Sunday Times bestselling author Becky Chambers returns to the Galactic Commons in the final installment in her award-winning and critically acclaimed Wayfarers series.
When a freak technological failure halts traffic to and from the planet Gora, three strangers are thrown together unexpectedly, with seemingly nothing to do but wait.
Pei is a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, torn between her duty to her people, and her duty to herself. Roveg is an exiled artist, with a deeply urgent, and longed for, family appointment to keep. Speaker has never been far from her twin but now must endure the unendurable: separation.
Under the care of Ouloo, an enterprising alien, and Tupo, her occasionally helpful child, the trio are compelled to confront where they've been, where they might go, and what they might be to one another. Together they will discover that even in the vastness of space, they're not alone.
Staff Choice: Sophie
All the books by Becky Chambers always make me cry at the end, because she creates such beautiful, complex, and fragile characters and connections. This 4th book in the Wayfarers series features, among others, a small, roving outcast always forced to live on the fringes, an awkward, gangly preteen with such a big heart, and an artistic gentleman still convinced that what he was exiled for is the right way to think despite what it cost him.
I was in tears again of course, because characters choose to be kind rather than heroic, and choose the small, personal gesture rather than the grand, explosive goodbye.
The world created has obviously been thoroughly considered, and even though there are only five main characters and one important side character, it never feels like they aren’t enough. The pace is gentle, and the focus lies on interactions, not explosions.
Thank you Becky Chambers for creating a universe filled with kindness and caring and attention to others. I fervently hope our future looks like these books.
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