Paperback, 352 pages
French language
Published Aug. 25, 2016 by L'Atalante.
Rosemary, jeune humaine inexpérimentée, fuit sa famille de richissimes escrocs. Elle est engagée comme greffière à bord du Voyageur, un vaisseau qui creuse des tunnels dans l’espace, où elle apprend à vivre et à travailler avec des représentants de différentes espèces de la galaxie : des reptiles, des amphibiens et, plus étranges encore, d’autres humains. La pilote, couverte d’écailles et de plumes multicolores, a choisi de se couper de ses semblables ; le médecin et cuistot occupe ses six mains à réconforter les gens pour oublier la tragédie qui a condamné son espèce à mort ; le capitaine humain, pacifiste, aime une alien dont le vaisseau approvisionne les militaires en zone de combat ; l’IA du bord hésite à se transférer dans un corps de chair et de sang… Les tribulations du Voyageur, parti pour un trajet d’un an jusqu’à une planète lointaine, composent la tapisserie chaleureuse d’une famille unie …
Rosemary, jeune humaine inexpérimentée, fuit sa famille de richissimes escrocs. Elle est engagée comme greffière à bord du Voyageur, un vaisseau qui creuse des tunnels dans l’espace, où elle apprend à vivre et à travailler avec des représentants de différentes espèces de la galaxie : des reptiles, des amphibiens et, plus étranges encore, d’autres humains. La pilote, couverte d’écailles et de plumes multicolores, a choisi de se couper de ses semblables ; le médecin et cuistot occupe ses six mains à réconforter les gens pour oublier la tragédie qui a condamné son espèce à mort ; le capitaine humain, pacifiste, aime une alien dont le vaisseau approvisionne les militaires en zone de combat ; l’IA du bord hésite à se transférer dans un corps de chair et de sang… Les tribulations du Voyageur, parti pour un trajet d’un an jusqu’à une planète lointaine, composent la tapisserie chaleureuse d’une famille unie par des liens plus fondamentaux que le sang ou les lois : l’amour sous toutes ses formes.
Loin de nous offrir un space opera d’action et de batailles rangées, Becky Chambers signe un texte tout en humour et en tendresse subtile. Elle réussit le prodige de nous faire passer en permanence de l’exotisme à la sensation d’une familiarité saisissante.
Bien heureuse de ne pas avoir lu la 4ème de couverture avant de terminer, elle raconte presque toute l’histoire !!
C’est assez rare les livres de SF et les spaces opera où l’on est agréablement confuse presque tout le long de l’histoire sur l’apparence, origine, us et coutumes des différentes espèces (au point que je me disais qu’il y avait un tome à lire avant celui-ci).
Sterne, wie habe ich dieses Buch geliebt. 🤩
Sympathische Charaktere, die alle auf ihre Art liebenswert sind, als Crew und Freund*innen aufeinander aufpassen und einen liebevollen Umgang miteinander pflegen. Gemeinsam erleben sie herzerwärmende und zugleich unterhaltsame Geschichten auf ihrer Reise zu diesem kleinen, zornigen Planeten.
Wer einen stringenten, zusammenhängenden und sich aufbauenden Plot erwartet, wird hier zwar nicht fündig (auch wenn ein Plot durchaus exisitert). Wer sich hingegen an herzlichen Charakteren, mitfühlendem und freundschaftlichem Zusammenhalt und optimistischen emotionalen Erzählungen erfreuen kann, wird dieses Buch lieben, denn davon enthält es eine Menge. Ich jedenfalls musste das Lesen mehrfach kurz pausieren, um vor Rührung und positiver Ergriffenheit zu seufzen. 😌
Kurzum eine wirklich wunderschöne, herzerwärmende und optimistische Space-Opera mit bewegendem, spannendem und emotionalem Finale. Absolute Leseempfehlung!
Reading this feels a lot like watching a soap opera. It's very much a character driven story with the plot serving merely to prod the story along as and when needed. And the characters are an entertaining and likeable bunch of misfits, doing their job and surviving as best they can.
It's also worth noting that this is a really nice story. The characters have spent years learning to get along with each other and... they get along with each other. What tensions there are are relatively minor and never distract from the fact that these people are looking out for each other.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a very easy read and a solid debut from Becky Chambers.
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while being interesting enough to always keep you engaged.
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while …
The basic storyline of this book is nothing entirely out of the ordinary: Space crew gets dangerous but lucrative job offer, travels to their destinations, stuff happens there and along the way. You can take the title literally: it's a long way but only a small planet (episode).
I liked the world building, but especially the way the protagonists interact with each other. It's a story that is, for once, not driven by toxic behavior and the inability to communicate, but instead based on empathy and mutual support. The characters belong to different alien and human races, they do sometimes face conflicts over their specific needs, but frequently try to find solutions that work for everyone. In some ways, it seemed like an enhanced and more diverse version of the "Firefly" crew to me (which I loved).
This is a read leaves you with more positive than negative emotions, while being interesting enough to always keep you engaged.
It's good, but there is no plot to speak of -- it's John Scalzi on a ship if you took out all the fighting. Or.. well, Firefly. Wit more aliens. And no fighting. And everyone is nice. But they don't always understand each other and so sometimes they need long talks and hugs and maybe something the gourmet chef on board whipped up. And there's no fighting.
