The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
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- Create Date：2021-03-25 13:24:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Becky Chambers
- ISBN：1473647673
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Summary
With no water， no air， and no native life， the planet Gora is unremarkable。 The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds， making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected。 If deep space is a highway， Gora is just your average truck stop。
At the Five-Hop One-Stop， long-haul spacers can stretch their legs （if they have legs， that is）， and get fuel， transit permits， and assorted supplies。 The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child， who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through。
When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora， three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop。 Grounded， with nothing to do but wait， the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep， a cargo runner at a personal crossroads， and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been， where they might go， and what they are， or could be， to each other。
At the Five-Hop One-Stop， long-haul spacers can stretch their legs （if they have legs， that is）， and get fuel， transit permits， and assorted supplies。 The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child， who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through。
When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora， three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop。 Grounded， with nothing to do but wait， the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep， a cargo runner at a personal crossroads， and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been， where they might go， and what they are， or could be， to each other。
Reviews
Szilárd
，
Becky Chambers' aliens are some of the most human characters I've found in a novel。 If you want to read a book and feel good about it， this is it！ Becky Chambers' aliens are some of the most human characters I've found in a novel。 If you want to read a book and feel good about it， this is it！ 。。。more
Bradley
，
Chambers does it again with her character-driven warm-fuzzies-in-space-opera fiction。I've enjoyed all of these books for exactly what they are。 Not a traditional space-opera in any normal sense of the word except in the dodads， alien species， and space-travel， but while we DO have all of these bits， the story is always down-to-earth， small， and focused on getting by， developing relationships， and sometimes even a taste or three of a few universals。You know， like being upset with governmental stu Chambers does it again with her character-driven warm-fuzzies-in-space-opera fiction。I've enjoyed all of these books for exactly what they are。 Not a traditional space-opera in any normal sense of the word except in the dodads， alien species， and space-travel， but while we DO have all of these bits， the story is always down-to-earth， small， and focused on getting by， developing relationships， and sometimes even a taste or three of a few universals。You know， like being upset with governmental stupidities in crisis， learning to live and love in very restrained and difficult situations， and coming to grips with old injustices and even the injustice of certain ideas。In other words， it's our modern world with SF trappings。 'Wayfarers'， in the title， is not misleading。 We're literally stuck in a space truck stop for the entire novel。 It's not getting out of this backwater place that is the core of this plot。 It's getting out of ourselves。 。。。more
jasminks
，
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Here’s a sea of love to convey my feelingsabout this book， the Wayfarers， and Becky Chambers。❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Trish
，
The Lovers' FarewellThink of home when you are far from here。Let it be your comfort。Think of us when you are alone。Remember always our bright days，Remember song，Remember joy。Remember the purple sky。Remember dark faces， old and beloved。Remember children， their shells still white。 Cheese！ And an embarrassingly out-of-their-depth government agency that very much reminded me of governments and how they are （not） handling this pandemic。 Just two very hilarious / poignant details in this 4th volume The Lovers' FarewellThink of home when you are far from here。Let it be your comfort。Think of us when you are alone。Remember always our bright days，Remember song，Remember joy。Remember the purple sky。Remember dark faces， old and beloved。Remember children， their shells still white。 Cheese！ And an embarrassingly out-of-their-depth government agency that very much reminded me of governments and how they are （not） handling this pandemic。 Just two very hilarious / poignant details in this 4th volume of the Wayfarers series and yes， there is a direct connection to the characters of the first book。 :）We’re on the planet Gora， a barren world known only because it happens to be situated very close to more popular worlds， making it the perfect stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep this series’ galaxy connected。 