“The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers: let’s read + discuss!

Welcome back! For this round of the book club we’re going back to our roots – back to space: We chose The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, a space opera with a focus on interpersonal relationships and the weird situations that might arise when a bunch of humans and aliens live in close quarters while tunneling hyperspace lanes. It’s been called “feel-good science fiction” and that’s just what we need after our last book was on the gloomy side!

Synopsis:
> When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

> But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful - exactly what Rosemary wants.

> Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They'll earn enough money to live comfortably for years... if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful. But Rosemary isn't the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.

You can find more information and reviews on the GoodReads page and The Guardian called it a “quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism”.

Curious? Then order a copy at your local book shop or online:

• The book on Bookshop.org
• The book on Amazon

We usually discuss in English and/or German, depending on which languages are present, but most likely the conversation will be in English. You definitely don’t need a literature degree to participate! It’s important to us to listen to each other, to treat everyone with respect and to create a safe setting.

The discussion takes place virtually in Zoom and the meeting link will be added to this event on the day it happens. Just check back here half an hour before the meetup starts!

We usually discuss for 1.5-2 hours. It doesn’t matter if you have actually finished the book – everyone is welcome, as long as they have read at least a few pages and bring their impression.