The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

The planet of Gora has little going for it aside from its convenient location - situated at a major junction of interspatial tunnels, it serves as a rest stop for those travellers waiting for their allotted spot in the queue. On a mission to make every member of every species welcome, the enterprising Ouloo and her child Tupo run the Five-Hop-One-Stop, where weary travellers can avail themselves of the bath house, dine on home-cooked cuisine and perhaps even stop by the charming Goran Natural History Museum.

It’s not long before disaster strikes, however, trapping three guests of different species on the surface along with Ouloo and Tupo (themselves four-legged, furry Laru). Roveg, an exiled Quelin (a lobster-like species), is desperate to make an urgent appointment. Pei, one of the colour speaking scale-skinned Aeulons, is keen to use her leave to meet with her human lover, a relationship which she is forced to hide from the rest of her people. Finally, Speaker - a tiny Akarak in a mechanised suit - is trying to get back to her sister, Tracker, in orbit above the planet.

There’s an undeniably relevant feeling to the setup of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, as the nature of the disaster that hits the planet forces the main characters into lockdown, unable to go anywhere or do anything. Thankfully it’s not disease that brings about the situation - that really would be a little too close to home - but technological malfunction. Nevertheless, it’s a situation which for many will be far less alien than the characters themselves. That’s another thing to note straightaway, actually; for the first time in a Wayfarers book, none of the main characters are human.

There has always been a strong theme of xenology - or “alien anthropology” - to the Wayfarers books, and this is embraced just as readily here, if not more so. With only limited knowledge of each other’s species and little else to do but talk, Roveg, Pei and Speaker find themselves swapping cultural observations, reassessing their prejudices and all in all just trying to get along as best they can (with varying degrees of success). Bustling around them is Ouloo, the most accommodating host it’s possible to be, while her adolescent offspring Tupo (yet to pick xyr gender, and a bundle of energy and flailing teenage limbs) asks their guests endearingly probing questions.

There’s all the gentle, heart-warming charm present that this situation implies. You would need a heart of stone to not warm to Roveg, for example, a gourmand who tries his best to steer conversations into safer waters, or Speaker, cut off from her twin and frantically awaiting word from her. Watching the various characters (who in essence have had an almost ambassadorial role thrust upon them) bond and solve problems is extremely satisfying. Social missteps quickly take on huge significance, with bad air trapped at the Five-Hop just as the guests are, and there’s a few of these which will likely have you wincing on behalf of their perpetrators.

There might be less in the way of action and exploration than in previous books in the series, but this certainly isn’t a case of the Wayfarers universe going out with a whimper rather than a bang; The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is every bit as readable as anything Chambers has produced so far. It is also arguably the purest distillation of many of the ideas that have come up in the preceding books too, as the characters wrestle with their preconceptions, check their privileges and attempt to find cultural touchstones to bond over, a wealth of background information on their species proving once again just how endlessly inventive Becky Chambers is as a writer. It feels inaccurate to venerate these characters for their humanity, with nary a human being among them, but perhaps the message here is that no matter our differences, we can all learn to work together. If that seems a little too twee, apologies, but it certainly seems like it’s something that’s all too easily forgotten sometimes.

All great things must come to an end, and so the end has come to pass for the Wayfarers universe. With a level of profundity that’s only to be expected by this point, Becky Chambers has closed this much-loved series with consummate skill and an abundance of warmth, not to mention typically boundless imagination.

I loved every minute of my time at the Five-Hop-One-Stop, and would certainly visit again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I've read all of the Becky Chambers books in this series, and this is apparently the last one - if the author's final note at the end is anything to go by. It surprised me, quite frankly - it's the kind of series that could go on indefinitely. But I respect her need for a change/break.

This is the most memorable of the books in the series that I've read, apart from the first one. It's very much still "cozy" sci-fi - nothing is too stressful, everyone is basically a decent person, everyone is trying to get along.

What I liked most about this book were Chambers' attempts to grapple with the stressful feelings of the past four years - of the most RECENT year, even. I'd be VERY interested in learning if any of this was written during the 2020 pandemic. The plot is, basically, a bunch of strangers trapped together due to a disaster. They have to get to know each other. They have to learn to get along.

And so, uneasy conversations are had, meals are shared. The concept of home is explored. We get a lot of "here is some anthropological info about this species conveyed via dialogue" beats (this didn't bother me, I found it fun and enjoyable to read). There's an enjoyable moment in which everyone expresses disgust over how humans make cheese. Throughout it, the following message is frequently beamed out by the, I don't even know, A.I. satellite or whatever: "We are all in this together." Sigh. So cozy...

Apart from the parallels with the pandemic, I felt there were a lot of attempts by Chambers to explore the idea of allyship, a potential product of the 2020 BLM protests. One of the characters talks about how she frequently has to spend her life trying to make other species comfortable. The climax involves a dramatic fight between two very different people with two very different points of views. I won't spoil the result, but I thought it was an interesting examination of shaming vs. educating. This could be a really good book to give to a young person to read, and have a conversation about.

Basically, this is a book in which a giant lobster and a bird in a mechanical suit interact with each other, and there's also some kind of animal I pictured as a giant Furby. I was down with it.

Overall, a thoughtful, compassionate, highly comforting and often just plain fun read. Chambers is truly a gem for lovers of books everywhere.

This was a bit of a bittersweet read really as Becky Chambers confirmed it was the last in the Wayfarers series.

I love how well Becky Chambers writes characters, and alien characters at that too. Her books never have overcomplicated plots, they are fairly straightforward and this one was too. The basic premise is a group of travellers get stuck at an alien waystation and discover new things about themselves and each other. It was a really interesting look at differences be it physiological, morals or ideals. I did like the overall feeling of hope and companionship this book gave me.

I would highly recommend this book, whether you have read the previous ones or not, as all of the books in this series can stand alone.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The conclusion to the Wayfarers series is every bit as stunning as the previous instalments.

The planet Gora serves as a stopover between popular worlds and destinations. After a catastrophic technological failure, three individuals, of different species, are stuck in a small habitat dome together with no way of communicating with the world outside. Luckily, the dome they are stranded in is run by a friendly and helpful alien and her child.

It will come as no surprise to fans of the series that the strength of The Galaxy and the Ground With lies with its characters. Their stories are woven with great care and empathy, and they genuinely feel like real people, which is a incredible feat when each of them are so alien (both to each other and to the reader). Each character is so well fleshed out and rendered with warmth. We see them grow closer in their forced proximity and watch as they navigate and accommodate the differences between each of their cultures, societies and bodies. I genuinely cared so much for each and every character.

I have heard people describe Becky Chambers' books as sci-fi for people who don’t usually enjoy sci-fi; they certainly are far from the high-energy, action packed sci-fi adventures that we see a lot of. However they also encompass some of the best elements of the sci-fi/ space opera genre- from the exploration of gender, sexuality and parenting in different societies and wide use of gender neutral pronouns, to unique and intelligent portrayals of alien species and culture.

There are so many touching and tender moments in this book. Chambers writing has the ability to completely captivate and comfort.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within is tied with the Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for the spot of my favourite in the Wayfayers series. I absolutely adored every part of it. Reading this was a perfect way to start 2021.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The final instalment in the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers; The Galaxy, and The Ground Within is a stunning, character driven tale focussing on three strangers and their two hosts as they are stranded together unexpectedly at the Five Hop Stop.

