The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
by Becky Chambers · first published 2021
80% recommend20% critical
With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop. At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little
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"The Galaxy, and the Ground Within" by Becky Chambers (Book 4 in the Wayfarers Series) not only deals with a mixed alien usability environment, it also passes an alien Bechdel test of sorts. The whole Wayfarers series is amazing in my…
on “Every search bar looks like a URL bar to users” ↗…The Dawn of Everything (which I'm still working through the references of as well, many of which are also good). For fiction, my sample size this year is sadly small but probably Becky Chambers's The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final(?) book in the Wayfarers (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) series. A great end to the series, and given that it must have been plotted originally pre-2020 oddly contemporary.
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗Just past page 281 of Becky Chambers's delightful "the galaxy, and the ground within". Received Message Encryption: 0 From: GC Transit Authority --- Gora System (path: 487-45411-479-4) To: Ooli Oht Ouloo (path: 5787-598-66) Subject: URGENT UPDATE Man I love the series. Looks…
on “Cosmologically Unique IDs” ↗…boomers ruining the world and climate change, probably. Good conclusion. qntm "There is no antimemetics division". A SCP novel. Not quite as good as his "Ra" but fun and mindbending. Becky Chambers "The Galaxy and the Ground Within". A warm hug of a book. Travelers stranded at a space-rest-stop find they have something in common. Charles Stross "The Bloodline Feud" and sequels. Alternate-universes-travel, Medici-style mercantilism…
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗You're right! I just misspoke. Also, honestly, /The Galaxy and the Ground Within/ is IMO the least compelling of the series, but I'm more of a "space opera" fan and thus wasn't crazy about the calm, contemplative, almost-nothing-is-happening tone of it. Now that I analyze it this…
on “A Guide for Prospective Tea Monks” ↗