Record of a Spaceborn Few: Wayfarers 3

The best speculative fiction currently being written . . . Becky Chambers is a wonder, and I feel better for having her books in my life - John Connolly, author of the Charlie Parker Thrillers

Yes, these books really are that good . . . Anyone who scorns sci-fi as a lesser genre really doesn't deserve to read anything as splendid as this - Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat

An emotional, moving look at what it means to be human, and the importance of heritage and legacy - Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

Relatable characters in a fascinating universe . . . the writing uplifts and captivates - Gareth Powell, author of Embers of War

Both fascinating and entertaining... Becky's portrayal of humanity is generous, kind and honest - Geneveive Cogman, author of The Forbidden Library

Record of a Spaceborn Few was even better than I had suspected it would be based on the publisher's blurb, and astonishingly it made absolutely no difference at all that I haven't read the preceding two books (yet). And it was also completely different a story than I had been expecting based on that same blurb. Unlike most titles these days, the one Becky Chambers chose for this book is the most precise description of a book I have yet seen an author offer: a record of a spaceborn few is exactly what this book is. It follows a cast of a limited number of characters during a short period of their lives on a homesteader (a city-sized spaceship) called Asteria, as they orbit a star granted them by the Galactic Commons. Now, this is all sounding a bit Star-Trek, I know, but despite the occasional alien character this is one of the best examples of writing humans I have seen in a long, long time. The complex relationships and morals that this book manages to convey while still being simple enough for me to read in less than a week of one hour per day (because I have commitments, people!) is actually astonishing. I have no experience with Ms. Chambers' writing previous to this book, so I don't know if this is just the way that she writes or if it is an evolution of a previous writing style or something entirely new for her, but it was fantastic. The way themes such as life, death, love, and betrayal are casually and yet meaningfully treated in Record of a Spaceborn Few made the entire reading experience an absolute pleasure and I cannot recommend this book enough. I have little room on my bookshelves at the moment but as soon as that changes, I'm going to be acquiring hard copies of the Wayfarers series and starting the whole thing from the beginning. I may have found a new favourite author. Five star read, people.