The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers · first published 2014
60% recommend35% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Warm, character-driven space opera about a ragtag ship crew, with inventive aliens and worldbuilding, touching character development, and questions about AI. Suits readers wanting optimistic comfort reading.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that's seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past. But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptilian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peac
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The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose. https://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers…
on “Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?” ↗In addition to the many nice examples others have mentioned, I would like to point to one book of which I am currently in the middle: Becky Chambers's "The long way to a small, angry planet". This book is delightfully conflict-free so far, and it's hard to think it's not intentional; indeed, one of the (non-human) characters even lampshades it during a gaming session by referencing the…
on “The significance of plot without conflict (2012)” ↗The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1), by Becky Chambers. Really touching story, great character development, and some interesting questions about AI and sentience. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to...
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗…enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named "Geometry for Ocelots" Andy Weir's "Hail Mary" is an imaginative and fun read, as is "The Startup Wife" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.
on “Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?” ↗…Wight * "Tongue Eater" by John Bierce * "The Umbral Storm" by Alec Hutson * "Soul Relic" by Samuel Hinton * "The Weirkey Chronicles" by Sarah Lin * "The Eldest Throne" by Bernie Anés Paz * "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers (reread)
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗In science fiction: The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose. https://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗I'm going to stick to recent stuff that was like no sci-fi I'd ever read before: Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers The Broken Earth series - N.K. Jemisin
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗Lots of great recommendations here. I'll add the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers: - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - A Closed and Common Orbit - Record of a Spaceborn Few (Her more recent "To Be Taught, If Fortunate" is unrelated to the series but also a great read.) EDIT: Formatting.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗Becky Chambers books are a good read - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet A Closed and Common Orbit
on “Ask HN: What are less known hard Sci-Fi books to read?” ↗I recommend the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. Good stories, great worldbuilding and well worth the time and money. Start with "A long way to a small, angry planet". https://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers
on “Ask HN: What Books Do You Recommend Reading for 2022?” ↗The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, the Culture series, and Vorkosigan Saga Sci Fi does tend to be bleak, these are the ones I can think of.
on “Edgar, build a Dyson swarm” ↗Optimistic scifi properties: * The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (+ sequels) * Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers (+ sequel) * Most of, but not all of, Star Trek. This is getting infected with cynicism in some places, but still largely optimistic about…
on “Black Mirror's pessimism porn won't lead us to a better future” ↗agreed, especially the first book. the other becky chambers books in the "long way to a small angry planet" series are also quite good.
on “We need more optimistic science fiction” ↗…There's tons of self-published novels that likely never would have made it to publication. Just to give some examples... The Martian - Andy Weir Wool (Silo TV series based on this) - Hugh Howey The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers
on “AI makes the humanities more important, but also weirder” ↗…Vernor Vinge The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks Semiosis by Sue Burke Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward Solaris by Stanisław Lem The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Translation State by Ann Leckie Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds This is what sprang…
on “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” ↗