Book Review: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

• Title: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
• Author: Becky Chambers
• Year: 2015

A colleague told me about the Wayfarers Series a couple years ago or more, but I didn’t read them at the time because they weren’t available in DRM-free epub. It took me longer than I care to admit to remember that I could get the actual dead tree books from the library.

In the meantime though, I did manage to read To Be Taught If Fortunate, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, and A Psalm for the Wild-Built, all by Chambers. I loved them all, and am pleased to report that Long Way maintains that perfect streak.

Despite having read those others, I still didn’t really know what to expect in this book. Turns out, it’s unlike any other SFF I can recall, so it’s good I came in with no expectations. There weren’t really any Big Dramas or OMG Conflicts around which the book pivots. Instead, it’s a wonderfully engaging peek into the lives and minds of the characters. Sure, there were a few tense moments (especially at the end), but in general it was mostly just, “how these sapients interact and get along during their days.”

I thoroughly enjoyed it and was saddened to learn that my library doesn’t have the rest of the series. I’ve placed a request for the next one in the series though, and look forward to it arriving soon.