Book: Becky Chambers' "A Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet"

My fifth book book this year was Becky Chambers' "A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet".  This is another book one of a series - this one being the Wayfarer series.  I seem to be starting many series of books ... probably in an attempt to keep my reading queue full.

The book follows a young lady escaping the shadow of her criminal father by joining the crew of a long haul space tunneling ship.  The small ship with a crew of seven (humans and aliens) open new tunnels through space to make traveling between systems easier.

The book reads like several episodes of a television show.  Each chapter introduces another crew member, expanding on their history and personality, while, at the same time, filling in pieces of how the universe is put together.  Each chapter is nearly self contained like a Star Trek episode but there is an underlying thread throughout the book that keeps the story moving forward.

The climax of the book (the 'angry planet' of the title) is rather anticlimactic really.  It sort of feels like a midseason cliffhanger (without any real cliffhanger) of a TV show.

Did I like it?  Yes I did.  I'm not sure why though.  The overarching story was a bit weak but the individual stories are interesting and did a great job introducing the characters and the locations.  If you take the book for what it is, an introduction to a much larger story, then you will come away satisfied and ready for the next chapter.

I gave the book four stars on Goodreads.  Can't wait for the next book from Becky Chambers.

Book: Becky Chambers' "A Psalm For The Wild-Built"

I decided to move away from non-fiction for now.  The second book of 2023 was a novella written by Becky Chambers.  I've read four of her books.  I liked all four of them, not because they told compelling stories, but because the author created a colorful and complex world full of interesting and fleshed out characters.

Becky Chambers' "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" is not explicitly in the same world as the other four books but it could easily be in it.  It takes place on a habitable moon orbiting a gas giant.  A world where the machines in the factories accidentally gain sentience.  The people invite the sentient machines to join them as equals but the machines refuse.  They chose to go into the wilderness to live a peaceful life away from humans.  The humans, not knowing how the machines became sentient, chose to deindustrialize.  They still have technology but they do not use machines for manufacturing.

The story follows a monk in search for meaning in his life.  In a spontaneous action he leaves in search of meaning in his life, going into the wilderness to an old abandoned religious retreat.  Along the way he meets a robot who is trying to find out if humans are doing ok since the machines left.  Their meeting helps both work through their issues.  Actually, the robot has few issues compared to the issues the monk is working through.

I enjoyed this novella as I've enjoyed the author's other books.  I gave it four stars out of five on Goodreads because it made me think about meaning and freedom.

Book: Becky Chambers' "Record Of A Spaceborn Few

"Record of a Spaceborn Few" is the third book of Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series.  This series is interesting in the fact that all of the books are so low key and there is very little climactic action in them.  In most cases this would be an issue but the world and characters the author is building are interesting.

The first two books were linked together by a couple characters but the third introduces a whole new list of protagonists.  These are people living on the Exodan Fleet, ships that took the survivors of Earth to the stars after an ecological collapse.

In a way, the main character of all three books is the world the author has built.  The people are just instruments to show off the Galactic Commons, the Exodan Fleet, and other facets of her universe.  Characters and action are secondary.

I like this universe and I am curious how Chambers will flesh out her world.  I gave this book four stars out of five on Goodreads and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Book: Becky Chambers' "A Closed And Common Orbit"

I wasn't thinking much about reading books this year which is why I was a bit surprised when one of the first things I did when I got home from the trail was download a book to read.

The book, Becky Chambers' "A Closed and Common Orbit", is the sequel to "The Long Way to a Very Angry Planet" that I read last year.  That book was a very low key book buoyed by interesting characters.  The sequel, to my surprise, was also low key.  I was expecting a building story but what was offered was the story of two of the characters of the first book.

The book alternate between the character of Pepper, a tech in the first book, and the ship's Artificial Intelligence (AI) now in a humanoid body.  One storyline follows the AI as it learns how to be a sentient being under the tutelage of Pepper.  The other storyline is about a young Pepper.  The ten-year-old Pepper is a bioengineered child laborer who escapes from her factory and is raised by a shuttle AI stranded in a huge junkyard.  The two storylines mesh together nicely complimenting each other.

The climax of the book is, like the first, fairly anticlimactic and low key.  The book, and the series so far, is less about space opera action and more about characters and character development.  Fortunately, those characters are interesting to me.

I like this book but I think it's not for everyone.  I gave it four stars on Goodreads and I am looking forward to the next book of characters.

Book: Becky Chambers' "The Galaxy, And The Ground Within"

My next book was the fourth in a loosely tied together series set in the same universe.  Each of the four books can be read stand alone.

Becky Chambers' "The Galaxy, and the Ground Within" is an odd book.  It is the story of a group of people from various races stuck together and having to interact.  This book feels more like universe development.  There is only a small amount to conflict and action.

I found the book interesting because I'm interested in different social structures and how members of each would interact with each other but it probably not everyone's cup of tea.  I have to admit that a little more conflict and jeopardy would have been welcome.

I gave this book four stars out of five on Goodreads.  It kept me interested but it may not be for everyone. 

Book: Becky Chambers' "A Prayer For The Crown-Shy"

The sixth book read this year was Becky Chamber's novella "A Prayer for the Crown-Shy" a sequel to her "Psalm for the Wild-Built".  While the first book had a human entering the wilds of the robots, the second book brings the robot to the human world.

The book is the story of a friendship.  A friendship that started in the first book but becomes more solid as the human and robot travel together.  Like the other books by this author this is a book of characters, not action.  It is a journey of discovery.  A travelling meditation upon friendship and the meaning of need, want, and being okay.

I enjoyed the simplicity of this book.  You just traveled alongside these two individuals listening to their musings.

I gave this book four stars out of five on Goodreads.  Thank you for the gentle read.

Weekly Ephemera #130

Theme of the week: I do not get it. I just do not understand anything anymore.

• This week started with avoidance.  I avoided watching the inauguration by watching/listening to non-political podcasts and music.  Unfortunately, since I steep myself in news nearly everyday, this reprieve from politics lasted twenty-four hours.
• Took my car for its first service since I bought it.  I drive my car so infrequently that I usually don't hit the mileage maintenance target in a year.  I think I actually walk more in a week than I drive.
• Went in for a teeth cleaning.  This may be one of the few dentist appointments when I didn't have any issues.
• I walked twice a this week.  I skipped my Monday walk due to the single digit temperatures accompanied by negative wind chills temperatures.  I probably could have walked as I know how to properly layer and bundle up for cold weather but I cocooned in podcasts instead.  The two walks I did totaled 24.1 miles (38.8 km).  Next week we're having spring-like weather so I should be able to get three walks in.
• Watch 'The Wild Robot".  It has been nominated, and in many cases won, best animated film rewards.  It's pretty good.  A bit on the saccharine side but definitely a safe place in our current situation.  It reminded me, at least superficially, a bit of the robot in Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot books.
• I am getting an MRI this week to check my prostate.  I think they are being overly cautious but better to be safe I guess.  I wish it wasn't so expensive though.
• My cousin sent me a bunch of family pictures my Aunt had.  I may start posting a few.  Here's one:

"Bruce giving PJ a Pepsi"
Developed January 1975
Picture taken in Guatemala.  Probably taken around Christmas 1974.  PJ was a peekapoo.