A Closed and Common Orbit: Wayfarers, Book 2

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Wayfarers series. There are four books in this series. I bought a copy of this ebook from my Kindle.Thoughts: This was another wonderful installment in this series. I was a bit sad to leave the Wayfarer crew behind and be stuck planet-side for this book, but it was still an excellent story. This story follows Lovey (Lovelace, the Wayfarer's AI) as she adjusts to her new (illegal) human-like body. Pepper is helping Lovey navigate her new situation.The story alternates between present-day with Pepper/Lovey/Blue and the past where we follow a character named Jane, who we quickly find out is actually Pepper as a kid. There are heavy themes about artificial intelligence again, which is a theme Chambers really likes to explore (I also just finished reading the most recent Monk & Robot book, that whole series is very focused on AI).This is very much more a space opera type of book than a sci-fi adventure one. I missed the Wayfarer crew and their adventures through space. This story is about what it means to be human; it is thought-provoking and heart-breaking at times. The characters are incredibly well done and I loved all the different alien cultures. We spend a lot of time watching Pepper get some closure and watching Lovey figure out what it means to have a body and will of her own. The writing here is incredibly easy to read and well done. I love Chambers' writing style; it's very engaging and personable. I did miss the broader more action-packed plot that was present in the first book. This story is isolated to one location and is a very personal story for Lovey and Pepper; there really aren't politics, adventure, or any action scenes involved. So, while I adored this story, it was much different from what I was expecting going in.My Summary (4.5/5): Overall this story ended up being a lot different from what I was expecting but I still really loved it. Chambers is an amazing writer and creates such believable characters. I enjoyed the alien races and discussion about what makes a race sentient. There is a lot of discussion about AI as well, which is always interesting. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy the more intelligent and softer side of sci-fi; there is a lot of food for thought here and the characters are incredibly engaging. I am eager to read the third book in the series, "Record of a Spaceborn Few".

Chambers does it again, giving me a story I needed but didn’t know how to explicate. Warmth and kindness and goodness despite a complex universe. Kudos to her, and gratitude.

I have a new favorite author!And now the idiocy of the required number of words to get this accepted

Lovelace is learning to navigate to her body kit, something that she doesn’t consider part of her ‘self”, since she is really a program running inside of it. She is getting used to her new home with Pepper and Blue and they are getting used to having her, as they’ve had to make many changes to keep her comfortable. Lovelace doesn’t understand why Pepper is so adamant that she can survive in a kit; She feels like it’s not possible due to the way she was programmed specifically for a ship. She has no idea how Pepper grew up and what AI’s were in her life from a young age. Slowly, Lovelace learns to function in her new world and Pepper opens up about her dark upbringing.I’ve loved Becky Chambers since I got through the first 10 pages of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet last year. The way she creates and describes alien cultures is so real. Honestly, it makes you feel like these species have been around your whole life, not that you’re just learning about them now.In her last book, I loved the way Becky Chambers played around with gender. Some of the alien creatures she describes change genders throughout different periods of their lives. This also means that their pronouns change many times in the book. A Closed and Common Orbit was no different. Tak, one of Lovelace’s friends, changes from female to male. No one questions it or struggles with the pronoun change. Tak just is Tak and everyone adjusts to the way their identity changes. I think Chambers does an amazing job showing that gender is a social construct and, also, that it is completely different from sex. In addition, everyone is assigned gender-neutral pronouns until they indicate their gender or pronoun preferences. This kind of trans-inclusive language is key for transgender folx to feel safe and respected, and it really makes the reader think about the preconceptions we hold about people before getting to know them in our own society.Becky Chambers completely has the sci-fi formula down pat. She includes everything you need in a well written, page turning, science fiction novel. Some of these ingredients include a system of unique planets that house different species, space travel, artificial intelligence, alien cultures, and alien relationships. I have yet to come across another author who completes their sci-fi formula so efficiently. I swear, I could give A Closed and Common Orbit to anyone, even those who don’t enjoy classic science fiction novels, and they’d enjoy it. She really knows what she’s doing.Lastly, I want to point out the way Lovelace is treated– as a character. Yes, she’s a spaceship program loaded into a body kit. Yes, she’s not considered a full human in her world and is technically committing a crime by merely existing. Despite all this, Chambers treats her like a ‘real’ person and gives her the same existence as everyone else in the book. I know AI’s aren’t really part of diverse reading, but it was comparable, in my mind. Giving someone, who society considers a less-than, the same opportunities in a story as the rest of the characters is what queer characters, characters of color, and characters suffering from chronic illnesses want to see in literature. I know it’s not the same, but I felt really good reading A Closed and Common Orbit for this reason (and many others outlined in this review!).Just as I expected, I absolutely loved this book. It’s definitely different from her first book, considering most of the plot takes place on a planet and not space, but that’s not a bad thing in the slightest. I will continue to support Becky Chambers throughout all of her works, as I recognize the importance of the way she treats gender, in addition to the extraordinary way she describes alien species and their behaviors. If you’re looking for an outstanding science fiction novel, this is it.

I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the first book in this series and really enjoyed it. As a long time "Kindle Unlimited" user, I have a habit of downloading the first book in a series, and if I like it, the next and so on. I seldom purchase but this was a true exception. A Closed and Common Orbit is probably the best book I've read in the last 5 years. I put it in the same class as Dhalgren from Samuel Delany or Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon from Neal Stephenson. My background is in computer technology for the last 60+ years. Software development, command and control, virtual reality, AI and so on. As such, I truly related to this story.The story is compelling, the writing superb and the conclusion actually caused me to tear (this just doesn't happen to me). I will now read anything published by Becky Chambers.

This was a story I didn’t realize I needed! Pepper and Blues back story neatly tied into the end of the first book’s happenings.So much wonderful backstory and character development. I love this series so much!

São apenas três estrelas, mas não se enganem, eu amei esse livro. Novamente a autora nos presenteia com a sua escrita cheio de sensibilidade e de empatia. Contudo, peca-se no ritmo.Temos, basicamente, dois pontos de vista que se alternam, um contando o passado de uma das personagens, e outro no presente, da outra protagonista. Demora basante para que este primeiro ponto de vista realmente decole e, quando isso finalmente acontece, o outro ponto de vista perde o ritmo.Os personagens não são tão carismáticos como o do livro anterior, mas a jornada pessoal deles (da Pepper e da Sidra) é bem interessante. O final é lindo, mas previsível.Enfim, não é um livro indispensável como o primeiro, mas é divertido, me emocionou, li em duas sentadas. Recomendo por quem gostou do primeiro.

Absolutely loved this book and the series. The writing is very fluid, but the ideas very vast and clever. I also just love a science fiction story where the characters love and support each other, and feel so genuine.Looking forward to more by Becky Chambers

Even though it follows different characters it’s still in the same amazing world and all its qualities are still there. If you enjoyed the first one then you’ll probably enjoy this one too!

This book is just as wonderful as the first one, only with less characters for us too fall in love with.It's a book about friendship, self discovery and day by day problems beautifuly disguised as a sci-fi...

Infelizmente não são com os mesmos personagens do primeiro livro. Não que o livro seja de todo ruim, mas se você espera uma continuação do primeiro, e maravilhoso livro, esse não será o caso.