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A review by silvae
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
5.0
Trigger Warning: childhood trauma through abusive living situation and assumed death, animal abuse and death, PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks
I bought this book two years ago and was originally put off by the fact that we would not be tagging along on another adventure in the Wayfarer. I probably read the first fifty pages or so before my frustration got the best of me. Now, in the midst of these hellish times, I was thankful to know I had another ticket into Becky Chambers' universe on my TBR, though I was worried that my old apprehension would get the best of me once more. Luckily, that didn't turn out to be the case.
A Long Way ... has always felt like coming home to a small cozy cabin, err, spaceship, to me - a small safe space, where things just work out and the twists don't hold gigantic negative consequences. This isn't quite the case with A Close and Common Orbit. We are met with the exploration of different types of trauma: from childhood trauma, environmental trauma to the existential trauma that pushes you to find answers to the questions "Who am I? Where do I belong? Why am I here?". Of course, exploring these questions through the eyes of an AI isn't the most original way of going about it (I won't bother to bore you with the examples, but I am reminded of Mass Effect's EDI, who faces a similar existential crisis, even though the stakes are much lower for her), but I enjoyed how Chambers went about exploring the topic nonetheless.
The two narrators were a smart choice on Chambers' part, because they not only helped with the characterization of the central figures, but also with the humanization of AIs, which has been a central theme in the series so far.
The ending felt rather rushed and hectic, with the last few chapters wrapping up too neatly too quickly. While I do not mind the wrapping up neatly part (I read these books because I can be sure nothing goes wrong), I feel that the author was rushed by their publisher, editors, whoever, to finish this up on time. As someone who dislikes heist plotlines, this wasn't too much of an issue, but I wish it had been handled a bit differently.
Finally, the greatest testament to this book was the fact that I procrastinated finishing it for a few hours, because I didn't want the story of Sidra, Pepper, Owl, Blue and Tak to be over quite yet.
I bought this book two years ago and was originally put off by the fact that we would not be tagging along on another adventure in the Wayfarer. I probably read the first fifty pages or so before my frustration got the best of me. Now, in the midst of these hellish times, I was thankful to know I had another ticket into Becky Chambers' universe on my TBR, though I was worried that my old apprehension would get the best of me once more. Luckily, that didn't turn out to be the case.
A Long Way ... has always felt like coming home to a small cozy cabin, err, spaceship, to me - a small safe space, where things just work out and the twists don't hold gigantic negative consequences. This isn't quite the case with A Close and Common Orbit. We are met with the exploration of different types of trauma: from childhood trauma, environmental trauma to the existential trauma that pushes you to find answers to the questions "Who am I? Where do I belong? Why am I here?". Of course, exploring these questions through the eyes of an AI isn't the most original way of going about it (I won't bother to bore you with the examples, but I am reminded of Mass Effect's EDI, who faces a similar existential crisis, even though the stakes are much lower for her), but I enjoyed how Chambers went about exploring the topic nonetheless.
The two narrators were a smart choice on Chambers' part, because they not only helped with the characterization of the central figures, but also with the humanization of AIs, which has been a central theme in the series so far.
The ending felt rather rushed and hectic, with the last few chapters wrapping up too neatly too quickly. While I do not mind the wrapping up neatly part (I read these books because I can be sure nothing goes wrong), I feel that the author was rushed by their publisher, editors, whoever, to finish this up on time. As someone who dislikes heist plotlines, this wasn't too much of an issue, but I wish it had been handled a bit differently.
Finally, the greatest testament to this book was the fact that I procrastinated finishing it for a few hours, because I didn't want the story of Sidra, Pepper, Owl, Blue and Tak to be over quite yet.