At the "Five-Hop One-Stop"， spacers can get fuel， transit permits and assorted supplies。 But when something happens （what exactly is quite unimportant）， three such spacers （all different species） are suddenly stranded with the alien running the place and her offspring。The actual story is about who these individuals are， where they’ve been and where they want to go from here。As is usual for this author， the story is not about explosions and action scenes， but about the character studies and developments。 This results in a very colorful and interesting story but one that isn’t "loud"。 Either one likes that sort of thing or one doesn’t。 I happen to appreciate both， depending on the execution。Especially since the "quietness" of this series doesn’t mean no deep and complicated matters such as （class） warfare， intercultural expansion， physical disabilities or other socio-political problems are being addressed。I also liked the setting in which the topics where explored。 I mean， what do you do if you can’t just walk away？ If you can’t just call emergency services in case of an actual emergency？ When you’re stranded and shut in？While I did like volumes 2 and 3 of the series a lot， volume 1 will always be the best - but this 4th volume is a very close second！The writing style was once again wonderful， the descriptions rich and conveying the necessary gravitas of certain events while also highlighting emotional impacts， letting the events flow as smoothly as any conventional， action-packed adventure story。Moreover， there were some nods to the other books and a strong bond with the first that had me laugh in delight （including a serious "d’aw"-moment）。 :DThe series is a bit different from the usual sci-fi stuff out there， but truly great。 。。。more
Bjorn
，
Moominvalley in November IN SPACE！And that's not snark， that's very high praise in my book。 A very good ending to the series; rounding a space opera off with what's essentially a bottle episode with characters discussing the themes the three preceding books while waiting for their lives to resume。 Moominvalley in November IN SPACE！And that's not snark， that's very high praise in my book。 A very good ending to the series; rounding a space opera off with what's essentially a bottle episode with characters discussing the themes the three preceding books while waiting for their lives to resume。 。。。more
Elisa
，
Becky Chambers writes in the afterword that this is the end of the Wayfarers series。 Since the other novels didn’t follow the same characters but shone the spotlight on those who had been in the background， I was hoping that it would last forever。 This universe is so rich and immersive that I would have kept reading for eternity。 After focusing on humans in the last volume， this story is about other alien species thrown together by a freak accident。 Nothing big really happens， it’s an intimate l Becky Chambers writes in the afterword that this is the end of the Wayfarers series。 Since the other novels didn’t follow the same characters but shone the spotlight on those who had been in the background， I was hoping that it would last forever。 This universe is so rich and immersive that I would have kept reading for eternity。 After focusing on humans in the last volume， this story is about other alien species thrown together by a freak accident。 Nothing big really happens， it’s an intimate look into the characters， their history and quirks as they slowly bond。 It is surprising how much I cared about them all， worried about them and wanted to learn more。 Their voices are so distinctive that I started thinking “that is so Roveg” like he was my buddy。 Considering said Roveg is a giant bug， it’s a big accomplishment。 But the author’s imagination is not limited to what’s possible on Earth。 I’ve read non-fiction books by astrobiologists and they complain how aliens in pop culture seem to have “human” traits as in eyes and legs。 Chambers’ characters are truly alien。 Everything， from their reproductive systems， their diets and politics is very well thought out。 The author has a real gift and I’m looking forward to what comes next。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， NetGalley/ HarperCollins Publishers！ 。。。more
Ray Smillie
，
The series ends and the last is quite good， like the second in the series。 Much better than the woeful Record of a Spaceborn Few but not a patch on the opener， The Long Way to a Small， Angry Planet。 I bought this in the hope that it couldn't be as bad as the third novel， it wasn't， however guessed it would not be as excellent as the first book， it was not。 My advice to new readers of Becky Chambers， read the opening novel and avoid the rest。 The series ends and the last is quite good， like the second in the series。 Much better than the woeful Record of a Spaceborn Few but not a patch on the opener， The Long Way to a Small， Angry Planet。 I bought this in the hope that it couldn't be as bad as the third novel， it wasn't， however guessed it would not be as excellent as the first book， it was not。 My advice to new readers of Becky Chambers， read the opening novel and avoid the rest。 。。。more
Georgina Bawden
，
