Aug 21

Aug 21 The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4)

Author: Becky Chambers
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

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.

TL;DR Review

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within ends the Wayfarers books on a strong note, although it also feels the most like Chambers’ Monk & Robot books. I liked it and recommend it!

For you if: You have loved the other Wayfarers books!

Full Review

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, and it was nominated for this year’s Hugo Award.

The story is about a group of people, all of different species, who find themselves temporarily trapped on a small planet that basically just has the equivalent of a rest stop on it. The recognizable character is Pei, Ashby’s secret girlfriend who is also a badass bad-guy fighter.

I loved that with this book, we get more of one of the best parts of Small, Angry Planet: having all these species in one place together, learning and confronting biases and xenophobia, forcing us as readers to think about how this applies to our own biases and xenophobia. Of the four Wayfarers books, this one feels the most like her Monk & Robot books: just enough plot to give the book a bit of a shape, and lots of philosophical conversations between characters about morality, purpose, and acceptance. Personally, I love that stuff, and Chambers of course does it so so well.

If you’re on the fence about the Wayfarers books, or about continuing past Small, Angry Planet even though the characters change, I say go for it. Becky hasn’t led us astray yet.