nother Norfolk used bookstore find (someone tossed it, to my gain). The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a tale about a tunnel ship (that makes the warp paths other ships can use. In this universe, a divided human race (after our planet’s collapse there were those who stayed in system, and those who joined a refugee fleet) finds itself as members of the Galactic Commons, a sort of UN in space sort of thing. Rosemary Harper has signed up on Wayfarer to be their ship’s clerk. But she has a history, something she is hiding. But the weird and mismatched crew have their own stories and pasts, things they think about and hide. So the ship gets a plum contract to tunnel to a far away planet where a combative alien race (either at war with themselves or with the GC) waits. It should be a pot of money. And what could go wrong?
I really enjoyed this book by Becky Chambers, who has created a universe that is caring and secretive and gritty and huge. I really enjoyed the character interactions of the crew and their various goals and needs. But in the end, there were so many unanswered questions, so many untied-leads. And of course, I now know that she has three other books. And I’ve got a $30 gift card for Barnes and Noble, where I will pick up the rest of them. Yes, it’s that good.
Worth a look, and she got a Hugo for the series, so you know it’s got to be good (unless you have your own Libertarian awards and don’t like novels about cooperative governments). Check out this book, the first of the series, and see if you don’t get hooked!