As in all of the Wayfarers books the different species are easy to imagine thanks to the beautifully descriptive language, and through this it is easy to see the characters differences in physiology, ideology and experience. The interactions between the characters then serve to draw draw out common threads and really make you think about how we perceive others and pertinent links to issues in our own society.

I loved this book, as I did the three preceding it and would wholeheartedly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful, amazing book. I’ve always sold Becky Chambers books as sci-fi for people who don’t like sci-fi. This is another great example of that where the book is driven by the characters rather than the setting. They are all characters who I would happily spend time with they are not perfect but they are kind and they are real. Absolutely brilliant, I can’t wait to re-read it in hardcopy.

The planet Gora is just a stopover between more popular destinations in the Galactic Commons Universe, until the day a technological failure strands three strangers at the Five-Hop One-Stop in a kind of space opera version of The Breakfast Club.

I’ve been dying to hear more about the Laru since we met one briefly in A Closed and Common Orbit and so I was very excited to encounter a name with a lot of vowels that indicted the presence of one of the fluffy, llama-like aliens. Ouloo, with the help of her teenager Tupo, runs the Five-Hop One-Stop and she aims to make her guests feel welcome by catering for their widely varying needs as thoroughly as possible, and baking lots of cake. She’s wonderfully warm, caring and inclusive, and the explanation she gives as to why the two of them live alone on Gora, instead of the Laru home planet, is one of the most moving moments of the book and sums up the heart of Becky Chamber’s universe. Tupo is an incredibly endearing character—a kind, enthusiastic and well-intentioned child, behind a façade of grumpy, lanky awkwardness.

The first alien visitor stranded at the Five-Hop is a character we have met before—an Aeulon called Pei. The other two aliens are species that we have encountered only under negative circumstances: an Akarak called Speaker, and a Quelin called Roveg. Becky Chambers is brilliant at imagining different alien species and creating fully fleshed-out histories, traditions and culture for each one. This is first book of the series that doesn’t feature any humans, which was wonderful because the cultural differences are filtered through the eyes of the other species to create rich layers of meaning in each interaction. And their interactions reveal not only how they conform to the biases of their species, but also how they each have broken away from the traditions of their cultures. The story explores how the differences between the four species cause suspicion and conflict, but also how they learn and benefit from each other’s perspective.

I’m always in awe of the way Becky Chambers can explore such vast sweeping ideas about life and the universe, with a cast of incredibly diverse characters, in the context of such simple, almost familiar scenarios. Another dazzling, profound and poignant tale from the Galactic Commons. I really hope this won’t actually be the last one!

This was the perfect quartet ending to these books. I like the fact that even though they are all set in the same world they can be read in any order.
I love reading a sci-fi book band refreshing that the main character wasn't human.
The character development and interaction throughout the book was beautifully written and very imaginative.
Overall a really enjoyable read and highly recommended.

Thank you for letting me read this and I will post on good reads and my blog

Anyone who has been following my reviews here for any length of time will know that I love Becky Chambers’ books. That’s love all in capitals with a heart for the O and squiggly lines drawn around it with a glitter pen. In fact my second review for Sci Fi & Scary way back in summer 2018 was for one of her books. Dear Diary, I gave it five stars because her words make me swoon. I’m giving this latest one five stars too because it’s just as beautiful and life affirming as all the rest.
‘The Galaxy and the Ground Within’ is the fourth (and sadly, last) of Chambers’ ‘Wayfarers’ series. Like the previous three books, it’s wonderfully gentle, character-driven science fiction. These are books about what it is to be human, which is ironic as there are no human characters in it. Chambers has created a phenomenally convincing and vibrant universe in the books, and this book provides a satisfying conclusion, rounding off some themes that have persisted throughout the series.The
The book is set on at a stopover point on a small planet at the nexus of the several intergalactic spaceways. When a disaster means no-one can enter or leave the planet, the owner of the waystation and her child find themselves with unexpected long stay guest in the form of a number of travellers of different alien species.
The plot is limited and the book often feels more like some kind of futuristic soap opera than it does a traditional sci fi novel. If that sounds like a criticism it isn’t meant to, this is speculative fiction of the highest order. Chambers uses her impressive imagination to write about topics that impact every one of us on a daily basis. Sexuality, identity, cultural prejudices, the weight of history. All are covered here and covered brilliantly. It’s a warm, funny, sad, beautiful work that entertains while it informs. If you’ve never read Becky Chambers books, then please do, you won’t regret it.

I was a little sad going into this knowing that it's the last Wayfarers book, however as expected I found a charming story focused on character development. It's very much a slice of life book, with the events taking place over just a few days, following several different characters. As much as I loved this, I feel it will suffer in comparison as it just doesn't quite live up to her other books. Now, it's still a fantastic book and I adored it but I felt a little let down that this was the final book and the ending in particular felt a bit too rushed to me. We had a lovely time getting to know all the characters then just get a tiny glimpse of where they head to afterwards and I would have liked a bit more of that but at the same time, I think I'll always want more of her writing as it's just warm and cosy for the soul.

Becky does it again!

Becky Chambers is one of the best writers currently on the block and with this novel she perfectly brings to a close one of the best series of the decade. One of this authors greatest strengths has always been the creation and narration of alien characters. She doesn't just give upright bipeds weird looking faces but she really goes to town with all the ways alien life might be different and the ways in which this might affect their interaction with the world and with each other. This really comes to the fore in this book, which apart from a brief moment, features all alien characters. However, throughout the whole book, the author weaves together a tale of the very things that make us the same, and bring us together not divide us. A timely message in these troubling and divisive times. I cannot recommend these books highly enough, to anyone really, regardless of whether science fiction is your thing or not. They are filled with heart, and life, and joy and some of the most wonderful characters you would ever want to meet. I'm sad to say farewell to the 'Wayfarer' series but very excited to see where the author will take us next.

From the first few pages I could not put it down. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is set over a few days in an travel stop where five characters are thrown together by unforeseen circumstances. This lets us get to know them - and them to get to know each other, and while the other GC worlds are brought in through their memories and stories, the book is oddly intimate.

Some characters from the previous Wayfarers books are referenced, and we met one before but not from her point of view: so that was a lovely touch for the fans of previous books in the series (which I wholeheartedly am).

It is an incredibly engaging book, I read it in one sitting that transformed a grim gloomy day for me. I could not recommend this book enough to anyone - sci-fi fan or not, give it a try and you will fall in love.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I really needed this book, I had no books to pick up that I was excited to read, and had no escape from uni deadlines, and this was dropped on my lap and saved the day.

I've loved every book in this series, and this one is no exception. I didn't realise this was the last in this companion series, and I'm sad about it, as I feel I could read about this world book after book.


Characters

All the characters (par 1 human minor character) were all aliens, and it was something I've wanted to see Chambers do with this series for a while. I loved learning about the different alien cultures and them interacting with each other without a human there to speak for our experience. Chambers is truly inventive with the bodily needs and functions of the different species, as well as their social culture, yet makes each person in the novel individual and not a stereotype of the race she's invented. It was also fun to see more of Pei from the first novel!

I love the intense character study of these novels, and how the author can make me care so much about everyone in her ensembles.


Plot

The plot is rather stationary, and in this case, about a group of people trapped on a lone planet for a short period of time, and the bonds they grow between one another. It forced people from different walks of life together to bridge understanding, there is conflict in this novel, and each character has distinct motivations and drives for wanting to get off the planet, but the novel is about how they spend the time while they're forced to be there. I could never write a book like this without boring my readers, but I was enraptured by Chambers prose throughout.

