eBook, 336 pages
English language
Published Feb. 17, 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton.
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 …
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.
Again, a typical Wayfarers book. Not much plot but a lot of social commentary. A group of sapients from different species that is forced to live together for a couple of days. More or less a thinly veiled wrap around societal problems and challenges we are facing here on earth.
I'm a huge of fan of Becky Chamber's work, and this absolutely lives up to expectations. It's exactly what I've grown to expect and love. On one level it's got a slow and meandering pace and not a lot happens, and on another level there's so much going on. Small personal stories woven together beautifully. Characters who approach the world with love and kindness even when bad things are happening. Rich and thoughtful world building and alien cultures. This is a story about home: missing it, building it, choosing it, and not having it. I'm so sad to this series come to an end, but I'll come back to these books.
Purchasable
Purchasable
https://www.litalist.com/book/9781473647664.https://www.litalist.com/book/9781473647664.