Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Hodder Paperbacks (2017), 384 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. HTML: National Bestseller! Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Series! A Publishers Weekly "Best Books of 2017" pick! Nominated for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel! Shortlisted for the 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award! Winner of the Prix Julia-Verlanger! Embark on an exciting, adventurous, and dangerous journey through the galaxy with the motley crew of the spaceship Wayfarer in this fun and heart-warming space opera�??the sequel to the acclaimed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who's determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for�??and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates. A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to that beloved debut novel, and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect, and Star Wars… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DLMorrese
There's hard science fiction and then there's soft science fiction. The hard variety ties back to the 'hard' sciences—math, chemistry, physics... disciplines in which the same inputs follow consistent laws to provide the same outputs each and every time. Then there's soft science fiction. This
This novel has two arcs. One is about a slave girl who struggles to understand what it's like to be outside the regimented routine of her forced labor. Freedom is difficult. It comes with choices and responsibilities, and she finds the outside world much large and more complex than she ever imagined. The second arc of the story is about a former ship's AI (sentient and sapient) who awakes in a new android body. This isn't what she was made for, and she's having a tough time adjusting.
Both arcs are journeys of self-discovery, but they don't devolve into an annoying amount of introspective angst. The characters don't collapse in self-pity, at least not for long. They analyze their problems, evaluate their resources, and take action. I can relate to them. I find them quite likeable. They are ethical, admirable, and a joy to spend time with.
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* Actually, there are some serious problems with the tech in this book. The most egregious is what amounts to a perpetual motion machine that powers an android (one of the main characters). I'm sorry, Becky, but this is unforgivable (and my rating dropped a star due to it). Even soft science fiction has to respect basic physical laws. You can't get more energy out of a system than you put into it. A self-winding machine won't work. Then there's the matter of emotional machines with no attempt to explain how or why anyone would build such things. This didn't bug me as much because it doesn't violate any physical laws, but it's an obvious question without an answer in the context of the story.
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type speculates from the subject matter of the 'soft' sciences—psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology...the disciplines that study the complex tangles of human behavior. A Closed and Common Orbit falls firmly in the second science fiction category. There are spaceships and high-tech, but they don't make a lot of sense.* That's sometimes irritating, but the tech is not essential to a story like this. The real story is about strange cultures and the people (broadly defined) who reside in them.This novel has two arcs. One is about a slave girl who struggles to understand what it's like to be outside the regimented routine of her forced labor. Freedom is difficult. It comes with choices and responsibilities, and she finds the outside world much large and more complex than she ever imagined. The second arc of the story is about a former ship's AI (sentient and sapient) who awakes in a new android body. This isn't what she was made for, and she's having a tough time adjusting.
Both arcs are journeys of self-discovery, but they don't devolve into an annoying amount of introspective angst. The characters don't collapse in self-pity, at least not for long. They analyze their problems, evaluate their resources, and take action. I can relate to them. I find them quite likeable. They are ethical, admirable, and a joy to spend time with.
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* Actually, there are some serious problems with the tech in this book. The most egregious is what amounts to a perpetual motion machine that powers an android (one of the main characters). I'm sorry, Becky, but this is unforgivable (and my rating dropped a star due to it). Even soft science fiction has to respect basic physical laws. You can't get more energy out of a system than you put into it. A self-winding machine won't work. Then there's the matter of emotional machines with no attempt to explain how or why anyone would build such things. This didn't bug me as much because it doesn't violate any physical laws, but it's an obvious question without an answer in the context of the story.
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LibraryThing member kgodey
The first thing I did after I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet last month was pre-ordering this book, so it’s probably an understatement to say that I’ve been excited to read it.
A Closed and Common Orbit is set in the same universe as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and follows
I love the cozy feel of this story – it’s not something that I usually associate with science fiction, and I hope Becky Chambers keeps writing these kinds of stories forever. And this isn’t just science fiction, it’s good science fiction. Lovelace’s story reminded me a little of Breq from Ancillary Justice – she’s an AI trying to make sense of an existence she’s really not designed for, but their personalities and stories are very different. Breq was an imperial warship, but Lovelace is a friendly and accommodating AI designed to be as human as possible.
Lovelace and Pepper both have pretty screwed up circumstances, but they make the best of it and end up being really great people who are at peace with themselves. I think that’s what I love about these books – every character genuinely wants to be good. Sometimes things fall together in a way that seems a little too neat, but I’m happy to suspend my disbelief for it because it makes for such a good story.
