After having discussed the previous book, it was voiced that we might need something light and happy as a next book - to prevent overburdening our mental health. Hence, we ended up picking Becky Chambers's The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
I had this book recommended to me, and was told that even though it is presenting itself as sci-fi, it is actually a feel-good tale of non-conformity, gender fluidity, multiculturalism and unorthodox sexual relationships. According to what I heard it raises questions about status quos in an engaging way, and has received attention and praise for its cast of characters. Other reviewers have expressed that it's helpful to do some expectation management before starting to read, and tone down hopes for hard sci-fi.
While this book is a first book in a series, the consensus seems to be that it is very enjoyable as a stand-alone.
Goodreads sells the book as follows:
``Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.``
The initial independently published book, via CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, is 518 pages - but the book has later been re-published by more commercial publishers, so if you find a more recent publication with a different page count it's probably fine as well. Similarily, the audiobook has been published by at least two publishing houses; Hodder & Stoughton (narrated by Patricia Rodriguez) with length 15 hours 41 minutes and Tantor Audio (narrated by Rachel Dulude) with length 14 hours 24 minutes, and from what I heard, Tantor's production is the better one of these two.
