A review by kj468
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is stunning. It's so wonderfully crafted, and the worldbuilding is truly outstanding -- Becky Chambers paid attention to the small details when creating this future world, and it shows. This was not a quick read for me -- it took me 3 weeks to finish and I read a bit almost every day. Because the world is so richly constructed, my brain needed frequent digesting breaks, which isn't a bad thing (and also might not be true for other people!). 

This was definitely a 5-star read for me, & here are a few of the (non-spoilery) reasons why:

  • All of the interspecies dynamics were AMAZING. It really added to the world-building how individual species had different views on major topics in the book (e.g., politics, interspecies relations/relationships/friendships) and their own cultural customs (e.g., greetings, communication of emotions and thoughts, personal space). Also, the childlike wonder of seeing someone from a completely new species was so pure and so sweet.
  • I really like that of all the species in the Galactic Commons, humans are pretty low in the ranks, even considered refugees because they were almost wiped out entirely. It's humbling and a good commentary on the flaws of humanity to read a book full of diverse species where humans aren't the most evolved or mature.
  • The plot is so well interconnected. Seemingly small happenings from one chapter show up several chapters later in important ways -- I imagine it would make for excellent rereading! 
  • Such thorough characterization! Each of the characters on the Wayfarer has such a robust personality, and their actions & thoughts are so consistently in character. This book is chock full of characters, and in the hands of a less talented author, it would easily overwhelm me. But because Becky Chambers has fleshed out all the main (and even many of the side) characters so well, I was able to keep them all straight and never confused their backstories or opinions.
  • I really liked the actual structure of the book. There's definitely an overarching plot, and information slowly gets revealed about it leading up to the significant conflict, and most chapters serve the overarching plot in some way. But at the same time, it reads like interconnected short stories or a tv show, with each (often fairly long) chapter having its own rise and fall of action with a resolution to whatever the presented conflict was. As someone with anxiety, I really loved having the assurance that the "side quest" type conflicts would be resolved and (relatively) contained to their chapter -- I didn't have to worry as much about all the things that could go wrong, and could just enjoy the ride more. 
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pov: third person // #pov: ...8? every main character and a couple side characters take the reins at some point
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rep: sapphic relationship, cross-species relationships, chosen family
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ratings: adventure: 5 // worldbuilding: 5,000 // funny: 3.5 // romance: 3 // plot: 5 // ease: 2.5 // total: 5
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