I’m not sure if there’s going to be another book in this universe, I hope there is because Amazon has A Closed and Common Orbit labeled as “Book 2 of 3”, even though there’s no third book to be found. Regardless, I’m going to read whatever Becky Chambers writes next as soon as I can.
A Closed and Common Orbit is set in the same universe as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and follows
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from the events of that book. It has a couple of shared characters, but it’s entirely standalone. We follow Lovelace, a sentient artificial intelligence designed to run a spaceship, who has been downloaded into a humanoid body because of circumstances not entirely in her control. AIs in bodies are illegal in the Galactic Commonwealth, and she has to figure out how to blend in as a human while staying under the radar. The secondary protagonist is Pepper, an engineer who helps Lovelace in part because of her past experience with AIs. We get to see how she grew up and eventually the story ties into Pepper and Lovelace’s present life.I love the cozy feel of this story – it’s not something that I usually associate with science fiction, and I hope Becky Chambers keeps writing these kinds of stories forever. And this isn’t just science fiction, it’s good science fiction. Lovelace’s story reminded me a little of Breq from Ancillary Justice – she’s an AI trying to make sense of an existence she’s really not designed for, but their personalities and stories are very different. Breq was an imperial warship, but Lovelace is a friendly and accommodating AI designed to be as human as possible.
Lovelace and Pepper both have pretty screwed up circumstances, but they make the best of it and end up being really great people who are at peace with themselves. I think that’s what I love about these books – every character genuinely wants to be good. Sometimes things fall together in a way that seems a little too neat, but I’m happy to suspend my disbelief for it because it makes for such a good story.
I’m not sure if there’s going to be another book in this universe, I hope there is because Amazon has A Closed and Common Orbit labeled as “Book 2 of 3”, even though there’s no third book to be found. Regardless, I’m going to read whatever Becky Chambers writes next as soon as I can.
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LibraryThing member imyril
A companion volume rather than sequel, this is moving and humane, proving that space opera doesn't have to be about space battles or galactic intrigue.
An AI in need of a purpose, trying to adapt to an environment she was never designed for. A young woman trying to escape the circumstances she was
Friendship, found family, identity, personhood, self-determination, privilege, prejudice, paying things forward and more all wrapped up with care, respect and consideration.
How can you fit so many FEELINGS in one book?
An AI in need of a purpose, trying to adapt to an environment she was never designed for. A young woman trying to escape the circumstances she was
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designed to serve in. Friendship, found family, identity, personhood, self-determination, privilege, prejudice, paying things forward and more all wrapped up with care, respect and consideration.
How can you fit so many FEELINGS in one book?
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
So often the second book in a trilogy is a let-down as it becomes more of a bridge between the first and third books but I am happy to report that this is not the case with A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. This is the second book in The Wayfarers science fiction trilogy and for me this
Lovelace, now calling herself Sidra, is the AI who was installed in the ship but has now been transferred to a human-like body. She is struggling to learn how to exist in this new form. The other plot line is Pepper’s back story and her childhood as Jane 23 was truly riveting. I admit that at first I missed the camaraderie of the whole crew being together as in the first book, but it wasn’t long before these plot lines totally engrossed me and their exploration of what constitutes humanity made for an enlightening and thought provoking read. From Sidra’s claustrophobia and extreme sense of self-loss to the appalling nightmare that was Pepper’s childhood, A Closed and Common Orbit was a complete page-turner. It became very easy to root for these characters as they grew together and learned how to build trust and friendship toward one another.
I am looking forward to seeing what this inventive author will deliver in the next book. I am sure however she decides to wrap up this trilogy, it will be clever, charming and a fantastic read.
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book was even better than the first. The author wisely keeps many of the things that I loved about the first book such as the high-tech surroundings, the variety of alien species and likeable and complex main characters. She raises the bar by following the story of two of the characters from the first book, that of Pepper, street-smart ace mechanic and Lovelace the AI. Getting to know these characters up close and personal made for a wonderful reading experience.Lovelace, now calling herself Sidra, is the AI who was installed in the ship but has now been transferred to a human-like body. She is struggling to learn how to exist in this new form. The other plot line is Pepper’s back story and her childhood as Jane 23 was truly riveting. I admit that at first I missed the camaraderie of the whole crew being together as in the first book, but it wasn’t long before these plot lines totally engrossed me and their exploration of what constitutes humanity made for an enlightening and thought provoking read. From Sidra’s claustrophobia and extreme sense of self-loss to the appalling nightmare that was Pepper’s childhood, A Closed and Common Orbit was a complete page-turner. It became very easy to root for these characters as they grew together and learned how to build trust and friendship toward one another.
