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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Record of a Spaceborn Few

Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3)

Record of a Spaceborn Few is as different from its predecessors as A Closed and Common Orbit was from the first book. Each book in the Wayfarers series to date has been unique, pretty much a standalone, and each one is an utterly compelling story with a lot of heart. I'm going to say right up front that this may be my least favorite of the three- I'm still sorting that out- and even so it's one of the best science fiction books I've ever read. They're that good. 

Record of a Spaceborn Few is an apt title- this is the story of the Exodus Fleet, the remnants of humanity who left a dying world to find their place in the stars. They live aboard mammoth generation ships, called homesteaders, and unlike many generation ship stories they're not going anywhere. They've already arrived. They are permanent nomads in space, with no world to call their own. And for the most part they're okay with that. Some leave for colony worlds or Central space, where they'll live amongst the other races of the Galactic Commons, but most humans from the Fleet remain with the Fleet throughout their lives. This book is a slice of life look at their lives and customs, much as The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet was a slice of life account of the Wayfarer and its crew. 

There are several viewpoints at play here. Tessa is the sister of Capt. Ashby from the first book, and she is more or less content with her lot, raising two children aboard the Asteria. Isabel is an Archivist- an historian basically- and from whose viewpoint we learn much of the workings of the Fleet from a cultural perspective. Sawyer is a young man who comes to the Fleet looking for something- he doesn't know what, but he's fleeing a planetside existence that held nothing for him. Kip is a kid who wants nothing more than to leave the Fleet when he's able to, and Eyas rounds out the cast as a Caretaker- one of those distinguished individuals who care for the dead of the Fleet. Everything is recycled in the Fleet- including humans. 

There is very little action in this story- okay, none, really. No blasters are fired, no intergalactic conflict. This is all about characterization. These characters come alive, they have hopes, dreams and fears that we experience right along with them. You can read this book two ways- as a straightforward tale of humanity in the future, finding its way in a cosmos where they are not alone, and it's interesting that way, but you can also see a ton of relevance to current events and common questions. What is the point of existence? If all needs are taken care of, how do you choose a profession? What happens to societies when the young leave- do they stagnate?  

If this sounds pretty boring, it might be to certain readers. Not to disparage anyone- it's just, again, not an action packed tale at all. Events build on each other, we get to know these people, and while there is a hint of intrigue- and a shocking moment- this is a sedate tale. For my money it's incredibly readable- I mean I wanted to pick this up every time I had a second- but just a fair warning. Don't expect a lot to actually happen. And yet things do happen, in their own way- people grow and change, and there are some truly emotional beats. I could read about this universe all day. 

The viewpoint characters mostly have their own story to tell, but events do converge as time goes on, bringing several of them together. It feels organic, if maybe a little forced at times, but will be very familiar to readers of the first two books. If there's one thing I take away from this, it's that this universe- the Galactic Commons- is such a wonderfully vivid, well realized place. There is so much potential for stories here, and in some ways it reminds me of the universe that Martha Wells is building in her Murderbot books- both have a similar feel, a lived in quality almost, that makes them so easy to read.  

To close, I would just say that anyone who wants their assumptions challenged, who wants to read about a diverse and expansive universe, where humanity are relative newcomers but finding their way- and who wants to think, and wonder- should get these. Reading these books is like a slow dance of ideas. I can't recommend enough. I was moved and absolutely loved this book. My only complaint is that I can't live in this world. 


21 comments:

  1. I really need to read this series! I love the sound of the characters and the worldbuilding.

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  2. Pretty huge to say that it's your least favorite in the series and yet still one of the best sci-fi books you've read. Wow. I'm all about characters so I'd definitely be willing to sacrifice action to have better developed characters with even more depth/personality.

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    1. Right. I'm just amazed at how this author makes me FEEL for her characters, even if there's no action. In another book I might be like okay I got it, let's have a little action, but with these I just sink in and read!

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  3. Every time I read a Becky Chambers review, I kick myself for not starting this series yet. I'm curious about how different all three books are from each other!

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    1. They are very different in their own ways- I'd love to see what you think!

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  4. What a stellar review!!!! I agree with everything you said. Even though it is also my least favorite of the three, it is still an excellent book with outstanding writing and characters.

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    1. Thanks Jolene! Pleasure reading it w/ you. :) And same- even though it didn't quite reach the heights of the first two for me, it was still amazing.

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  5. I'm a sucker for a well designed and beautiful looking cover. This would look so pretty on a shelf with all the other galaxy inspired book covers that exist in the world. I'm usually not into science fiction books but this sounds interesting :)

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    1. The covers are the best! I love how they look. :) And if you ever get a chance I hope you like them!

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  6. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to this series. Character driven plots used to drive me nuts but I like them now so maybe this one wouldn’t bug me.

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    1. You could try the first book, it's probably the most action- oriented of the three.

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  7. oh it sounds different there and I just love the cover!

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  8. Slice of life space books. That's different. I can definitely see how it wouldn't be everyone. I feel like slice of life SFF has started to grow on me though. I mean, SFF worlds and life are already so different, it's cool to just see how they are w/o all the action sometimes. Sorry this might have been your least fave, but I'm glad you still enjoyed it, and thought-provoking is good!

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    1. Right? It IS different. And yeah not for everyone. And they are super thought provoking, especially this one- it's an entirely alternate way of life, yet eerily plausible- it made think a LOT.

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  9. I was happy to read this review - I'm currently listening to this on audio and think I was getting a bit bogged down with the characters so your review has cleared things up a bit for me. My favourite so far was book No.2 but we'll see how this develops.
    Lynn :D

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  10. I am kicking myself for not getting this book when I was spending my gift card at the bookstore. I had it in hand, but put it back.

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  11. This was actually my favorite of the three, but I'm glad to hear how much you enjoyed it even though it was your least! That definitely says a lot about Chambers' talent for storytelling. I just love how all three volumes have been so different, but thematically they are all so hopeful and full of heart.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  12. It's hard to use the term "least favorite" on any of these books because the least of the three is a best on a personal genre list, so I feel you. Thanks for reading with us. I hope to get over to the Twitter group tomorrow to see what has been discussed the last couple of days. 🚀

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  13. One thing I admire about Becky Chambers writing is that it's not all about the story but it's much more about the characters and the world they inhabit. This sounds like this is way more character focused than previously seen (and they were pretty character focused) but there is something nice about that. From the first book you could tell Chambers had this entire world mapped in her head and considering the vastness of space that is a lot of world to map. I like this one is focusing on the people because so often scifi is action packed and it's one thing after another but often I want to see how people live too and you get that here. I seriously want to do a whole binge read of these books.

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