One of my very favourite tropes in science fiction is when a disparate group of sentient beings are thrown together in a crisis, which then reveals the commonalities and divergences between them.

Becky Chambers does it brilliantly, and although I love the Wayfarers series I have to confess this is my favourite book of hers so far.

Smart, thought-provoking, funny and interesting - I cannot recommend this highly enough!

If there is one series that I will always praise highly it has to be the Wayfarers series. Becky Chambers has found a unique way to look at people's lifes in a science-fiction setting and manages to play with your heartstrings.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within does this well. I'll be honest and say that I was somewhat hesitant about this book as I started. All the main characters were aliens and I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. But I should not have worried. Becky Chambers effortly weaves a story where all the main characters find piecies of themselves and the others as they are stuck at the Five-Hop One-Stop. There is a way in which these characters come together that makes you feel so incredibly attached to them. Except when they were dissing cheese. You cannot diss cheese, aliens.

Where books 2 and 3 differ a bit from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by plot and setting, this book 4 retains the same feeling as the first book. While it is always about the characters with Becky Chambers, it is most prominent in book 1 and book 4 of this series. The backdrop of being stuck in one place with one another, where one has to deal with the negative and the positive of each person (and even judgemental views) creates a great way to dive into these characters. How can you come from such different places and still come together? The host who has turned her back on her own species to teach her son how to live within a multispecies galaxy, the rule following soldier who is breaking a cultural rule, one part of a twin who has to deal with all the stares as her species is so widely judged without being known, and one exile who is desperate to make his appointment.

So yes The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is another spectacular read. Not for the plot but for the characters that find each other.

I absolutely love Becky Chambers’ writing and this did not disappoint. In the final instalment of the Wayfarer series we meet 3 travellers who become stuck in a rest stop after an accident means they’re grounded for a few days and must interact when they weren’t expecting to. It’s so beautifully written and the characters are all wonderfully complex and I loved all of them as their histories and personalities were revealed through the story.

It seems impossible that it’s six years since Becky Chambers genre defying The Long way to a Small Angry Planet was released. I do love a bit of space opera, and this book, although filled with an imaginative array of otherworldly species and all the action and political intrigue a space opera fan could desire transcended the genre. I’ve read the other books in her Wayfarers series since and enjoyed them all, but the first book remains close to my heart.
The Galaxy and the Ground Within is the final book in the Wayfarers series and in some ways completely different to the first. There is a familiar character in the form of Pei, but everything else is different. For one thing this book is not set in space but on a planet. In many ways a poor excuse for a planet, one that hasn’t managed to produce life itself, a single rock circling a lonely star. However it’s conveniently placed at a crossroads in space and therefore has carved out an existence as a place for ships to stop, refuel and while away some time. While away time at places like Ouloo’s. She runs a rest stop, where shuttles moor up and their inhabitants eat, bathe, shop or simply wander her gardens while waiting their turn to use a tunnel across the Galaxy. It’s hard to style a place to appeal to so many different potential guests with different needs, diets and customs, but she does her best. At the beginning of the book she has three guests. Roveg, an insectoid exile far from home with an appointment he cannot miss. Speaker, a space rover, who has left her beloved twin sister far above back on the ship, who can only leave her shuttle wearing a suit that enables her to breathe the methane her species need to survive, and Pei, on her way to meet her lover, a human whose existence she hides from everyone else in her life. Each of these people have somewhere else to be. So when their satellites and comms are knocked out leaving them stranded and with nothing to do but talk to each other, it’s feels like a disaster. But gradually this small group of strangers get to know each other and realise that maybe they’re not that different after all.
This is a book about what we can teach other, about small kindnesses and understanding, about listening and learning. It is beautifully written, delicately placed and absorbing. A fitting end to a beautiful series.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth book in the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, but it can be read as a standalone. I think reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet helps with the scene setting though. Firstly, can we talk about the cover? This series has amazing covers but this one is probably my favourite.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within follows a small number of characters: Pei, a cargo runner we have met in previous books, Speaker, who becomes separated from her sister for the first time during a technological failure, and Roveg, an exiled artist. They are thrown together during the technological failure, stuck with their host Ouloo and her son Tupo.

Like the other books in the series, the world and culture building of alien species is really, really rich. Becky Chambers thinks of everything – from approach to gender to parenthood to biology, Becky has it covered. This book brings together those culture differences more than the others, with the central characters having different perspectives on the world they live in. None of the characters are human, which makes for some really funny jokes for a human reader.

I put this book up with my favourites of all time. Each book in the series brings something different – this one has really special characters who I loved so much that the book made me happy cry in a few places. I really like that Becky gave each one time to tell their story, and made sure the end was satisfying and complete.

Overall, a stunning final book in the Wayfarers series. I am so sad it is over, given that the world is so huge there could be so much more. I am really excited to see what Becky’s new series will be like though! Thanks Hodder and Stoughton for the review copy through NetGalley, this was honestly such a treat.

Becky Chambers is hands-down one of the best sci-fi writers of our time. A first purchase for all collections where SF is popular.

Once again Becky Chambers has restored my faith in humanity. This novel feels like the perfect remedy to the shit show that was 2020 and honestly could not have come at a more perfect time. Her writing has this captivating quality that takes you in it's arms and makes you feel like everything is going to be okay with the world.

The Galaxy and The Ground Within is a very quiet yet profound novel and personally I think it's such a refreshing change from a lot of the high octane sci-fi thillers we get nowadays. The major theme of the book is a contemplation on what it means to accept both others and yourelf, to me this is such a beautiful thing to explore and definetly a lesson I think a lot of the world needs, on treating people who are different from you with respect, grace and kindness.

In terms of plot and characters, we follow a small group of characters (who I absolutely adore, they might be my fvaourite cast of the wayfayers books, although I do also adore the wayfayer crew in the long way), who are all strangers at the start of the novel, but due to unforseen circumstances they are stuck together planetside on Gora. Gora is a planet which doesn't have its own indiginous species, but instead has become a sort of stopover port, in the middle of a wormhole gate system.

The main charcaters we follow are:

Ouloo - Ouloo is the owner of the one stop five hop, a sort of resort for travellers to take a rest on their way to where they are going next, whilst waiting for their turn in the wormhole gate crew. Ouloo is mother to Tupo and is very passionate about making her guests feel welcome and accepted.

Tupo - Xe is Ouloo's child and is one of my favoruite characters ever. Becky chambers perfectly captured the spirit of a pre-teen/teenager who wants to be xyr own person but also very much still needs xyr parent. Tupo is sweet yet mischivous and so curious about the world.

Pei - Another one of my absolute favourites, we have actually met Pei before, as Ashby's love interest. But seeing her on her own and discovering her character as an indivual, her wants and goals, as well as her struggles (paticularly about her relationship with Ashby - which she feels a lot of guilt about) was such a pleasure to read. Her storyline is so beautiful, coming to terms with what she wants for her life and standing up for herself to herself (idk if that makes sense but it's the best way I can describe it!). Also some of the choices she maes towards the end of the book were so impactful and I think will resonate with a lot of women.

Roveg - Roveg is a Quelin, an species which has ostracised themselves from the rest of the GC, who is exile and is very much the glue who holds this fledgeling group together (Pei and Speaker have very strong perosnalities and Roveg is the perfect balance to this). Keeping his own secrets and anxieties about the situation is character arc is very interesting to watch unfold throughout the novel. I also love how respectful and interested he is in other cultures and how fundamentally tied to his character this is.