Another lovely Wayfarers novel where nothing much happens but a bunch of strangers sharing their cultures and being kind to eachother。 This one went in pretty heavy-handedly on the racism and colonialism stuff at first but when these seem to come from thought-out alien cultures and not just parodies of human history （a bit uncomfortable when we're talking about non-humanoid aliens， IMO） then they work much better。 I loved getting some Quelin stories in particular。 The depiction of Laru teenagerh Another lovely Wayfarers novel where nothing much happens but a bunch of strangers sharing their cultures and being kind to eachother。 This one went in pretty heavy-handedly on the racism and colonialism stuff at first but when these seem to come from thought-out alien cultures and not just parodies of human history （a bit uncomfortable when we're talking about non-humanoid aliens， IMO） then they work much better。 I loved getting some Quelin stories in particular。 The depiction of Laru teenagerhood is hilarious and affectionate。 Chambers always seems so careful to present a full tolerant world and in this case it sort of came off a little forced to me， but it is a delightful galaxy to spend time in。 Proper enjoyable fluff。 。。。more
Jenn
，
I love the Wayfairers series and this one is such a nice way to end it （though if Mx Chambers writes more I wouldn't be sad hint hint）。 The characters are so sweet and the world is lively。 If you need a break from deep， hard literature or from reality pick up these books and they will cheer you up。 I love the Wayfairers series and this one is such a nice way to end it （though if Mx Chambers writes more I wouldn't be sad hint hint）。 The characters are so sweet and the world is lively。 If you need a break from deep， hard literature or from reality pick up these books and they will cheer you up。 。。。more
Ciara
，
I love this series， its so restful whilst being very thought provoking。 Loved the descriptions of food， and how Chambers brings to the life the everyday profoundness of every characters' lives。 I love this series， its so restful whilst being very thought provoking。 Loved the descriptions of food， and how Chambers brings to the life the everyday profoundness of every characters' lives。 。。。more
Phil Bird
，
Well， that's nice。 You know when you put on some slippers， and you're like walking around， and then you stop。 And you're just standing there waiting for the coffee pot or what have you。。 and you notice how comfortable your feet are in the slippers。 You just sort of stand there enjoying your feet being comfortable。 And then， you forget about your feet for days or weeks or maybe more。 Beccy has nailed the slipper， comfort， feet thing again in this last of The Wayfares series。 This is good news ind Well， that's nice。 You know when you put on some slippers， and you're like walking around， and then you stop。 And you're just standing there waiting for the coffee pot or what have you。。 and you notice how comfortable your feet are in the slippers。 You just sort of stand there enjoying your feet being comfortable。 And then， you forget about your feet for days or weeks or maybe more。 Beccy has nailed the slipper， comfort， feet thing again in this last of The Wayfares series。 This is good news indeed， as I felt "To be Taught， if Fortunate" was a bit too off-piste for me and perhaps a little "teachy" in it's outlook。 This book is all about aliens， a human does drop in towards the end， but they play a very small roll in it all。 For me， a person who doesn't get to read every day， I get a little lost remember what type of Alien is What， in-between reads。 But you can probably do a better job than me， so this is more a personal failing than something which might detract， like a bug bite at an otherwise perfect sunset。 It's about relationships and how a bunch of aliens get to hang out together due to some unforeseen issue with satellites。 It's the usual approach with Beccy; it's a nice easy ride， you feel like part of the crowd as you enjoy the natural gravity of nice "people" getting to know each other in odd settings。 There's some pace to it late game， but it's more a gentle bump than a bone-rattling pothole you just didn't see and plonked into at speed。 I liked this book; I can't really put my finger on why so much， but that's why I like it。 I suspect Beccy might revisit this series again when she's done a few miles on other topics， even though she's saying no at this point。 。。。more
Banjaxed
，
The last of Becky Chambers Wayfarer series and the perfect ending。 I loved all the books in this series so much but this was the first I’ve read and not listened to as an audio book。 It was a brilliant book for our current times and really shows how great Science Fiction reflects our world。 Becky Chambers is such a brilliant writer and I cannot wait to see where she takes us next。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy。
USOM
，
（Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） The Galaxy and the Ground Within takes what I've loved about the series and expands it further。 Chambers delivers a book full of heart。 Multiple POV， The Galaxy and the Ground Within is emotional from start to finish。 Throughout we not only see their stories unravel， their vulnerabilities， anf fears are revealed to us。 We are able to both relate to their feelings of love， difficult d （Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） The Galaxy and the Ground Within takes what I've loved about the series and expands it further。 Chambers delivers a book full of heart。 Multiple POV， The Galaxy and the Ground Within is emotional from start to finish。 Throughout we not only see their stories unravel， their vulnerabilities， anf fears are revealed to us。 We are able to both relate to their feelings of love， difficult decisions， and rage while also seeing their differences。 They all need to learn to speak to each other， to fill these gaps between them - holes of knowledge and misunderstanding。One of my obsessions are non-humanoid aliens and Chambers always delivers！ The Galaxy and the Ground Within feels almost like a slice of life。 Yes there's a temporary grounding， but it's not a war zone and their movements and conversations， feel very much like the dance of getting to know each other。 To participate in cultural sharing and discussion - despite differences of opinions and histories of injustices。 The Galaxy and the Ground Within feels joyful and expansive。 Rich and warm， bringing both a universality to the experience， while also acknowledging the differences and injustice。 。。。more
Ollie
，
This fair and unbiased review originally appeared on my blog， available at www。infinitespeculation。com。 It was conducted with gratitude for the free electronic copy of the book which I received from the publisher， Hodder and Stoughton。The planet of Gora has little going for it aside from its convenient location - situated at a major junction of interspatial tunnels， it serves as a rest stop for those travellers waiting for their allotted spot in the queue。 On a mission to make every member of ev This fair and unbiased review originally appeared on my blog， available at www。infinitespeculation。com。 It was conducted with gratitude for the free electronic copy of the book which I received from the publisher， Hodder and Stoughton。The planet of Gora has little going for it aside from its convenient location - situated at a major junction of interspatial tunnels， it serves as a rest stop for those travellers waiting for their allotted spot in the queue。 On a mission to make every member of every species welcome， the enterprising Ouloo and her child Tupo run the Five-Hop-One-Stop， where weary travellers can avail themselves of the bath house， dine on home-cooked cuisine and perhaps even stop by the charming Goran Natural History Museum。It’s not long before disaster strikes， however， trapping three guests of different species on the surface along with Ouloo and Tupo （themselves four-legged， furry Laru）。 Roveg， an exiled Quelin （a lobster-like species）， is desperate to make an urgent appointment。 Pei， one of the colour speaking scale-skinned Aeulons， is keen to use her leave to meet with her human lover， a relationship which she is forced to hide from the rest of her people。 Finally， Speaker - a tiny Akarak in a mechanised suit - is trying to get back to her sister， Tracker， in orbit above the planet。There’s an undeniably relevant feeling to the setup of The Galaxy， and the Ground Within， as the nature of the disaster that hits the planet forces the main characters into lockdown， unable to go anywhere or do anything。 Thankfully it’s not disease that brings about the situation - that really would be a little too close to home - but technological malfunction。 Nevertheless， it’s a situation which for many will be far less alien than the characters themselves。 That’s another thing to note straightaway， actually; for the first time in a Wayfarers book， none of the main characters are human。There has always been a strong theme of xenology - or “alien anthropology” - to the Wayfarers books， and this is embraced just as readily here， if not more so。 With only limited knowledge of each other’s species and little else to do but talk， Roveg， Pei and Speaker find themselves swapping cultural observations， reassessing their prejudices and all in all just trying to get along as best they can （with varying degrees of success）。 Bustling around them is Ouloo， the most accommodating host it’s possible to be， while her adolescent offspring Tupo （yet to pick xyr gender， and a bundle of energy and flailing teenage limbs） asks their guests endearingly probing questions。There’s all the gentle， heart-warming charm present that this situation implies。 You would need a heart of stone to not warm to Roveg， for example， a gourmand who tries his best to steer conversations into safer waters， or Speaker， cut off from her twin and frantically awaiting word from her。 Watching the various characters （who in essence have had an almost ambassadorial role thrust upon them） bond and solve problems is extremely satisfying。 Social missteps quickly take on huge significance， with bad air trapped at the Five-Hop just as the guests are， and there’s a few of these which will likely have you wincing on behalf of their perpetrators。 There might be less in the way of action and exploration than in previous books in the series， but this certainly isn’t a case of the Wayfarers universe going out with a whimper rather than a bang; The Galaxy， and the Ground Within is every bit as readable as anything Chambers has produced so far。 