Record of a Spaceborn Few

As with every book by Becky Chambers that I have read, I struggled in the beginning. The pacing is different in each of her books, the characters have loose links to past storylines at best, and I always need time to ease myself into the new perspectives that slowly develop.

But this book! Yes, it starts slow. But when the story finally takes off, when things start to converge, the payoff is well worth it.

I was smitten with the worldbuilding that was even more intricate and well thought-out than in previous books of the series. I loved the characters, the way they explore facets of the society they inhabit. And in the end, I enjoyed the way the story develops.

I also needed tissues, but that's me.

I absolutely loved the development of Exodan culture and I want to be best friends with all of the characters. A plot twist around the middle of the book shook me up a little bit in a way that other books in this series mostly haven't done, but it was so important for the rest of the storyline and the development of the other characters. Becky Chambers is one of the best authors out there, no doubt about it.

Becky Chambers did it again.
This time it takes a wile for the story to really get going, mainly because there are many apparently unrelated characters/storylines. But once you get to know them all, you can't put the book down.
The universe of the Wayfarer saga feels more real and alive with each new novel. And there's a thing that really had me thinking: in this universe, earth and humans count almost nothing from a political/economical point of view. We are the poor african country of the galactic community, and we are well aware of it. But you know what? Humanity in this universe is far better than humanity in 2018. There's a strong sense of community and mutual support that bounds every human being in the galaxy, maybe born from need and awareness of our small place in the universe. I just love this.