I am looking forward to seeing what this inventive author will deliver in the next book. I am sure however she decides to wrap up this trilogy, it will be clever, charming and a fantastic read.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
Becky Chambers has done it again. She's written another cozy yet deep scifi novel that isn't about people saving the galaxy or taking on some big bad guy. No, her books are about people being people, even if they happen to be AIs. Despite the lack of major stakes, these books are not boring in the
A Closed and Common Orbit would work as a complete stand-alone book. It follows an AI, Lovelace, as she learns to navigate a not-so-legal humanoid body. It also delves into the back story of Pepper, a minor character from the first book. Much of Pepper's story takes place in the past, but it's still horribly intense because you want her to be okay. You want to find out how she ended up where she is. And the end... it's beautiful. I had tears in my eyes. I'm getting teary again just thinking about it. The book creates a surprising love letter to fandom and its transformative power in people's lives--indeed, how it can keep us alive.
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slightest--they are tense, gripping, and emotional.A Closed and Common Orbit would work as a complete stand-alone book. It follows an AI, Lovelace, as she learns to navigate a not-so-legal humanoid body. It also delves into the back story of Pepper, a minor character from the first book. Much of Pepper's story takes place in the past, but it's still horribly intense because you want her to be okay. You want to find out how she ended up where she is. And the end... it's beautiful. I had tears in my eyes. I'm getting teary again just thinking about it. The book creates a surprising love letter to fandom and its transformative power in people's lives--indeed, how it can keep us alive.
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LibraryThing member bragan
This is a sequel to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. Well... sort of. Part of it takes place right after that book, and part of it twenty years earlier, with the two (very much connected) stories alternating chapters. And it doesn't feature the same characters, or, rather, it centers on two
Unlike Small Angry Planet, there's really not even the pretense of a grand over-arching plot. It's very much a character-based novel, a story about found family, about finding or making your own purpose and identity, about learning to feel comfortable in your own skin (synthetic or otherwise), and about figuring out how to be in the world -- complicated, imperfect, wonderful place that it is.
It's not exactly fun the way a lot of the previous book was. But much as I loved that one, I think this one is even better. The characters are terrific. The world is big and engaging. And the story is thoughtful and smart and compassionate and sometimes unexpectedly moving. There may have been a moment or three towards the end where I found myself actually getting a little choked up.
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characters who appeared only briefly in Small Angry Planet. One is an AI who has been downloaded into a very realistic (and very illegal) android body and is passing for human but having a lot of trouble adjusting to her new circumstances. The other is a girl who was created as genetically altered factory slave labor but escaped to freedom, in a very slow, very difficult way.Unlike Small Angry Planet, there's really not even the pretense of a grand over-arching plot. It's very much a character-based novel, a story about found family, about finding or making your own purpose and identity, about learning to feel comfortable in your own skin (synthetic or otherwise), and about figuring out how to be in the world -- complicated, imperfect, wonderful place that it is.
It's not exactly fun the way a lot of the previous book was. But much as I loved that one, I think this one is even better. The characters are terrific. The world is big and engaging. And the story is thoughtful and smart and compassionate and sometimes unexpectedly moving. There may have been a moment or three towards the end where I found myself actually getting a little choked up.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
It's not very often that the second in a series is better than the first, but this one is. The first was adventure, this is a more traditionally character driven plot though none of the characters is traditional in any way but their basic humanity, even the AI. Both of the main characters try to
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find out who they are, where they are, how to live where they are, how to get to where they want to be and how to establish relationships on their journey. Both are "good" girls who don't want to disappoint anyone and constantly worry that if they live as they want they will be found out and rejected. I love the varieties of species and sexual relationships and friendships. As a dog lover, I'm a little sad at the way dogs are portrayed, but the rest of the relationships compensate for the loss of canine companionship. Show Less
LibraryThing member pwaites
This turned out to be one of those books that makes me wonder if I’m a shallow reader. How could I not have loved A Closed and Common Orbit? All of my book friends are raving about the humanity and loveliness of it, and I’m sitting here being like, “Yes, but I was bored for half of it.”
