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moonbasket's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
I loved this book. It was awesome to have no human POV characters and to get a more intricate look into Chambers' world building. I love how she writes about language and communication. It was a great conclusion to a series that was unlike an other Sci-Fi series I have ever read. I hope other authors follow her lead.
Also, Chambers shows a true understanding of what being a twin means and uses Speaker and Tracker's relationship well without belittling it or making it an obvious prop. I think their relationship was extremely sweet and realistic. It reminded me a lot of my relationship with my twin sister.
Also, Chambers shows a true understanding of what being a twin means and uses Speaker and Tracker's relationship well without belittling it or making it an obvious prop. I think their relationship was extremely sweet and realistic. It reminded me a lot of my relationship with my twin sister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Medical content
Moderate: Alcohol and War
Minor: Ableism, Death, Death of parent, and Colonisation
amerid's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
After the last book being very human-heavy, this book offers a nice and diverse cross section of the sapients in the universe.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Colonisation, and War
plantdonut's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Racism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: medical trauma, war mention, colonisation mention
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers is the last book in the Wayfarers series. This was an excellent conclusion to this world. To be honest I could just keep reading stories based on this forever, always learning more and expanding on worldbuilding. This one was the coziest yet of the four books.
We follow three aliens that are thrown together by circumstances out of their control, and must navigate five days together. We have Pei, the Aeluon who is dating Ashby from book 1; Roveg, an exiled Quelin sim creator; and Speaker, an Akarak separated from her twin. They are all under the care of their chipper host, a Laru named Ouloo and her child Tupo. They all learn about each other and their species, and form unlikely friendships.
One of the things I love about this series is that the stories are not high stakes. These are just people stranded on a plant due to a technology hiccup and just have to hang out with each other for five days. Chambers does an excellent job with expanding the world-building (universe building?) with each successive book. I love that all the characters were different aliens we have seen mentioned or had cameos in previous books, and none of them were human focused stories. We learn so much about Aeluon, Quelin, Laru, and Akaraks.
While it is quite a cozy read, Chambers also manages to give us some deeper themes around colonization and its lasting impact along with the arrogance of imperialism. She also talks about reproductive choice, and choosing to not become a parent. She explores political themes without making that the point of the story. In the end, it's about the character moments. I absolutely loved Roveg and Speaker as friends. Adorable. Tupo is an adorable long limbed fluff noodle I just want to squeeze.
If I haven't said it once, I'll say it a thousand times: go read this series! Becky Chambers is now one of my favorite authors.
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers is the last book in the Wayfarers series. This was an excellent conclusion to this world. To be honest I could just keep reading stories based on this forever, always learning more and expanding on worldbuilding. This one was the coziest yet of the four books.
We follow three aliens that are thrown together by circumstances out of their control, and must navigate five days together. We have Pei, the Aeluon who is dating Ashby from book 1; Roveg, an exiled Quelin sim creator; and Speaker, an Akarak separated from her twin. They are all under the care of their chipper host, a Laru named Ouloo and her child Tupo. They all learn about each other and their species, and form unlikely friendships.
One of the things I love about this series is that the stories are not high stakes. These are just people stranded on a plant due to a technology hiccup and just have to hang out with each other for five days. Chambers does an excellent job with expanding the world-building (universe building?) with each successive book. I love that all the characters were different aliens we have seen mentioned or had cameos in previous books, and none of them were human focused stories. We learn so much about Aeluon, Quelin, Laru, and Akaraks.
While it is quite a cozy read, Chambers also manages to give us some deeper themes around colonization and its lasting impact along with the arrogance of imperialism. She also talks about reproductive choice, and choosing to not become a parent. She explores political themes without making that the point of the story. In the end, it's about the character moments. I absolutely loved Roveg and Speaker as friends. Adorable. Tupo is an adorable long limbed fluff noodle I just want to squeeze.
If I haven't said it once, I'll say it a thousand times: go read this series! Becky Chambers is now one of my favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Colonisation and War
lemonsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, and Confinement
Moderate: Infertility, Xenophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Alcohol
hellavaral's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Medical content, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
teabrewer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
This a book with themes around culture, gender, parenthood, career and choices. It's set in a small reststop in a small planet no life or notable resources, when a group of strangers is gets stuck together inside it due to a unusual situation. I loved, loved, loved how the character interacted and developed, how the details of each culture were described and how each theme was approached through the book. Hopeful and emotional but not condescending.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Colonisation, and War
kastix's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Deportation
Moderate: War
Minor: Ableism and Pregnancy
bootrat's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
Possibly my least favourite book of the series, or tied with Record for 3rd, but still an amazing book filled with wondrous characters. I love this world so much, and every character Becky writes is just amazing. I want to read more about them all, forever, and I'm very sad this series is over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Colonisation
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: War
the_reading_wren's review
emotional
hopeful
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
A fantastic end to the series that ties up some loose ends from the other books and dives deeper into some of the big topics raised earlier in the series. I think this might be my favourite Wayfarers book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Colonisation, War, and Deportation
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol