Science fiction writing, traditionally, is good at a lot of things: vibrant worlds, elaborate backstories, complex plots and lots and lots of delicious weirdness. Giving the reader the feels — that happy sense of fulfillment that lasts after the book is closed — is not really science fiction’s strong suit. That’s why I am so glad to introduce “A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers.
Funded on Kickstarter in 2012, “A Long Way” has taken a long time to get into print, with the U.S. edition just hitting shelves on July 5. But people are taking notice. It was longlisted for the 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, the only science fiction book on the list. A sequel comes out next year.
“A Long Way” follows an multispecies crew on a tunneling ship (they make tunnels through space-time to provide quick transit between planets) as they embark on a yearlong trip to a distant and war-torn planet that has just been added to their Galactic Commons.
I picked this book up on vacation and within a few pages it became apparent that this was the sci-fi book I had been waiting for. It has all those things science fiction does best — worlds, backstories, plot, weirdness — but it had more. It had heart and a delightfully nuanced take on difference and gender that is especially needful after recent events in Orlando and Dallas and around the country.
The alien species in this book are not only well-imagined and well-rounded, with languages and cultures of their own, they play a delightful foil to the humans on the crew and the limits to their way of thinking.
“Ah, hey now… Have you not had a chance to freak out yet?” one alien crewmember asks a human who’s broken down into uncontrollable sobs after an encounter with space pirates. “These Humans, huh? I took some time to freak out. Didn’t you?” she asks a crewman of a different alien species..
“Sure did… I locked myself in my office and yelled for a good ten minutes,” he says, adding, “Your species has a knack for emotional suppression. And as your doctor, I would like to say that diving straight into paperwork after negotiating at gunpoint wasn’t a very healthy decision.”
That’s one of the many small engagements that leave the reader with new ways to think outside their own boxes, and newly encouraged to do so.
• Contact Capital City Weekly staff writer and design wizard Randi Spray at randi.spray@capweek.com.
Review: “Although it isn’t shy about tackling Big Questions, PLANET is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general).” — Tor.com
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More Rainy Day Reads:
Rainy Day Reads: In blackest, coldest print: ‘Stoner’ by John Williams
Rainy Day Reads: The end. The end? The infinite tie-ins of YA novels