A
I really enjoyed the sections focusing on Jane. She’s one of many girls who spend entire lives inside a factory, raised by robots and never seeing the outside world. She has no concept of how large the universe actually is. When an explosion blows a hole in the factory, Jane sees something entirely new — the sky. Soon she’s escaping from the factory and struggling to survive in the harsh junkyard beyond, hoping one day to escape the planet of her birth. Jane’s life was riveting, and I had a hard time resisting the impulses to skip ahead of Sidra’s sections to keep reading about Jane.
You may have gathered that I wasn’t as fond of Sidra’s sections. There was no conflict or urgency! It was a slice of life story about Sidra acclimating to not being housed in a ship any more. I was initially thinking there’d be more about Sidra possibly being discovered as an AI, since it’s illegal to house them in artificial bodies. There wasn’t. This whole half of the book is what makes me wonder if I’m shallow. Am I unable to appreciate a slower paced story without obvious conflict? Well, probably yes. Maybe that’s why I like genre so much better than Literature.
I can see how Sidra and Jane/Pepper’s stories parallel. They were both constructed to be basically machines, not desired or intended to do anything beyond a specific purpose. Both somehow escape the environment of their creation and have to learn how to find their own purpose, love, family, and all that soppy, feel good stuff. And yes, I’m also wondering if I’m overly cynical and not just shallow.
A Closed and Common Orbit is one of those cases where I can confidently say, “Book, it’s me, not you.” As I’ve already said, plenty of my book friends have loved this one, so don’t hesitate to read it on my account. I’ve apparently just got some weird reading tastes.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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Closed and Common Orbit is a loose sequel to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but can easily be read independently. Lovelace is a spaceship’s artificial intelligence system, but after a complete shut down and reboot, she wakes up in an artificial body with no memory of her prior existence. She now has the task of figuring out who she is and what her purpose is in life, as well as adjusting to pretending to be human. From the beginning, she’s aided by Pepper, an engineer who’s own past as a Jane, a clone built to work in scrap factory, parallel’s Lovelace’s. A Closed and Common Orbit alternates between Lovelace’s (now Sidra’s) start at life and Pepper’s past as Jane.I really enjoyed the sections focusing on Jane. She’s one of many girls who spend entire lives inside a factory, raised by robots and never seeing the outside world. She has no concept of how large the universe actually is. When an explosion blows a hole in the factory, Jane sees something entirely new — the sky. Soon she’s escaping from the factory and struggling to survive in the harsh junkyard beyond, hoping one day to escape the planet of her birth. Jane’s life was riveting, and I had a hard time resisting the impulses to skip ahead of Sidra’s sections to keep reading about Jane.
You may have gathered that I wasn’t as fond of Sidra’s sections. There was no conflict or urgency! It was a slice of life story about Sidra acclimating to not being housed in a ship any more. I was initially thinking there’d be more about Sidra possibly being discovered as an AI, since it’s illegal to house them in artificial bodies. There wasn’t. This whole half of the book is what makes me wonder if I’m shallow. Am I unable to appreciate a slower paced story without obvious conflict? Well, probably yes. Maybe that’s why I like genre so much better than Literature.
I can see how Sidra and Jane/Pepper’s stories parallel. They were both constructed to be basically machines, not desired or intended to do anything beyond a specific purpose. Both somehow escape the environment of their creation and have to learn how to find their own purpose, love, family, and all that soppy, feel good stuff. And yes, I’m also wondering if I’m overly cynical and not just shallow.
A Closed and Common Orbit is one of those cases where I can confidently say, “Book, it’s me, not you.” As I’ve already said, plenty of my book friends have loved this one, so don’t hesitate to read it on my account. I’ve apparently just got some weird reading tastes.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
I was so surprised to realize that there was a sequel to A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. I loved this book as much, or possibly more, even.
Purpose is a central theme of this book. We are born without a specific purpose, yet, we all seek for purpose and find meaning through that search.
This
I desperately wanted to reach the end of the book to know what happened, while also dragging it being over.
Purpose is a central theme of this book. We are born without a specific purpose, yet, we all seek for purpose and find meaning through that search.
This
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particular book focuses on the back stories of Pepper, and of the AI forthwith known as Lovecraft. The stories are intertwined in the most lovely and lively way.I desperately wanted to reach the end of the book to know what happened, while also dragging it being over.
