come. What Chambers did in her series is to shift that into an even more exaggerated form by giving us multi-species interactions in a space-age era with galactic-level governments and politics. Just imagine, even though our world has begun to feel a lot smaller with globalisation and technological advances, it is at the same time still fragmented as differences in races, religions and cultures remain as barriers between people.Apply this concept into the universe, across species and galaxies, and that's what you get with the Wayfarers series, which was felt most keenly in the first and last book of the series. However, humans are still physiologically the same despite the differences I've mentioned above. By extending this to multi-species, where some aliens don't even breath the same air or reproduce the same way, the barriers are magnified manifold. Somehow Chambers managed to make it work wonderfully in her stories, which are just narratives of these characters (with all their past history, cultural heritage, and even career choices) interacting with each other and learning how to tolerate, accept or even welcome the differences. Given these strong themes of acceptance, LBGTQIA representations are important in these books.In The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, we have three different alien species stuck on the planet Gora after a freak accident took out all the satellites in orbit. The danger of the space debris resulted in them having to stay grounded at their rest stop, the Five Hop, One Stop, run by a mother and son (Ouloo and Tupo) who were also of another type of alien species. The entire story played out as they all got to know each other, sometimes much more than what could be deemed as comfortable. One of these characters, an Akarak called Speaker, is the one that fascinated me the most as her species was probably one of the most misunderstood amongst them all.The character interactions are the best part of the book (and series) for me. Those who have read this series before would already know that these books do not centre its narrative around a plot. They are just stories about people and aliens. Stories that explore the condition of being alive, or what it means to have a place to call home or someone totally different to call a friend or even family. Warm and fuzzy feelings abound when I read this book, although it still wasn't as good as the first one for me. That one made me cry as my heart felt close to bursting.The Wayfarers books are connected only in the barest sense of an arc and through its worldbuilding, and each could entirely stand on its own. Having said that, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is still the best entry point into this series as there are threads which flow into its immediate sequel and this final instalment. I find it most unusual to consider The Galaxy, and the Ground Within as a conclusion as there really isn't anything to conclude upon. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and felt satisfied with the ending. I also found it to be a good book to be read together with another title; the lack of any real plot or tension means that it doesn't have that unputdownable quality but it sure made me feel good whenever I was reading it.  This is cosy science fiction at its best. Series rating: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: 5/5 stars A Closed and Common Orbit: 4.5/5 stars Record of a Spaceborn Few: 3.5/5 stars The Galaxy, and the Ground Within: 4.5/5 starsOverall: 17.5/20 starsYou can purchase the book from Book Depository (Free Shipping) | Bookshop.Org (Support Independent Bookstores | Amazon US | Amazon UKYou can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.

Becky Chambers' ability to craft such a lush and beautiful, queer world that feels like a giant, warm hug is incredible. Even though book one, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, is still my favorite in this entire series, this was still a great last installment. I loved the characters that we follow in this! One of whom is someone we met in book one, Pei, who was my favorite to follow in this. Everything about the world is just so beautifully diverse and this book was just so wholesome. This series feels like home.Ranking the Wayfarer series:1. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet2. A Closed and Common Orbit3. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within4. Record of a Spaceborn Few

Oh, but how my heart needed this book! I know a lot of you don't have access to Becky Chambers' newest release, so I'll keep this short and spoiler free. If you enjoyed the first three in the Wayfarers series, you'll enjoy this. Her characters and compassion are so lovely and she has definitely become one of my "comfort read" authors. This particular outing is focused on a sort of "cultural exchange" between an all-alien (non-human) cast, shedding more light on the universe (galaxy) which she has created, and its inhabitants. I adored the interactions, especially that of the youngest character! So unbelievably sweet-natured without being saccharine. Having said that, as with most of Chambers' series, there's not much of a plot. I certainly don't mind, since I love a good character study, but I know plot-less novels aren't for everyone.