It is also arguably the purest distillation of many of the ideas that have come up in the preceding books too， as the characters wrestle with their preconceptions， check their privileges and attempt to find cultural touchstones to bond over， a wealth of background information on their species proving once again just how endlessly inventive Becky Chambers is as a writer。 It feels inaccurate to venerate these characters for their humanity， with nary a human being among them， but perhaps the message here is that no matter our differences， we can all learn to work together。 If that seems a little too twee， apologies， but it certainly seems like it’s something that’s all too easily forgotten sometimes。All great things must come to an end， and so the end has come to pass for the Wayfarers universe。 With a level of profundity that’s only to be expected by this point， Becky Chambers has closed this much-loved series with consummate skill and an abundance of warmth， not to mention typically boundless imagination。 I loved every minute of my time at the Five-Hop-One-Stop， and would certainly visit again。 。。。more
Mikaela
，
Loved the issues and characters explored in this。
Kamila
，
What a nice way to end the series。 Great sci-fi doesn't have to be about complicated intergalactic politics or epic space battles。。。 It can be about group of strangers who meet， talk， eat， drink， dance， cry， laugh and talk some more。 Aliens are cool， humans are strange （cheese， right？ :D） and once again I loved every single page of it。 I am sad that Wayfarers series is ending but at the same time I can't wait for more books from Becky Chambers。 What a nice way to end the series。 Great sci-fi doesn't have to be about complicated intergalactic politics or epic space battles。。。 It can be about group of strangers who meet， talk， eat， drink， dance， cry， laugh and talk some more。 Aliens are cool， humans are strange （cheese， right？ :D） and once again I loved every single page of it。 I am sad that Wayfarers series is ending but at the same time I can't wait for more books from Becky Chambers。 。。。more
MissKalea
，
Wow！ Finished this in 2 days because I was just so captured by the lives of these characters。 Beautiful world building， as always， and a delightfully diverse cast。 Non of the main characters are human in this one and I was worried the alien things would be hard to follow- this was not the case at all， everything made sense and expanded what I knew about different species from the previous books。 （I want to reread the first one now） Delightful experience。 Best book of the year so far for me。
Nima
，
گورا یک سیاره لم یزرعه。 اما به خاطر موقعیت استراتژیکش در بزرگراههای کهکشانی در مرکز یک نقطه اتصال بزرگه و به همین خاطر بر روی سطح سیاره تعداد زیادی هتل و مهمان پذیر مانند وجود داره。 در یک روز معمولی و خلوت، اولوت، صاحب یکی از این مهمانپذیرها منتظر3 تا مهمان از 3 نژاد مختلفه。 اونها سر میرسن اما همزمان اتفاقی میفته که مجبور میشن بیشتر از برنامه ریزیشون روی سطح بمونن。 کتاب به بررسی روابط این چند نفر در طول مدت اقامتشون میپردازه。مثل بقیه کتابهای بکی چیمبرز، داستان هیجان خاصی نداره و داستان چند نفر ر گورا یک سیاره لم یزرعه。 اما به خاطر موقعیت استراتژیکش در بزرگراههای کهکشانی در مرکز یک نقطه اتصال بزرگه و به همین خاطر بر روی سطح سیاره تعداد زیادی هتل و مهمان پذیر مانند وجود داره。 در یک روز معمولی و خلوت، اولوت، صاحب یکی از این مهمانپذیرها منتظر3 تا مهمان از 3 نژاد مختلفه。 اونها سر میرسن اما همزمان اتفاقی میفته که مجبور میشن بیشتر از برنامه ریزیشون روی سطح بمونن。 کتاب به بررسی روابط این چند نفر در طول مدت اقامتشون میپردازه。مثل بقیه کتابهای بکی چیمبرز، داستان هیجان خاصی نداره و داستان چند نفر رو به اجبار دور هم جمع میکنه و روابط اونها رو بررسی میکنه。 اگر علمی تخیلی رو رسانه ای بدونیم که با محیط غیرمعمولش آشنایی زدایی میکنه و در این محیط جدید به همون مشکلات دنیای خودمون میپردازه اونوقت احتمالا این کتاب علمی تخیلی ترین کتاب ممکن باشه。 چیمبرز خیلی از مسایل اجتماعی روز مثل نژاد، گرایشات جنسی، اخلاق و 。。。 رو در این کتاب دخالت میده。 در کل محیط کتاب گرمه و آدم از خوندنش لذت میبره اما بعضی مواقع هم احساس میکنه که مثل یک پند اخلاقی شده。 شاید در این مورد کمی زیاده روی شده。در عین حال موارد جالبی هم وجود داره。 مثلا تا بحال فکر کرده این که از دید یک ناظر بیرونی استفاده از پنیر چقدر میتونه چندش آور باشه :D。 مایعی که نقشش تغذیه بچه است بعش موادی اضافه میشه و اجازه داده میشه که باکتری توش رشد کنه و بعد خورده میشه。 کثیف ترین غذای ممکن و در عین حال چندش آورترین چیز ممکنه。 البته بهتره با زبون خود چیمبرز خونده بشه。 。。。more
Emma
，
Becky Chambers has a gift that I really can't describe - while I didn't find this installment to be quite as good as some of the previous ones， it still has all the love and enthusiasm and weirdness that the other 3 books showed in spades！ This is the sweet story of a mother and child who run a sort of welcome house/inn/rest stop for travelers in a weird order of space， and what happens when they and three travelers are stranded for 5 days due to a massive equipment failure/delay。 All the charac Becky Chambers has a gift that I really can't describe - while I didn't find this installment to be quite as good as some of the previous ones， it still has all the love and enthusiasm and weirdness that the other 3 books showed in spades！ This is the sweet story of a mother and child who run a sort of welcome house/inn/rest stop for travelers in a weird order of space， and what happens when they and three travelers are stranded for 5 days due to a massive equipment failure/delay。 