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LibraryThing member andreas.wpv
Chambers succeeds in making a second book loosely related to the first 'angry planet' with a similarly positive, kind and compassionate mood. No space opera, no utopia or dystopia, but intensely 'human' future with not just humans.
LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
I ordered this book from the library the minute I finished A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. While I also enjoyed this book, I did love the first book more. This book is about two characters from the first book and consists of alternating chapters from the POV of Lovelace, an AI who has been
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installed to a human type body and Pepper, the human woman helping her. It's kind of funny but I found the chapters about Pepper's childhood up to present time completely involving. The Lovelace chapters, which I thought would be more interesting didn't hold my interest as well. Not that they weren't good, but they didn't keep me reading like Pepper's chapters did. Still, if you liked A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, you will definitely like this book as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
A lovely sequel. calm quiet and pleasing. Little happens at all, and that which does is flashback recollections of the past, so there's no drama at all, but its still a wonderful character portrait and introspection about being human.
the story starts shortly after the finish of Small Angry Planet
I'm not a big fan of flashbacks as a writing style, and don't really think the vast jumps in Pepper's growing up were that useful. It was only slightly more interesting at the end of the series when she reached the Galactic commons, and I'd have preferred more of this. Ditto that she spent a very long time on her own apart from the AI. As such there could have been much more made of her eventual human interactions.
Sidra's story however is much more interesting and carried the book very well. The assumed position is that the AI is a fully sentient being, and as such has thoughts and desires - motivational drives from code based databases. However unlike a human she can edit them. But learning the boundary differences between a ship and entire room/city full of people causes some conflict. TBH I wasn't completely convinced. There was a failure to explain how she would experience the anger and frustration that were displayed when Pepper disagreed with her. Unlike the somewhat brilliant mechanism used to convey sensory experiences whereby new tastes triggered a bank of hidden imagery, which was very clever.
Overall it's just an engaging and enjoyable comfy read. Cosy SF if you will (cf cosy mysteries). New and none the worse for it.
the story starts shortly after the finish of Small Angry Planet
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with the new Lovelace AI installed in an illegal bodykit, and being taken home by Pepper and Blue, two of Jenks's alternative lifestyle modder friends. Her first task is to choose a name, and adapt to the restrictions of one physical location. But Pepper is willing to take care of her, because, as we learn through a series of flashbacks she was raised from childhood by an AI. This is unusual even in the wider galactic community. I'm not a big fan of flashbacks as a writing style, and don't really think the vast jumps in Pepper's growing up were that useful. It was only slightly more interesting at the end of the series when she reached the Galactic commons, and I'd have preferred more of this. Ditto that she spent a very long time on her own apart from the AI. As such there could have been much more made of her eventual human interactions.
Sidra's story however is much more interesting and carried the book very well. The assumed position is that the AI is a fully sentient being, and as such has thoughts and desires - motivational drives from code based databases. However unlike a human she can edit them. But learning the boundary differences between a ship and entire room/city full of people causes some conflict. TBH I wasn't completely convinced. There was a failure to explain how she would experience the anger and frustration that were displayed when Pepper disagreed with her. Unlike the somewhat brilliant mechanism used to convey sensory experiences whereby new tastes triggered a bank of hidden imagery, which was very clever.
Overall it's just an engaging and enjoyable comfy read. Cosy SF if you will (cf cosy mysteries). New and none the worse for it.
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LibraryThing member lavaturtle
I liked this sequel a lot. I'd wanted to read more about the crew of the Wayfarer, but Sidra's and Pepper's story is actually really compelling. The gradual reveal of what happened to Pepper worked really well. And the ending / what Sidra decides to do was satisfying and heartwarming.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
Lovelace is an artificial intelligence that comes to consciousness aboard the Wayfarer, an old long-haul starship. It’s designed to punch tunnels through space-time, but its last journey ended in near disaster, including the loss of its previous AI. Pepper, a technician working on Lovelace’s
As she did with Chamber’s previous book, A Long Way to a Small Anger Planet, Dulude does a fine job of narrating this surprisingly humane tale of rebirth and reunion.
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installation has some bad news for her. The grieving crew feels the loss of Sissix, the previous AI, like the loss of one of their own. And Lovelace is too much like Sissix with her personality erased. It’s too traumatic for the crew, and they plan to replace Lovelace with another AI. One of the ship’s techs had fallen in love with Sissix, and had ordered an illegal body kit. Pepper who is not a member of the crew, has it in her ship. She makes Lovelace an offer she can’t refuse. Get downloaded, and come back to my home planet with me inside this artificial human kit or stay in the Wayfarer and be turned off by the crew. Pretend to be human or end your existence. As she did with Chamber’s previous book, A Long Way to a Small Anger Planet, Dulude does a fine job of narrating this surprisingly humane tale of rebirth and reunion.
