Audio: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Series: Wayfarers, Book 2

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 05-21-19

Publisher: HarperAudio

Sci-fi

To review

I did like this one a lot more than book 1, but then I also listened to this, while I read book 1, and what can I say, audiobooks rock.

This was a Dual narrative. First we have Lovelace, yes we did meet her in book 1, but this is a stand alone, and I did also feel that I would not have needed to read book 1. In that one she had to be reset, and now she is in a body instead of a ship (being an AI and all). So she has to try to live as a human, and there is also the possibility of getting caught as it is illegal. And it was so fascinating as this AI is experiencing the world, getting friends and wondering what make her her. We also get different alien cultures thrown in as she lives in a place settled by many. And they are all so fascinating!

Then there is Jane, this was actually the POV I liked the most. She lives in a factory with other Janes. They are clones made for the purpose of sorting through trash. A horrible world and she gets away and works for years to get away. And we know she gets away as she meets Lovelace as Pepper. 

Does a lot happen? No not really. Jane's story is the story of a struggle to survive and grow up.

Lovelace's story is about finding yourself.

It is again a talking book, a character driven book, but it works wonderfully through audio. It is the perfect format.

Narrator
I liked her voice. At first I wondered about one of her alien voices, but it was meant to be that way since they do not really speak, then I realised how great it was. Considering all alien races, humans and AI she does a great job with them all

Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shutdown and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. 

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced listeners to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for - and learned to live with, and love, her ragtag collection of crewmates. 

The long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers

Paperback, 404 pages

Published August 13th 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton (first published July 29th 2014)

Series: Wayfarers #1

Sci fi

own

May 2019: This is just so boring

June 2019: Started again...still reading.

As you can see, I dnfed once, because it was just so slow. I was on p100 and nothing had happened. For some reason I picked up up a few weeks later and then the slow pace fitted so I finished. Though was it good? Honestly I do not know. I realise the strength in her writing, she is good, but this is really a character driven book, and you truly have to be in the mood for it. It is slow, there is a lot of talking, and even though I now finished I do not know if I can give it more than an ok rating..

It does have good parts, it is just really slow.

I only finished cos I have book 2 to read, otherwise I could have let it be. But I will listen to book 2 and see if that works better

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.