Speaker - She is another character who I just feel head over heels for, part of the Akarak race, a species we don't know much about, nor do the rest of the GC, Speaker has made herself into someone who is almost an ambassador for her species, however she often feels this burden and wants people to just accept her for who she is rather than who she presents to the world. She is also seperated from her twin sister at the start of the novel and you truly feel her anxiety and love for her sister and wanting to get back to her.

We watch as the characters grow closer in their forced proximity, but also how they clash with one another and their differing world (galaxy?) views. Also how the characters are forced to take a break from their everyday lives and just spend a few days doing very little, just looking after themsleves and the others they are stuck with. This is a very important takeaway, especially with the current work climate of work yourself to death, as well as a reflection on how COVID has forced a lot of us to take a break and maye reflect a little on what we truly want from life.

There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, as well as some really emotional character moments, paticularly around themes of parenthood (which I am always a sucker for). Also some really sweet and wholesome moments, especially around the sharing of food and how that can help bring people together - another theme which resonated deeply with me. Finally there is an element of medicine/healing care which of course I also loved!!!!

In conclusion The Galaxy and the Ground Within is probably tied with the Long Way to a Small Angry Planet for my favourite Wayfayers book, a beautiful novel about where you've been, where you are and where you are going.

This is heralded as the last Wayfarers book, but like the others it’s a standalone novel that can be appreciated on its own (although there is a nice little string of connection back to the first one). I think the thing I like most about Becky Chambers’s books is that they are nice. It’s a word is too often used as a sneer or a substitute for cloying and twee, but it’s the apposite word for the way she shows us the best versions of ourselves, with love, principles and courage as the cardinal virtues. It can be seen in the climax here, where people* who didn’t previously know each other rally around and work with each other to resolve a crisis, despite fundamental disagreements between some of them. A great deal of the book is simply these characters, thrown together and stuck with each other by circumstance (I wonder if it is a lockdown novel?), chatting and getting to know each other. There’s no villain, there’s no fate of civilisation resting on the outcome (the stakes at the climax, while very high, are strictly local), just some lovely character building stuff that also manages to touch on gender politics, the notion of a just war, love across cultural divides and societal expectations of motherhood. Chambers is very good at describing a range of alien physiologies, but if I had one quibble it’d be that maybe she’s not quite so successful at getting across alien psychologies - for all their different body types and cultural backgrounds, the interior life of these characters is something humans can identify with. But I suppose it’s a paradox that a human can’t ever convincingly portray an alien way of thought because we simply don’t have the mental equipment or headspace to do it without human terms of reference. I’ll leave that to the exopsychologists, and just say this is a great book.

*aliens, but you know what I mean. There aren’t any humans in this book, which seems only fair after the last one was pretty much exclusively human based iirc.

No surprise there.
Yet another beautiful story. I really wish we could have more of this universe. 10 books minimum would make me happy.

This one is closer to the first book in the series : we've got a groupe of people, stuck somewhere for a period of time. They try to deal with their personal stuff while also getting to know each others and helping one another. The difference is that in the first book the crew knew what they were getting into, they knew each others and had knowingly decided to take that year long trip. In The Galaxy, and the ground within, no one chose to be there for more than a night, circumstances put these people together. They also sometimes have prejudice against each others due to their race... But in a complete Chambers' fashion they are never dicks about it.

This story has barely any plot, just like in The Long way(...) except a little something happening at the end (again, like in The long way(...)). I'm positive that if you liked that first book you will love that second one too. But also, if you thought book 1 was too slow... Then this one might not be fore you either.

I loved that Chambers decided to have only aliens as characters in this book. We follow 5 different people of 4 different species and Humans are only mentioned. We got to learn so much from these species, not only how they "biologically work" but their history, their politics. It was fascinating.

After reading this book, more than ever before, I wanted more books in the series. I wanted to know more about the politics especially surrounding Speaker's species. I wish we could have a full book about it... Not fair, Becky.

This reads SUPER QUICKLY. I don't know how long it is exactly but it felt like a novella. I blinked and I had read 50%. How can a book with no plot be such a page turner? I've no idea but I was trying to savor it and take my time but wow it was hard.

I wouldn't know what else to say about this book. It was amazing, it's of course already pre-ordered and it warmed my heart, as always with Chambers' stories. I cannot wait to see where she brings us next.

I think this might be my favourite in the series so far – I am a biology nerd and evolution and xenobiology in scifi really ring my bell! There are no humans here, which is interesting. The cast is comprised of four stranded aliens of four distinct species, each with their own pressing need to get home. As usual, this is intelligent scifi told with warmth and humour, meditating on social interaction and tolerance. I’ve really enjoyed all of the author’s books. While they are not free of conflict, which is a good thing, they are always ultimately kind. Highly recommend.

This was fascinating. It's definitely one for the zoologists out there - there aren't any human characters for most of the story. Instead, four different alien species with incredibly different physiologies are stuck in a small habitat dome together with no communications for a week. All of them have their own desperate reasons for leaving as quickly as possible, but despite their impatience they find themselves fascinated by the differences and similarities between each other's bodies and societies.
Like all Becky's novels, this is incredibly kind-hearted - while it deeply examines every aspect of culture, none of these aliens are mean or bad or capable of commiting the very human type of crimes you might expect from a locked room novel. This was a very tender exploration of all the many ways there are to live, love, reproduce, and cook dessert. There isn't much plot to speak of, but there are lobster centaurs, kangaroo horses, chameleons bipeds and bird sloths. Which more than makes up for the quiet parts, in my book.

I have to admit I was putting off having to read this. As the last book in the series, I did not want to say goodbye to the Wayfarers universe and I was worried it would not live up to my expectations - I should have known better. It was outstanding. I would not change a single thing about it. I loved all the characters, especially Speaker, I loved all of their personal journeys and how much they had developed by the end. At the heart of it, this book was an ode to acceptance, love and individuality, allowing us to appreciate the differences that set us apart and how those differences can bring us together. I cannot wait to recommend it in store, it was the perfect ending, to a brilliant series.

Coming off a well deserved Hugo for Best Series, Becky Chambers finishes her Wayfarers quartet with The Galaxy and the Ground Within. The novel works as an excellent bookend to the series along with A Long Way thanks to similarities between the two. Pei, Ashby’s partner, makes a return here somewhat continuing on their story. The book brings the series back to its book 1 slice of life roots. And there is a gentle trend of found family tropes flowing through the novel as three aliens are forced to stay at a hostel-type travel stop.

(Sidenote: how unfortunate it is that a book that uses a planet-wide lockdown as a plot kickstarter would be released in 2020/21 - I doubt it was intended to hit quite so close to home. Although, a lockdown only lasting one week sounds pretty idyllic at the moment.)

This is the first Wayfarers book to not feature any humans at all; without that ‘default’ human perspective, the setting truly feels like a diverse galaxy. In a practical sense, it’s something that is harder to pull off at the start of a series because readers find it harder to identify with characters. But now, in book 4, trusting that readers will not bounce off the decision, we can acknowledge that so much of what we experience (teenage awkwardness, struggles between honesty and fitting in, two of those explored in The Galaxy and the Ground Within) is universal.

One thing I really admire about the world Chambers has created is that while it clearly is a generally better quality of life as you’d want a futuristic society to be, there are still genuine systemic problems that would come with the territory. Wayfarers is known for being cozy science fiction and I think having these instances of societal backwards-thinking actually adds to it. It grounds the characters in reality and makes their gradual acceptance of each other while being in moral disagreement more realistic.

