![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/LongWayCvr.jpg?resize=196%2C299&ssl=1\")
HarperCollins Publishers, LLC, \u00a9 2014\nISBN 9780062444134
\nPrint length 467 pages, $10.81\n
<\/p>HarperCollins Publishers, LLC, \u00a9 2014
\nISBN 9780062444134
\nPrint length 467 pages, $10.81\n
When Rosemary\u2019s feet leave Mars for the first time, it\u2019s to take a cramped pod shuttle to rendezvous with her new employer, Captain Ashby Santoso, aboard the Wayfarer<\/em>, a tunneling ship that digs passages through space, shortcuts for travel throughout the Galactic Commons. While Rosemary is running from<\/em> family problems, she finds that she has run to <\/em>a new home, one she won\u2019t want to leave behind.<\/p>\n Long Way<\/em> is character-driven space opera at its finest. The capable but quirky crew consists of Captain Ashby, pilot Sissix, algeist Corbin, techs Kizzy and Jenks, clerk Rosemary, medic and cook Doctor Chef, navigator Ohan, and the ship\u2019s AI Lovey. Their ship, Wayfarer<\/em>, is a hodge-podge of cobbled-together parts and equipment that somehow, through the expert ministrations of Kizzy and Jenks, functions at or near optimum. Still, its small stature and low-end tunneling equipment suit it only for small jobs. Ashby has occasionally dreamed of taking his ship and crew to the next level, but credits are tight and one does not just step operations up a notch without the proper equipment.<\/p>\n So when a prime new job practically lands in his lap\u2014not just any job, but one that would significantly boost the crew\u2019s and the ship\u2019s credits, status and capabilities\u2014Ashby says yes. Their assignment is to connect the Galactic Commons to a distant, newly opened territory. No problem, except that there\u2019s no pre-established tunnel, nor any anchor in the new space toward which they can aim a new passage. The Wayfarer<\/em> must travel to their destination without shortcuts. A year of close quarters, idle hands and potential risks all seem worthwhile\u2014until they arrive.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not the point of the story. While the climax helps to drive the narrative, Long Way<\/em> is really about the characters. En route to their goal, Wayfarer<\/em> stops at various ports of call to make essential purchases, to relieve the long-haul boredom, or just to visit with friends and family. It\u2019s these episodes that make the story more interesting as we learn more about the characters and their various species and cultural norms. The crew, inter-species though they may be, are indeed a family of the heart. Through good times and bad, they stick together and support one another as family should. More than once, I had tears in my eyes as I read moving emotional sequences.<\/p>\n Author Becky Chambers takes on a lot in this uplifting, hopeful tale. In a Galactic community, where species are as different from one another as it is possible to be, somehow the powers that be have managed to find and maintain a delicate balance. Humans are new to the mix, adding volatility that had been resolved long ago by the more traveled races; what\u2019s important to note is that Long Way<\/em> takes on issues critical to such a melting-pot social setting like ethical questions, moral quandaries, gender issues and cultural differences between species, the sorts of things that humans can\u2019t seem to master in this <\/em>world. Chambers clearly holds strong, positive opinions on these and similar topics, and they shine through in her narrative.<\/p>\n There is no one set protagonist or antagonist in this book. Instead, the reader sees through the eyes of each crewmember at one time or another, but for me this did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. I found myself cheering the crew as they prospered, or laughing at their hijinks, or holding my breath for their safety or resolution in tight situations. Although humans fill a small space in this larger tale, the other species also wrangled with issues that would be familiar to any of us. I had no trouble relating to non-human characters. My only criticism is that I would have liked to see more about the physical appearances of the various species so I could imagine them as I read. Chambers does a passable job in this area, but she so excels in the rest of the story I can forgive this small shortcoming.<\/p>\n Overall, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet<\/em> is the most enjoyable read I\u2019ve experienced in a long time. Its positive attitude and the compassionate outlook of the characters truly lifted my spirit. I can\u2019t recommend it enough.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HarperCollins Publishers, LLC, \u00a9 2014 ISBN 9780062444134 Print length 467 pages, $10.81 When Rosemary\u2019s feet leave Mars for the first time, it\u2019s to take a cramped pod shuttle to rendezvous with her new employer, Captain Ashby Santoso, aboard the Wayfarer, a tunneling ship that digs passages through space, shortcuts for travel throughout the Galactic Commons….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-1U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3822,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/09\/the-wayfarer-series\/","url_meta":{"origin":118,"position":0},"title":"The Wayfarer Series","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"February 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet ISBN-13: 978-0062444134 Kindle Version, file size 3004 KB; \u00a9 2015 Paperback, 464 pages; \u00a9 2016 A Closed and Common Orbit ISBN-13: 978-0062569400 Kindle Version, file size 1251 KB; \u00a9 2016 Paperback, 384 pages; \u00a9 2017 Record of a Spaceborn Few ISBN-13: 978-0062699220\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Wayfarer-683x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":141,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/26\/a-closed-and-common-orbit-by-becky-chambers\/","url_meta":{"origin":118,"position":1},"title":"A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"March 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Harper Voyager, \u00a9 2016 ISBN 9780062569400 Print length 384 pages, $16.99 This stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers\u2019 debut novel, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, begins 28 minutes after a sentient AI personality has been transferred from the body of a ship to a human-like body. 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