All the characters are outsiders in their own cultures for one reason or another， and they find kinship and help as they navigate turning points in their lives。 I liked this book a lot， even if I didn't love it。 It was fun to get to know Pei from her own perspective， and I really enjoyed Tupo and Roveg in particular。 I liked the inter-species interactions， which we have seen some of before。 I will say that I especially loved the way that the setting was set up - I could totally picture the mish-mash of a place that was set up to please everyone and ended up feeling unsettling for anyone。 One of the things I have loved about this series is the way that characters appear in other books， but the focus shifts constantly， and you get so many sides to the world。 However， that is sometimes frustrating because when you find a character you really LOVE， you don't get to see that journey through to a satisfying end。 Some of these characters were exquisite and compelling and some were less so， which meant I loved parts of this book （the natural history museum was hilarious and so entertaining）， but found others less interesting。 However， I will read anything Becky Chambers writes， and I still really enjoyed this tale - I highly recommend these books for anyone who likes feel good science fiction， and enjoys world building and funny characters。*I received this book from Netgalley and Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Mapeax
，
the story is really awesome
Charlie Newman
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[free copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review]Perhaps some won't like 'The Galaxy， and the Ground Within' on the basis of "not enough happens"-- I've certainly seen similar criticism of the other GC books。 I loved it for this， though。 Good sci fi always has something to say （I mean， any good book has something to say， but mediocre sci fi and fantasy seem to think being cool is good enough）。 Building a future society out of whole cloth， extrapolated from the current state of thin [free copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review]Perhaps some won't like 'The Galaxy， and the Ground Within' on the basis of "not enough happens"-- I've certainly seen similar criticism of the other GC books。 I loved it for this， though。 Good sci fi always has something to say （I mean， any good book has something to say， but mediocre sci fi and fantasy seem to think being cool is good enough）。 Building a future society out of whole cloth， extrapolated from the current state of things， gives you a lot of room to comment on stuff-- but most of the time， doing so means traversing the stars to see the different aspects of a galactic civilization。 Becky Chambers' magic trick is somehow bringing a whole universe into view while standing almost completely still。 The plot of this one is almost entirely contained in a literal bubble， and all of the things the characters care about are somewhere between 'in orbit， inaccessible' and 'lightyears away'-- but somehow， they carry whole swaths of the universe into the bubble with them。 Different ways of life， political tensions， a war， and more all come to the surface as three aliens just， like， do their best to hang out with their gracious hosts。 And then， finally， at the end of the book， the connections they made deflect some of their paths， just a little bit maybe， but enough it feels （to me at least） like a plot。To me， this says （as have Chambers' other books）， "the small things you do matter。 Life is all of the moments， not just the dramatic ones。" And so yes， we get exploration of space politics and inter-species tensions， but we also just get moments in the lives of some really vivid people with problems more relatable than you might expect， at first， considering the sloth/orangutan-ish host might be the most human-like of the characters。 Looking forward to whatever Chambers has coming next， even if it won't have Aeluons。 。。。more
AbbyandLisa
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This is book 4 in the Wayfarers series， you should probably read book #1 to enjoy it， but don't really need to read the others， it stands on it's own if you have read book 1。Becky Chambers writes such warm and hopeful science fiction。 Her characters and species find what is common in all of us， and discuss what is different。 Her novels， are filled with great science， and her underlying themes are of hope and inclusivity。 I am sad that this is the last book in the series， but so excited to see wh This is book 4 in the Wayfarers series， you should probably read book #1 to enjoy it， but don't really need to read the others， it stands on it's own if you have read book 1。Becky Chambers writes such warm and hopeful science fiction。 Her characters and species find what is common in all of us， and discuss what is different。 Her novels， are filled with great science， and her underlying themes are of hope and inclusivity。 I am sad that this is the last book in the series， but so excited to see what is coming next。 。。。more
Elisha
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Can't believe the series is over 😭 Can't believe the series is over 😭 。。。more
