A Closed and Common Orbit

Enjoyed this story - it had a lot of warmth.

I have to admit, I was fairly upset to realise that Wayfarers book 2 did not continue with the characters I'd grown to love so much from Wayfarers book 1. I'm still secretly hoping to find the crew from the Wayfarer again in another book.

This story however, picks up right after the closing events from book 1 - but instead follows Pepper and Lovelace back to Pepper's adopted world to find acceptance both within and without.

The story focuses on the two characters and bounces back and forth between the two (and along two different periods of time). I didn't find myself laughing in this book (I did in the first which is what spurred me to immediately read this and the third) but it was a touching story of individuals trying to find their place in the world and the loneliness that comes before.

In a way, I felt like the book was a pair of stories about mother and daughter - and whilst I'm neither, I found lots to relate to. And as with Chambers' first instalment of Wayfarers, I find myself wanting this future for our own humanity.

There's something both charming and utterly beautiful about the universe that Chambers has created for us. It was nice to travel to a new place and follow new characters (even though I still want to hear more about Kizzy and Jenks, and Dr Chef and Sissex - I suspect their on their own journey).

Good stuff. Very sweet. Very warm and loving story.

Like the first book, [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 22733729 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) Becky Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405532474s/22733729.jpg 42270825], this was a fun and (mostly) light read—thoroughly enjoyable. The plot follows two individuals, an AI given a “body kit” and a human who was bred to work in a factory, both of whom must find their way in a vast society which they were essentially designed never to partake in. It is very much a feel-good story, which we all need now and then.

When I read the first wayfarers I hated the fact that Lovey got reset and I don't even think about starting this book. But I waited a very long time and I am so glad I returned to it because this story was amazing. 

Not only do I love the exploration of cultures that seem to be a staple in this series but I love the parallels between Pepper's story and Cirta discovering the world in her new body. And the ending, omg. I felt homesick for a book somehow. 

After reading [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 22733729 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) Becky Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405532474s/22733729.jpg 42270825], I wanted more set in this universe, and I was glad there was more. I preferred the characters and space adventure in the first book a little more, but this book was very interesting as well.

I trust Becky chambers. I left the great first book hoping to continue with those characters and was initially a bit disappointed that it doesn't stick with them but I think I enjoyed this second book even more. It really jelled together better and had a cohesive theme. Really really good. Already checked out book 3.

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com

I think the best way to describe this book is it's about an artificial intelligence having an existential crisis. It's about much more than that too. It's about learning how to be a person and learning how to be tolerant of other species. But it's mostly about an artificial intelligence having an existential crisis. And let's be real here. If you were an AI thrown into a body and told to act like a human you would have some problems too.

I should really start at the beginning. A Closed And Common Orbit is the sort of sequel to The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet. I say sort of because though you don't have to read Small, Angry Planet it does set up the universe these books are set in and Orbit does mention some of the things that happened in Planet so it may be helpful to read the first book before going into this.

I think my favourite thing about this whole series is the universe it's set in. The whole point of these whole books is the characters learning to be tolerant of other species (something we desperately need nowadays). But it's also interesting because Humans aren't the dominant species in this universe. Which means they don't have some of the privileges others may have. They are more like the Bolians of this universe. Or the Ferengi. Something like that.

But it's also really clever how Becky Chambers has set up extremely different species, you don't have any alien of the week here where the only difference from human is a strangely shaped forehead. Everything is different about each species. From their physiology to politics to language and even to the way they rear children. It's nice having a sci-fi book with so much diversity in it.

I don't knowwwww, man. This book is so well-liked with all the great reviews and stuff but it just didn't work for me. It wasn't terrible by any means and had a fairly interesting story, but I just... found it a little draggy almost.

We get a split narrative here, first with Lovelace's brand new iteration after the end of the first book, now also stuck in a “kit”, i.e. a synthetic body that looks and can behave like a human but isn't. Pepper brings her back to her home planet of Coriol, where Lovelace gains a new name (Sidra), meets Pepper's friend/partner, and eventually learns about life as a sentient AI. In the other narrative, we learn about Pepper's origins, from her beginning as possibly some kind of clone, her life in a factory (literally a factory in which she and other girls like her are made), and then eventually how she ended up as a mechanic.

Book 1 was amazing for me because it had a strong plot driving things forward while also giving us the readers time to know the different members of the crew, the ways different species behaved and interacted, and the unique stories for each member. Because there was an underlying point of the story, I appreciated everything else the book was showing me about species that were gender-fluid, or had much more complex family units (more than two parents, most of whom are not biological), etc. This book - didn't have that.

Instead, Book 2 spends a lot of time in both narratives meandering and taking its time. We don't really have any crisis or a “mission objective” for the narrative until maybe about 75% in. In a sense, it reminded me a lot of Chambers's other novella series, Monk and Robot, but it worked for that one because the point of that book was to be contemplative and to almost function like Plato's Dialogues in the way it was exploring concepts and asking thought-provoking questions. In this one, I didn't get the feeling that that was its objective. Instead, we get smatterings of action here and there, smatterings of questions here and there, but honestly nothing that really had a huge impact on me, or which made me stop and think, “That's such a good question.” which I usually do with most of Chambers's work.

I've heard that the rest of the series will take its time with other characters and so aren't narratively linked to each other, so will still give them a try!

This is two stories in one. One is that Lovey the AI from the first book is now in a body but her memories didn't travel over. So she has to adapt to the all the input and try to make sense of her new friends and surroundings while trying to fit in to society as well. The other is a story of survival of Jane and how she escapes her enslavement with the with the help of an AI program.

This is was so good I want to read the next book right away. I listened to it on audible and it was very well narrated as well.

I love Becky Chambers for writing these cosy space adventures with her adorable characters and empathetic exploration of what it means being human. I was highly invested in Pepper's story, but I struggled with Lovelace's ??? perhaps because it's difficult to relate to an AI.

It's a good book, a delightful comfort read, but not excellent like the first book in the series.