As is usually the case (with the exception of Spaceborn Few) the plot is fairly thin - there is no real attention given to the reason for the lockdown, it’s just used as a device to create character interactions. This isn’t a criticism though, it works to the book’s advantage. It’s reminiscent of real life for the average person so helps build the slice of life atmosphere. As a conclusion the Wayfarers series, The Galaxy and the Ground Within is anticlimactic. If you’re expecting some definitive closure or references to the previous books’ characters, prepare for disappointment. There is no grand send off to the series, no fanservice ending, this is just another installment. We read the book, finish the series, enjoy it, and look forward to what’s next.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in Becky Chambers' wonderful Wayfarers Series. Reading this book was something of a bittersweet experience, on the one hand I love everything I have read from this author, and this series has long been a favourite of mine, but on the other hand I am so sorry to see it come to an end, and know that there will be no more to look forward to.
Unlike the previous books in the series, this one does not feature any human characters, something I really enjoyed and appreciated given the long history the author has of creating characters of different species with very diverse anatomies and with different and at times opposing needs in terms of atmosphere, diet etc. Setting this book at a waystation on a small planet at the junction of a series of interspatial tunnels allows her to really explore that idea, which she does through the owner of the Five Hop One Stop, Ouloo and her child Tupo, who both strive to ensure that all visitors experiences are as comfortable and welcoming as possible.
When a technological disaster grounds all spaceflights from the planet, Ouloo and Tupo are hosting several very different characters, each of whom have their own worries and pressing reasons for needing to leave - Roveg , an exiled Quelin is trying to return to his home world in time for an important coming of age ceremony for his sons, Speaker , an Akarak who requires a mechanised suit to move around and survive outside her shuttle , is desperately worried about her sick sister alone in orbit above, and Pei , a colour speaking Aeulon is desperate to make an assignation with the human lover she is hiding from the rest of her people because of their insular attitudes. Drawn together by circumstance these very different characters may clash and butt heads at times, but they come together to learn more about each other, and in the process learn more about themselves too.
This is very much a character driven book, there is little in the way of plot, especially in comparison to some of the previous books in the series, but that did not mean I enjoyed it any less. I found myself fully invested in these people and their problems, and I thought it was a fascinating reflection of the situation so many of us find ourselves in right now, trapped in one place, unable to be with the people we care about. I did not know what to expect going into this book, but having come to the end of it I can say it left me feeling completely satisfied , and though I am sad to see the series come to an end, I am happy that I can truly say I have loved each and every book along the way.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within is the final book in Chambers' Wayfarers series and all of the things that have won her plaudits and awards in previous books are present here: fantastic worldbuilding; using sci-fi and alien species as a lens through which to view and critique humanity; wonderful characterisation, with characters who feel like old friends very quickly. I've seen another review refer to this as "cosy sci-fi", which I actually have to agree with. 'Contains scenes of mild peril' would be a very fitting a description, which makes it perfect for readers like me who are averse to more high octane, battle-driven sci fi.

Chambers is obviously working through the events of the past twelve months in the main narrative, which finds five characters trapped together in de facto lockdown after a disaster prevents travellers from leaving the Five Hop One Stop on the planet of Gora. While one character - Pei - will be familiar to previous readers of the Wayfarers series, the others are new characters and provide an opportunity to learn more about other species in the Galactic Commons. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the two Laru - Ouloo and Tupo - and while I felt some of the back story of the Akaraks heavy handed in its obvious role as metaphor, the Akarak character, Speaker, was especially interesting.

As sad as I am to say goodbye to this series, I'm nevertheless looking forward to where Chambers goes from here with her clever, contemplative writing.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final instalment of the Wayfarers quartet, was so lovely to read. It was quiet and contemplative, whilst also being expansive - while the physical setting may have been less vast than in previous volumes, this book provided the space to contemplate the entirety of the Wayfarers universe. The characters are all well rounded, and I became attached to all of them.
I re-read the other books in the series before reading this, which wasn't strictly necessary, but I really enjoyed being in this world again for a lengthier period of time. I think a strength of the quartet is seeing so many different aspects of this world, and encountering a variety of its inhabitants' stories.
It perhaps wasn't the big, climactic ending that some were expecting - but I think this was a positive, rather than a negative. Especially at the moment, there was something really soothing and satisfying about being immersed in another world - and especially one which felt relatively peaceful (or at least was working towards that peace).
I'm sad that this is the last instalment, but whilst not an ending, exactly, I felt this was a hopeful and gratifying point to leave the Galactic Commons at. I really look forward to reading whatever Becky Chambers writes next.

I'm really sad to see the end of the Wayfarers series, such a beautiful set of books. The author has an amazing talent for creating wonderful species of all shapes and sizes, I love trying to visualise them in my mind - the Laru, who we are introduced to here, are "a big muppety sort of species, with long necks and noodly limbs".
This particular novel deals with a small group of strangers trapped together in the Five Hop One Stop during a state of emergency. It's a wonderful distillation of humanity as we see that respect and kindness are key to harmony, and also actually listening to others instead of projecting assumptions.
This series is one that I recommend consistently to everyone who ever expresses an interest in sci-fi, and also to those who are willing to try something different. It's space opera at it's best, character driven and thought provoking.

I loved The Wayfarers series so much, and this book is one of my favourites.
I love how we simply get to know the characters, their cultures, how they manage to get along despite their incredible differences.
Becky Chambers is the master of making us adore characters, feel so deeply for every one of them when they're all so different.
I cannot wait to read even more from her.

It's difficult to explain how much I love the Wayfarers series with their soft character-driven books that talk about life in the stars, aliens, and a far off future while remaining profoundly human and beautifully relatable. I'm sorry to be saying goodbye to the series with this final book, but The Galaxy, and The Ground Within was a wonderful finale. I'm so excited to see what Becky Chambers does next, and I can't recommend this series enough to people who like their sci-fi with a lot of heart.

As I expected from the series, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is an incredibly slow-paced book that focuses intensely on a group of characters and their lives. I'd say the Wayfarers series are truly slice-of-life books in a sci-fi setting. There is no strong plot, although things do happen, it's much more of a character study. This book is perfect for people who usually find sci-fi a little too complicated and large scale. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is a comforting read that tackles harsh realities while remaining optimistic about what we can do to be better.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is such a beautiful book. I've never read anything quite like this series, and I wasn't disappointed with this instalment. I can't quite explain how much I love it; there's a special place in my heart for these books. I love how it focuses on interpersonal conflict and growth; you get a deep connection to the characters and their wellbeing. The difficulties they have relate strongly to real-world issues, the book gives new perspectives to common discussions through a sci-fi setting.

One of the things I was so excited about was that the cast is made up of aliens. I'm a big fan of aliens in books, especially when they have distinct cultures and aren't necessarily humanoid. The previous book in this series, Record of a Spaceborn Few, almost completely revolved around humans, so it was a nice to have a shift in focus here. Despite humans not being a major part of this book, the conflicts are incredibly relatable and link strongly to human experiences.

The main themes of this book revolve around cultural misunderstandings, knowledge, and acceptance. I don't want to go into incredible detail here because part of the fun is seeing the character's development. A group of very different people are trapped together, forcing them to confront their misconceptions about each other. It strongly links to discussions of cultural understanding in our society. It tackles how a lack of knowledge breeds misunderstanding, how stereotypes always have a larger context, and how cultural history strongly impacts present-day behaviour. I can't say enough about how much depth there is to this book. There are so many touching moments, so many important discussions, and so much hope.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who require a strong plot, but for those of you that love character-focused books, the whole series is an absolute delight.