Marie （UK）
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I have read and enjoyed the rest of the Wayfarer series and was keen to get my hands on this fourth and final episode。 I have to be honest it took me a while to get into this， perhaps there was a lot longer to wait between reads。 Once i did get into the storyline I really enjoyed it and I felt there was a lot more to read between the lines than in previous books。 I believe there is an ehitcal / moral element about people of all creeds / race / type working together。 I think it has much to say to I have read and enjoyed the rest of the Wayfarer series and was keen to get my hands on this fourth and final episode。 I have to be honest it took me a while to get into this， perhaps there was a lot longer to wait between reads。 Once i did get into the storyline I really enjoyed it and I felt there was a lot more to read between the lines than in previous books。 I believe there is an ehitcal / moral element about people of all creeds / race / type working together。 I think it has much to say to society today about working together 。。。more
Laura
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ya sabía que este era el último libro de la saga Wayfarers， pero aun así la primera frase de los agradecimientos me ha dejado rotísima。Este libro es muy parecido a los tres anteriores en cuanto a temas （y su capacidad de darme fe en la humanidad， no voy a mentir） pero es mucho más tranquilo y menos plot heavy。 No es una queja， ni mucho menos。 Los personajes que nos presenta y las relaciones entre ellos y sus especies， y su lugar dentro del GC sirven para expandir un poco más la galaxia en la que Ya sabía que este era el último libro de la saga Wayfarers， pero aun así la primera frase de los agradecimientos me ha dejado rotísima。Este libro es muy parecido a los tres anteriores en cuanto a temas （y su capacidad de darme fe en la humanidad， no voy a mentir） pero es mucho más tranquilo y menos plot heavy。 No es una queja， ni mucho menos。 Los personajes que nos presenta y las relaciones entre ellos y sus especies， y su lugar dentro del GC sirven para expandir un poco más la galaxia en la que está ambientada esta saga， y nos introducen nuevas rencillas y tensiones que no habían salido antes。En general me ha encantado。 Yo siempre he sido de personajes por encima de todo， y que este último libro haya centrado el argumento alrededor de ellos， en vez de ser todo acción， me parece la mejor manera de acabar una saga que va， sobre todo， de las relaciones entre las personas。Me sorprende lo coherente que me ha quedado este comentario teniendo en cuenta que todavía estoy llorando un poquito y chillando por dentro。 Saber que no habrán más libros de Wayfarers me deja un poco vacía por dentro， pero me muero de ganas de leer la próxima novela de Becky Chambers。 。。。more
Pat Austin
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Beautiful and thought-provoking as always with her books。 Such a shame it's the last in the series。 Also I am never going to be able to look at cheese the same way ever again！ Beautiful and thought-provoking as always with her books。 Such a shame it's the last in the series。 Also I am never going to be able to look at cheese the same way ever again！ 。。。more
Jacob Christopher
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Breakfast club but with aliens。
Rose
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Becky Chambers has done it again。 The fourth in her Wayfarers series， The Galaxy， and the Ground Within， is another masterpiece。 This lovely book tells the story of an unlikely assortment of folks who become stranded at what is essentially an intergalactic truck stop。 With little contact with the outside world and no real timeline as to when they will be able to leave， the five of them have to get by as best they can among strangers， each one more alien than the next。The Galaxy， and the Ground W Becky Chambers has done it again。 The fourth in her Wayfarers series， The Galaxy， and the Ground Within， is another masterpiece。 This lovely book tells the story of an unlikely assortment of folks who become stranded at what is essentially an intergalactic truck stop。 With little contact with the outside world and no real timeline as to when they will be able to leave， the five of them have to get by as best they can among strangers， each one more alien than the next。The Galaxy， and the Ground Within is a tiny book。 It’s scale is minuscule — there are five characters， one small space， the span of a few days。 But it is also a story of epic proportions， a story that in a relatively few number of pages manages to capture so much。 Chambers touches on big themes， from colonialism to ableism， parenting and genocide， and what it means to be truly at home。 This is a must read for fans of the Chambers' other work， and for science fiction lovers in general。Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC！ 。。。more
Elephant Abroad
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A bit too sugary this time。 Considered rating it a two， but it is creative。 Not her best， IMO。 Some insights though。
Danielle Schwertner
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