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LibraryThing member quondame
I wanted to get back to the set of characters in The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and so had trouble committing to the story line, but eventually started enjoying the story in front of me which had some interesting discussion on the issues of existence as an AI in a non-target body.
LibraryThing member bookwren
As a companion to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet,this second novel expands the Wayfarer universe, characters and ethics admirably. Chambers deepens many of the aliens, especially the Aurelans who show their emotions on their face patches and introduces new ones. Artificial Intelligence and
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"Enhanced" humans are given voice through Lovelace/Sidra and Jane/Pepper. Like disenfranchised and minorities in our own world, these beings are often treated disrespectfully, cruelly and inhumanely in the Wayfarer universe. Chambers uses her characters, their feelings, hopes, fears, friendships, and angers to enlighten our own times. She also writes with humor, feeling and understanding, creating characters that readers can identify with and admire, while realistically exploring culture and politics. An introspective novel rather than an adventurous one, readers will be compelled by Sidra's and Jane's trials and hopes. I look forward to more of Chambers' creative and thought-provoking novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is a sequel of sorts to the first book, A Closed and Common Orbit. It takes place immediately after the first book, but with a completely different focus.
It follows Lovelace, the newly awakened AI, as she traverses the world of sentient beings without letting anyone know she's an AI. The story
There is a character driven story. Not a whole lot happens, outside of conversation and day to day events until the last few chapters. And even then, its done quietly, with character always leading over action.
Themes of belonging, finding your space, and discovering your purpose are big with this book. The ending felt a bit tacked on - it took too long to get to that point, and then the sudden resolution was a bit too abrupt.
Also, this is a book full of positive people, people who are actually friendly to each other and want to help. At times, this was bit too sweet. At other times, it was perfect. However, I wish more it felt more real... it wasn't really explained how Pepper could afford all the tech, including her space ship. Her small business doesn't seem like it could generate enough credits.
Over all, a cute book, but a bit more "edge" would have made a much better novel.
It follows Lovelace, the newly awakened AI, as she traverses the world of sentient beings without letting anyone know she's an AI. The story
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alternates with another view, Pepper, who is a technician extraordinaire.There is a character driven story. Not a whole lot happens, outside of conversation and day to day events until the last few chapters. And even then, its done quietly, with character always leading over action.
Themes of belonging, finding your space, and discovering your purpose are big with this book. The ending felt a bit tacked on - it took too long to get to that point, and then the sudden resolution was a bit too abrupt.
Also, this is a book full of positive people, people who are actually friendly to each other and want to help. At times, this was bit too sweet. At other times, it was perfect. However, I wish more it felt more real... it wasn't really explained how Pepper could afford all the tech, including her space ship. Her small business doesn't seem like it could generate enough credits.
Over all, a cute book, but a bit more "edge" would have made a much better novel.
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LibraryThing member StigE
This book made me cry a little for all the right reasons.
LibraryThing member KatyBee
Very good, hated to have it end. This works as a stand alone book as well as a sequel. Especially liked how Pepper's story and Sidra's stories worked together and the thoughtful depictions of AI characters.
LibraryThing member kmajort
I waited for the print version.... still not an ebook fan (and I'm looking at a computer screen WAY too much with school). This was a reward for work well done...
And I loved it as much as the first Wayfarers.
Many say they like it better - and I understand that, the story is wonderful - but I think
Still, definite 5 stars, top 10, etc!
Now, must wait for #3
And I loved it as much as the first Wayfarers.
Many say they like it better - and I understand that, the story is wonderful - but I think
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A Long Way has the edge for me.Still, definite 5 stars, top 10, etc!
