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The long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers

This debut novel, originally self-published via a kickstarter campaign, has since become a critically acclaimed series, totalling four novels and a short story.

Unusual in its tone and pacing, the story follows the multi-species crew of The Wayfarer, a  tunnelling ship, contracted to build wormholes in space. Books in this genre usually focus on intergalactic politics, space exploration and battles, but this one centres itself on the day to day lives of its characters. It is a small and wholesome story, refreshingly cheerful—more a feel-good soap opera that happens to be set in space, than a traditional space opera.

“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.”

The book meanders through a series of planetary stops and chance meetings which are designed to develop the characters and the world, rather than to push the plot forward. Key moments of tension simply happen, and then pass by, the repercussions reassuringly small scale, as the crew (and therefore the reader) get to know each other and their world a little better.

There are some lovely depictions of friendship and acceptance, and the alien species, with their physiognomical and cultural differences, are well conceived and crafted. The author makes full use of the opportunities she creates to muse on our earthly history and customs, with everything from nuclear families, war, property and gender, coming gently and generously under the microscope.

This is a great, easy read, with lovingly painted characters and plenty of heart, and as a bonus, if you like it, there’s four more to get stuck into.

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Buy on kindle £4.99 

Paperback from Awesome Books £4.59 

Want more book recommendations? Follow me on twitter @SLangridgeUK for updates on what I’m reading.

Check me out on TikTok @theyrhymesometim

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Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

This is a massive, multiverse-traveling, post-human piece of apocalyptic fiction, the likes of which—I’ll wager—you have never seen before. The book is extremely experimental, packed with ideas and risk, and VanderMeer’s prose is an experience all in itself; succulent and mellifluous.

“Woken from a dream of blossoms into a swaying disintegration. For that was what bodies wanted: To come to rest. To know no more.” Dead Astronauts

We start out as three almost-human/all-too-human warriors, fighting to save an earth which has been made uninhabitable by the machinations of The Company and its puppet; the mad, tortured scientist, Charlie X. The warriors cannot be sure if the dark bird and the blue Fox are fighting with, or against them, but they are in love—with each other and the world—and they will throw everything they have at this last-ditch attempt at survival.

Then you are Sarah, a homeless woman, camping under a bridge, building a relationship with a salamander. You are behemoth, a gargantuan mud fish; you are the dark bird, you are the blue fox. Everything is fractured, infiltrated, genetically modified and collapsing, until at times the narrative itself falls apart, the death throes of consciousness and ego, descending into free form poetry and on occasion, just numbers.

Like I said, it’s VERY experimental. The prequel, Borne, was wonderful and brave but let itself down with a disappointingly trite ending. If Dead Astronauts was VanderMeer’s effort to fix that, it certainly didn’t fall short on originality, but in the end, lacked heart. The book ends up feeling cold, missing the warmth that made Borne so special. The problem with a human trying to write post-human sci-fi, is the trap of generating distance from your own species by revelling in its degeneration. Ultimately this falls flat. Not only is it depressing, it is all too navel-gazingly human.

There is no arguing with the fact that this is an important work, full of necessary questions and ideas, but unfortunately, it’s not a great story. Read it for the prose, read it for the discombobulation, but read Borne first, and if you make it to Dead Astronauts afterwards, let me know what you think. 

As always, don’t forget to sign up for future blog updates. 

Buy on kindle £5.49 

Paperback from WOB £5.49 

Follow the author on twitter @jeffvandermeer

Want more book recommendations? Follow me on twitter @SLangridgeUK for updates on what I’m reading.

Check me out on TikTok @theyrhymesometime