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A review by singlier
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers 4.5/5 🍰s
With a heavy heart, I have finished the final installment of the Wayfarers series. I have deeply enjoyed this series, and although not my favorite text within it, this book nonetheless encapsulates everything I love about Chambers' charming slice-of-life sci-fi series.
This story centers around a small, planet called Gora and the truck-stop esque business run by a woman named Ouloo, whose aim in life is to provide her many-species clients a slice of home away from home. On a perfectly unremarkable day, three travelers stop by, hoping to refuel, stretch their legs, and rest before the next section of their journey: Pei, Speaker, and Roveg. When a crashed satellite halts interplanetary travel for the next five days, these strangers--all hailing from different species, cultures, backgrounds, and professions--learn from and how to live with one another, in ways they never thought possible.
Of the four texts in this series, I found this one to cover some of the heaviest and most precarious of topics: slavery, colonization, systemic oppression, tradition vs free will, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights. That being said, it is also a text that does not give any answers, either. Characters leave the end of their forced stay changed, but no one way of being is touted above another.
The strongest point of Chambers' books is her characters, and this one is no exception. Every character's personality is bright and vibrant, well-developed in space provided on the page. This being said, not a lot happens in this book. Conflicts are mostly internal, and are played out through conversations or internal monologues. Not a bad format, but not particularly exciting, either.
Overall, I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series, if character-driven, LGBTQ sci-fi is your fancy.
With a heavy heart, I have finished the final installment of the Wayfarers series. I have deeply enjoyed this series, and although not my favorite text within it, this book nonetheless encapsulates everything I love about Chambers' charming slice-of-life sci-fi series.
This story centers around a small, planet called Gora and the truck-stop esque business run by a woman named Ouloo, whose aim in life is to provide her many-species clients a slice of home away from home. On a perfectly unremarkable day, three travelers stop by, hoping to refuel, stretch their legs, and rest before the next section of their journey: Pei, Speaker, and Roveg. When a crashed satellite halts interplanetary travel for the next five days, these strangers--all hailing from different species, cultures, backgrounds, and professions--learn from and how to live with one another, in ways they never thought possible.
Of the four texts in this series, I found this one to cover some of the heaviest and most precarious of topics: slavery, colonization, systemic oppression, tradition vs free will, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights. That being said, it is also a text that does not give any answers, either. Characters leave the end of their forced stay changed, but no one way of being is touted above another.
The strongest point of Chambers' books is her characters, and this one is no exception. Every character's personality is bright and vibrant, well-developed in space provided on the page. This being said, not a lot happens in this book. Conflicts are mostly internal, and are played out through conversations or internal monologues. Not a bad format, but not particularly exciting, either.
Overall, I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series, if character-driven, LGBTQ sci-fi is your fancy.