I've really enjoyed reading the stories in this Wayfarers series, and I was sad to see that this will be the final one. It's been an interesting way for a series to be written, not following the same characters each time. Each book feels like it captures or reflects something of our own lives, but I felt it particularly in this one since the group of aliens we meet this time are trapped, by circumstances outside of their control, on a planet, at a pit-stop they had all come to just for a few hours whilst waiting for their allocated time slot to travel onwards through the tunnel. So we see the strangers stuck together, in a confined area, with little to do, with no real idea of when their confinement will end!
There are no humans in this story, and Becky Chambers does what she always does brilliantly - she creates interesting and intriguing characters, as well as their alien backstories, so we learn about several very different species, and their histories, as we watch their own stories unfold.

Whilst there isn't a huge amount driving the plot forward I don't think that's a bad thing. This is a character-driven novel, and I was really interested in all the characters. I liked that they felt weird, and distant, and 'other' to begin with, but that I gradually got to know and love them all. It's beautifully imagined. Warm, and kind, and hopeful. I felt sad when it ended, and it made me want to go back to the beginning and read them all again.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within is a new novel in the Wayfarers series from Becky Chambers. It’s also the last novel in that sequence, which makes talking about this entry a mixture of heartwarming and heartbreaking. I’ve really enjoyed the Wayfarers books over the years, so came to this one with high hopes. And those are, full disclosure, hopes which it more than met.
This is a story about people. That those people are different species, with different biological and psychological configurations, and different needs, is irrelevant. Well, not irrelevant. But it doesn't detract from the essential personhood at the core of their diversity of experience. And it really is a wonderfully diverse group, from societies as different from each other as they are from the one we’re familiar with. Notably, none of these characters is actually a human! All of the characters are forced together, forced to spend time with each other in a space they didn’t choose for themselves, victims of circumstance. But in their dialogue, in their striving toward understanding, they have a shared context and a shared understanding.


It’s a warm bath, this book, in some ways. It’s comfortable. It’s seeing so many different perspectives come together. Watching them face adversity, and discover their differences, and similarities, is a joy. It’s finding strength in common ground, and showing a world remarkably free of cynicism, and with a genuine warmth to it. There’s an emotional truth on display here and that has an honesty to it, a sense of looking through the masks of things to the core beneath, which makes every word, every action, seem real, and gets you to feel them. Too.


Plot-wise, the stakes are fairly personal. A natural disaster leaves a small collective f different individuals bundled together for an unknown period of time. They’re not in enormous peril, but they are out of their comfort zones. And that lets them explore, perhaps, different paths to understanding and happiness than they might have before. They’re ambassadors to each other, struggling past their own histories and preconceptions to see the people they’re talking to, to give them their own agency and sense of being. Incidentally, we do get viewpoints from them all - and each has their own voice, their own perceptions of what’s going on, their own truth, and that each of those is distinct, whilst all being valid, is wonderful. The stakes may not be epically high, in the traditional sense of universes to save or wars to end, but they’re intensely personal. The wealth and depth of character in display made me care about each of these people, about their needs, about their fears, the way they were seen, and the way they saw others. To them, their small, everyday triumphs and tragedies are encompassing the world. The conflicts are similarly personal - and no less intense or truthful for that. People have opinions, and disagreements, and while they have to live in the same space as each other, may not necessarily like each other very much. It’s not exploding space stations or laser swords, but what it is, is searingly emotionally honest, and immediately, personally valid. If you’ve not had these arguments, you’ve probably had ones like thm, and you can feel their truth in your bones, even if they’re being made by a spider in an exo-suit to an egg-laying rhino with an exoskeleton.


In the end, this has everything I loved about the Wayfarers series. Diversity, inclusion, and a universe which is rich in detail and characters which have a depth and truth all their own. It’s a book which is by turns comfortable and incisive, and in both states is doing something special. It’s a pitch perfect swan song to the Wayfarers series, and though I’m sad to see it end, if it must, I’m delighted to say that it’s getting the send off it deserves. You’ll want to read this one. And you should!

This is a novel in which very little happens: there are no space battles, no galaxy spanning secrets to be uncovered or plots to be foiled, it's just a story about people and it is totally absorbing. Three travellers are marooned at an away station on a small rocky planet by a catastrophic failure in the ring of artificial satellites. They, as well as the owner and her child are all of different species (none of them human) and over the course of few days learn about each other and so about themselves. There is medical emergency which helps to bond them but in the end they go, as they must, their separate ways. But each has been changed by their experience and those ways are not what they would otherwise have been.
If I had one criticism it would be that although the characters are of different species they are all essentially human with motive that are quite understandable, but perhaps it could not be otherwise, given that the author is a human writing for humans.
And all the characters dislike (are revolted by) cheese.

I've finished 'The Galaxy, and the Ground Within' yesterday night, I'm still overwhelmed by how extraordinary this book is. It's hard to write a review of something that you feel is so brilliant.

Gora is just a stop in a journey, travellers can rest on the Five-Hop One-Stop with Ouloo and Tupo, who are very welcoming hosts. If you need fuel, supplies, or just relaxation - it's a perfect place. Until you're stuck.

All of the book characters are different species and there isn't a single human.

They're trapped for a few days in the same place, they're disconnected from the rest of the Universe and as unlikely as it'd be in any other conditions - they get to know and like each other, forming real friendships.

I don't read many character-driven stories, here the plot seems to be a supporting element only, and the book is perfect.. It's amazing how many important topics can pass through the sci-fi novel which are 100% relevant to our world. Inclusiveness, gender identity, not wanting to have children, a beauty in how we're all different. Intolerance, pointless war and xenophobia.

I was intrigued and hungry to know more when every alien described their worlds, customs, behaviours, physiology, culture. How they could speak with clicks in the throat or with colours! How surprising it was that not all sapiens breathe oxygen!

And I absolutely loved a description of how cheese is made, because it's so true (and maybe some people will start thinking about going vegan)!

I enjoyed every page of the story. I expected it to be somehow similar to 'To Be Taught, If Fortunate', and even though it was completely different, it was still magnificent.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced copy.

'The Galaxy, and the Ground Within’ is the fourth and final book in Becky Chambers’ ‘Wayfarers’ series – a collection of loosely-connected space operas imagining an intergalactic future. Like all of her books, it’s a gorgeous, character driven tale, quiet and small in scope but absolutely brimming with humanity and emotion. It’s not my favourite entry in the series, but it’s a beautiful and poignant tale to end on.

The planet Gora is utterly unremarkable. It has no water, no breathable air, and no native life – not even the smallest microbe. However, it’s in convenient proximity to several more remarkable planets – and therefore makes a convenient stopover point for intergalactic travel. Ouloo, a member of the Laru race, runs the Five-Hop One-Stop – a place designed to cater to every sapient on their travels, no matter their needs. When a freak technical failure ends up grounding all flights from Gora, Ouloo finds herself playing host to four completely different sapients: her occasionally helpful son Tupo, an Aeluon called Pei, a Quelin exile called Rovsig, and – to her discomfort – an Akarak called Speaker, an alien even amongst aliens. The longer they spend together, the harder it becomes to stay diplomatic – for better or worse.