Now, must wait for #3
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LibraryThing member annasazi
I love the way Chambers makes an interspecies society feel real and complex, everyone with their own cultures and histories. The exploration of Pepper's own story was wonderful, and makes her attitudes about Sidra/Lovelace clearer. Sidra's coming to grips with her body and acceptance of her
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role/purpose was also fun to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
The second book in the Wayfarers series. I enjoyed this look at the complexities of life as an AI. It really is the back story of Pepper and gives background to why she would reach out to help an AI. It takes up where Lovey aboard the space ship had to be reset and tells the story of what happens
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to Lovelace. I think this reads well enough that it could be read without the first book. Chambers is a good story teller who got her start by self publishing and being shortlisted for the Kitschies and went on to be picked up by a publisher and making several other long lists such as Clarke award, the British Fantasy award, the Tiptree and the Baileys women’s prize for fiction. A space opera, a character driven work and a story of friendship. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
A Closed and Common Orbit is about some minor characters from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. As the title suggests, this is a more tightly and personally focused story than The Long Way, but it’s written with the same warmth, and the same focus on found families.
It alternates between the
I enjoyed the emotional AIs - or more specifically, that the AIs were allowed to be emotional - and the extracts from the online-forum-equivalent Pepper posts on. It’s always fun when a book depicts such a familiar aspect of online culture just right, partly because it’s something not many books even attempt.
This is a universe I was happy to spend more time in. I read the book in the space of an evening.
But then she looked up again, up at the big soft galaxy, and after a bit, she felt okay. She felt good. Somehow, outside, looking up at the stars, everything was a little better. It didn’t make sense in her head, but it did down in her stomach. She looked at the tars, and she knew all her questions would get answered, all the things would get fixed. All this weird stuff was okay.
It alternates between the
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present and the past. In the present, Sidra, a ship’s AI who has been illegally transferred to a synthetic body, is offered a home and a job by Pepper. In the past, 10 year old Pepper escapes from a dystopian childhood and ends up being raised by a ship’s AI. These two storylines, very different from each other in several respects, echo each other in interesting ways. Both are concerned with relationships between AIs and organic sapients, and issues of agency, and learning about being Human.I enjoyed the emotional AIs - or more specifically, that the AIs were allowed to be emotional - and the extracts from the online-forum-equivalent Pepper posts on. It’s always fun when a book depicts such a familiar aspect of online culture just right, partly because it’s something not many books even attempt.
This is a universe I was happy to spend more time in. I read the book in the space of an evening.
But then she looked up again, up at the big soft galaxy, and after a bit, she felt okay. She felt good. Somehow, outside, looking up at the stars, everything was a little better. It didn’t make sense in her head, but it did down in her stomach. She looked at the tars, and she knew all her questions would get answered, all the things would get fixed. All this weird stuff was okay.
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LibraryThing member andsoitgoes
I enjoyed this story but missed the characters form the first book, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. You would think more than one of the characters from the first book would be in the second one. You get to know those first characters and then poof! they're gone! I was also a bit confused
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with the ending. What exactly happened in the museum between Sidra and Owl??? Probably won't read the next one in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member jdifelice
4.5/5 stars
I really, really loved this book. I loved how we just delved into the characters. The main characters, Sidra, and Pepper, were written so well. I really liked Pepper's backstory and reading about how she got to where she was. I also liked reading from Sidra's perspective, and her
There wasn't a whole lot of plot, but I didn't care. The story is more about the characters and how they adjust to the new situation they are in.
The world was just as good as in the long way to a small angry planet, there wasn't too much world building other than Sidra's new community and Port Coriol and the scrapyard, but it was done quite well. I loved the mosaiq of cultures on Port Coriol and how we got to see the different species again, even if not totally up close like in the previous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and had a hard time putting it down to go to work.
I really, really loved this book. I loved how we just delved into the characters. The main characters, Sidra, and Pepper, were written so well. I really liked Pepper's backstory and reading about how she got to where she was. I also liked reading from Sidra's perspective, and her
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struggle to fit in and feel comfortable in her body and with who she can be. There wasn't a whole lot of plot, but I didn't care. The story is more about the characters and how they adjust to the new situation they are in.
The world was just as good as in the long way to a small angry planet, there wasn't too much world building other than Sidra's new community and Port Coriol and the scrapyard, but it was done quite well. I loved the mosaiq of cultures on Port Coriol and how we got to see the different species again, even if not totally up close like in the previous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and had a hard time putting it down to go to work.
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 2017)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Science Fiction — 2018)
Arthur C. Clarke Award (Shortlist — 2017)
British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2016)
Dragon Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2017)
The Observer Book of the Year (Science Fiction and Fantasy — 2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016-10-20 (First UK Edition)
2017-03-14 (First US Edition)
Physical description
5.83 inches
ISBN
147362147X / 9781473621473