Reviews

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

deliriumwartner's review

hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

savaging's review against another edition

2.0

I love a sentient mollusk more than anyone, but...

This book focuses on humans, whose ancestors were the last on a dying earth and melted down old buildings and things to create a fleet of ships and seek out other planets. As I read, a sensation crept up on me that this sweet 'cozy' story was ... evil? Like: how could Earth ever be worse than space? At least until the sun expands to a red giant in 5 billion years, space is infinitely more hostile than the most abused and poisoned earth. Does this book play into the myth of an inevitable post-earth future for humans, which in turn guides current environmental recklessness? And the humans who have returned to earth -- the Gaiists -- why are they portrayed as crazy, benighted, and violent hunter-gatherers?

The cozy tale starts feeling like Manifest Destiny on steroids. It doesn't help that the entire galaxy apparently operates on (occasionally philanthropic) capitalism.

Chambers is so smart and so creative, bucking many other bad sci-fi cliches. So the ones that remain feel even more insidious.

thewargrave's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

friendlyflamingo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

persephone0000's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

patches_of_purple's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

lisamchuk's review against another edition

5.0

This Wayfarers entry spoke to me: I didn’t love learning about the Exodan culture so much as I want to be part of it. I want their way of life to be my way of life. But, while I enjoyed learning about their ways via the different points of view, and thought all stories were interesting and valuable in their own way, the pacing was very slow so it was hard to focus at times, though as usual reading to get to the next point of view kept me going. What a world, what a society the author has created!

fyence's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rsheppard's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

gracemaher's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0