The only character to have featured in a previous ‘Wayfarers’ book is Pei – she’s Ashby’s love interest from ‘The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet’. However, seeing her from her own perspective is completely different, so this feels like a collection of completely new characters. ‘Galaxy’ is also the first Wayfarers book to have a completely non-human main cast. Chambers has proven time and time again that she excels at creating aliens – from the xenobiology to complicated cultures and political structures – and this is one of the best exemplifications of that. Each character is utterly unique, and their cultural backgrounds, complex politics, and relative xenophobia feel exceptionally believable. With the Akarak, Chambers has created her most unusual race yet, and the impact this has on the others’ relationship with Speaker is brilliantly portrayed.

This is a quiet story. There’s no plot beyond a group of different people being trapped for several days together unexpectedly, each with their own reasons to want to get away: Pei to meet Ashby, Rovsig to make an appointment, and Speaker to return to her unwell sister. The perspective alters between Pei, Rovsig, and Speaker, with very occasional chapters from Ouloo’s point of view as host. There are regular culture clashes, but there’s always an underlying sense of optimism that things can be better.

The underlying themes are many, but the overarching one is family and what it means. None of the characters have conventional family dynamics for their species: both Ouloo and Speaker spend time in pairs (Ouloo with her son, Speaker with her sister) when their culture would traditionally dictate a larger group, Rovsig is exiled from his family, and Pei is romantically involved with a human when her species forbids inter-species relationships. They each have a completely different perspective, and seeing how they all influence each other and come to understand each other’s beliefs is beautiful.

I can’t believe the series is over – Chambers’ world is so rich that it feels like losing a friend. Her writing is gorgeous and quotable, her worldbuilding immensely detailed and yet never overwhelming or confusing, and the diversity in her work is unparalleled. This book is one of the first major works I’ve seen in which a character uses neo-pronouns (xe and xyr), and it feels entirely natural.

Overall, ‘The Galaxy, and the Ground Within’ is a profoundly moving book – just like all its predecessors in the ‘Wayfarers’ series. This is a series where the books can be read in isolation, so if you’re a fan of character-driven stories and quiet, emotional reads, I highly recommend picking up the entry which interests you the most. For fans of stories about family and love in all its forms, this is definitely a book for you.

Let me preface this with the truth that I love Becky Chambers. I love every book of hers I’ve read. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is one of my ultimate comfort reads, the universe she has created within these Wayfarers books is so familiar to me now that reading any book in the series feels like a homecoming. This is, hands down, one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and, spoiler alert, it didn’t disappoint.

The thing I love most about the Wayfarers books is that though they’re a series, and there are some reoccurring characters that link each book to the next, they all stand independently and look at a different aspect of this world that has been created. This book is set the furthest away from “life as we know it” – none of the characters in this book have that familiarity of “human” but in spite of that this feels like the most intimate of all the books. If I’m remembering the other books correctly this is the first book to feature no human characters, so it’s the most spacey of them all. Ouloo and Tupo are a mother and child, Ouloo runs a out of space service station/rest stop/motel type thing and their home is where this entire story takes place.

The plot of this book is essentially all of our characters being grounded due to some space-y thing going on which means that what was meant to be a short stop for each of them turns in to a much longer stay until they can get back on their journeys. While they’re grounded they all start to interact, share their stores and cultures, wants and desires. They become friends, although not without a bit of drama! I think not having a human character was so, so clever as the book is essentially about inclusivity and finding commonality in a place so foreign to you, with noone who looks like you or has your culture. You’re just as alien as they are, and sometimes it did feel like you were encroaching on a private moment. Given we follow 6 characters in this book, in varying depth, all of them were really fleshed out and explored, and as with all of Chambers’ books I felt by the end we were friends.

Another thing I loved about this is Ouloo’s relationship with her child, Tupo. Ouloo and Tupo are Laru, and in their culture children grow up with gender neutral pronouns and choose their gender when they’re ready. As is common in any of Chambers’ books there is a lot of incredible representation of queer characters, and I think this book subtly explored gender without it being the main plot of the book. It was just a fact, it’s part of Tupo (who is adorable). There’s also a point in the book which explains how damaging it is to any individual who is questioning their gender to just assume where they fall on the gender spectrum which I thought was a gentle nod to being a good human.

I would not change one thing about this book. Am I sad it’s the last set in this universe? 100%, absolutely, I’m heartbroken. Was it the perfect end? Yes. The nature of these books means they’re cyclical. I could go back to book 1 and sink right back in to the universe from where this left off. While chronologically this I think takes place after book 1, there’s nothing explicit and no reason to say this couldn’t have taken place before. It was the perfect ending to one of the most incredible, immersive, diverse, beautiful series’. I did cry finishing this book, but I’m so excited to read the next series that Becky Chambers is working on.

A simply gorgeous, inventive and heart-warming sci-fi novel. Having read the three previous books, and found them a little uneven (A Closed and Common Orbit is my most-recommended book ever, number 1 was good, 3 was fine), this fourth one reminded me of all the elements that I love the most about Becky Chambers universe. It is focused on the everyday details, all the things that often get glossed over in (dare I say, typically male-focused) science fiction. How do different species travel between planets? What sort of cultural differences are there? How does it actually feel to have your world-view shaped by a profoundly different set of senses and parameters? Who fuels the rockets?

At the equivalent of an airport layover, five different species are trapped together due to a satellite malfunction, all desperate to leave for their own reasons that are revealed over the course of the book. Each character has significant bonds with others they can't wait to renew - with children, siblings or lovers, and I really love the way each set of relationships were framed as equally important.

Reading this during lockdown really enhanced the character's feelings for me.

One really resonant theme of the book is motherhood - each species has a very different approach to children and parenting, from a puppy like love to an almost clinical breeding programme, via various versions of birth or adoption. Pei, a character from earlier in the series, has a choice to make between biological necessity and her heart, which I won't spoil here - although the way parenthood and pregnancy was presented as a clear choice, and not necessarily one that everyone would leap at, was refreshing and quite moving.

In short, if you enjoy incredible world-building that is more interested in relationships than technology (although there's plenty of great sci-fi detail about interstellar travel etc!) then this is the series for you.

Every book in the Wayfarers series takes in a different snapshot of life within the Galactic Commons. It is a fresh approach to space opera and one which Becky Chambers has mastered. It pays off yet again in The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. This book is the perfect send-off for the series (must it really be the end?) and is reflective of the current state of humanity on our planet (more of which later). What Becky Chambers does, better than anyone else in science-fiction at the moment, is let her characters drive the story and develop over the course of the story, the big events serve as a device to let us explore more of each character.

This book centres around a diverse range of travelling aliens, all with different lives, ideologies and experiences of the Galactic Commons. They all arrive at the Laru-run Five-Hop Rest Stop with the intention of a brief layover before continuing their journeys. Quickly, events occur which mean they are all stranded for an indeterminate period of time. We learn that all those stranded there are deeply affected (understandably so) by their lives and the choices that they have made. Biases and prejudices are explored and challenged. The characters are forced to reconsider long held views and how the same events can be viewed differently by those who experience them. An event then happens which challenges them all to put aside their issues in order to resolve the matter before it is too late.

The book ends with the characters moving forward in their lives using the lessons they have learned from each other over the course of the book which is poignant and resonated with me.

For a book which only includes humans at the periphery throughout it struck me as actually being wholly about humanity. The idea that we can all appear outwardly different and are the products of different environments , but essentially it all comes down to the same emotions, hopes, dreams and fears. That we are all connected and take ourselves to seriously sometimes.

The message that this books conveys so strongly is the need for us to put aside our views and beliefs and work together to solve problems that are larger than any one of us individually which must surely be the key theme of 2021 and beyond.

The story - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The writing - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Becky Chambers does it again. Honestly I was so sad when I finished this as it spells the end of the Wayfarer series. Once again Chambers manages to create a world so rich and easily accessible, filled with varying characters that may be alien but are incredibly relatable, with slow paced and enjoyable character development.

With several very different species thrown together due to a freak accident, our characters end up challenging preconceptions, discussing cultural differences openly with curiosity (not fear) and come away with a new understanding and approach to coexisting with a lesser known species.

The writing is fantastic, as always. Chambers keeps the plot flowing really well between all the characters. Just... Read it!

Fave quote - 'In traditional Aeluon culture, a mother was not a parent. Parents were men and shon. Parents went to school for it. Parents were the people who actually raised children, not those who had done the easy business of creating them. The gendered expectations of parenting were dissolving, but even though women could be found working in creches now, there was still an enormous difference between the person who produced an egg and the person who took care of the little being that crawled out of it. Parenting was a profession, and it was not Pei’s. She could not imagine living like Ouloo, performing two distinct jobs at once, splitting herself for decades until Tupo reached adulthood. The whole idea was overwhelming.'

Fave moment - The conversation about cheese 😂 loved it, I had a proper little chuckle to myself.

This is the fifth Becky Chambers book I have read and the fifth I have given five stars to. I was very excited when I was approved for this arc as it’s one of my favourite book series. I’m sad to see the series end - I could read many more set in this world. All very likeable characters - my favourite was Topu. I enjoyed the premise, the plot and especially ending and where the characters left off. I think everyone should read the Wayfarers series. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

This is the fourth of the outstanding space opera series of the century so far, as far as I’m concerned. But, given that most of the space ships in this one are grounded, the term space opera is arguable. Since it has all the wide-ranging emotion and vistas expected of an opera, I reckon it counts.

Right from the start, the unemotional snippet of technical communication suggests something is going to go wrong. It does. The rest of the book belongs to the people marooned at one ‘bubble’ on the Gora surface. Each wants to be somewhere else in the galaxy, with someone else, without delay. What Chambers does is create a microscopic examination of aliens in duress, shoved together in an unwanted emergency situation, where their lives and motivations are examined.

It’s gently gripping.

I read this on consecutive evenings, swinging between desperation in finding out each person’s hidden secrets–or agendas–and admiring the depth of worldbuilding. Each species has a full, well-rounded history, not only that we’ve understood from the previous books, but how an ordinary citizen responds to their own history, the politics of their species in space, and their interactions with each other. Personal tragedies unfold. Inter-species arguments erupt. Unlooked-for friendships develop. It’s like a team-building exercise gone galactic. Indeed, I noticed the classic phases of team building over the arc of the book, which made it all the more real for me.

And you'll find that the responses of aliens in lockdown are remarkably familiar.

Becky Chambers' writing is, as always, subtle, rich and fragrant. The device of language through colour, with no conceptual relationship to the sounds others make, is bewilderingly brilliant. Her ability to convey differences in entire physiology amaze me. The description of the double-layered language of the arthropod/crustacean provides a thing of beauty. What you find here is not up-and-at-em space battles. You get the reflections of people who have been in space battles and who are now grounded. You get the PTSD, if you like. It feels so real, much more so than the technology of space. And that’s what makes Becky Chambers’ books so very special. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, is a marvellous conclusion to the series (if it really is the last…)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Wow... I am blown away by the final instalment in the Wayfarers series, but it also feels extremely bittersweet knowing that this is the last instalment.

This book is more character-driven and focuses on the relationships with the people around us, and seems to focus especially on relationships in confined spaces; something maybe many of us can relate to with a pandemic going on, but I would much rather be on One Stop Five Hop.


Reading The Galaxy, and the Ground Within felt like coming home to a big ol' warm hug, and I desperately want to re-read/listen to the entire series again.

Well, my space-faring friends, Becky has done it again. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within marks the final instalment in her Wayfarers series, and it is just so damn lovely.

TGatGW is essentially a lockdown situation – with which we are all now painfully familiar – but with several sentient species, all stuck in the same planetary habitat and suddenly having to figure each other out. This happens on the commuter planet of Gora, where travellers layover while waiting to go through one of the nearby wormholes and travel to another, more exciting place. A low-orbit accident leads to the destruction of Gora’s satellite network, forcing all ships to be grounded. The ensuing story is essentially an answer to the age-old question, “what do you get when an Auleon, Quelin and Akarak get stranded in a Laru-owned Five-Hop One-stop”? And the answer is not a punchline, but heckin’ FEELS.

TGatGW is the first Chambers novel where none of the main characters are human, but I didn’t even pick up on this until after I’d put the book down; there’s more humanity to be found in this story about strange, sentient species than in most books about humanity. The author does what she does best, and deep dives into the cultures and social structure of disparate sentient species; from gender to politics, life expectancy to eating habits (including a particularly hilarious section where the protagonists are horrified by the concept of humans eating cheese).

That’s a pretty quick summary, but it effectively sums up this book which is relatively light on plot. But, learning about each species and seeing them overcome their differences is the point of the story, and it’s cathartic AF.

I’d recommend this book if you want to spend more time making some alien friends and less time shooting at them. TGatGW is a rare opportunity to explore the mundane yet fascinating details that are often overlooked in sci-fi. And, you’ll finish the book reassured that while the universe is oh so big and scary, it’s also a beautiful thing.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is a story about Gora – a planet with no native life. It is simply a stop in the middle of connected routes to somewhere else, a place to rest for a bit – but not a place to stay. Ouloo runs Five-Hop in Gora where she hopes to provide a place of respite for any species to relax and stock up on their journey. That’s where Speaker, Pei, and Roveg are headed while they wait for an approval to jump a wormhole to continue onwards. However, an unexpected issue in the routine maintenance of equipment means that the characters get stuck on Gora.

The characters come from a range of different backgrounds – they are all different species and a moment’s stop at Gora forces them to face their prejudices and get to know each other as the individuals that they are. The characters are simply incredible. They are diverse and relatable, and their perspectives are very distinct in the story. Every single one of them has their own problems and their own motives for their behaviour. I loved how the characters marvelled and made positive humour out of each other’s quirks. They don’t always understand each other – but they try so hard.

The Galaxy, and The Ground Within is simply a positive feel-good read. It wraps you into a big, warm hug – but it doesn’t slack in the important discussions. The story is heavily character driven, and the entire book is a beautiful exploration of the differences that divide and unite different species that happen to be stuck together in rocky little planet for a while. It discusses inequality, prejudices and societal expectations in a way that can be easily applied to where we are at in our home planet. Becky Chambers masterfully shows how inequality can still fester in the seemingly most accepting of environments.

Similarly to the previous books in the Wayfarer series, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is almost like a slice-of-life type of book. The plot exists but it is hardly there – and that is the point. The characters and their relationships are at the forefront of the story throughout and by the end of the book I was desperately attached to all of them. I just didn’t want this book to end because I wasn’t ready to let go of Tupo, Ouloo, Speaker, Pei and Roveg. I’m honestly hoping that we would get some kind of a continuation in the form of a novella later! Not because the story wasn’t complete, but because I yearn more of it!

Overall – The Galaxy, and The Ground Within is a beautifully written tale of individuals who come together and get to know each other in surprising circumstances. They are all vulnerable and flawed – and they all have to accept that from each other. The story is impactful and encouraging, perfect for reading on a quiet day when you would like to be transported somewhere with kind characters, somewhere positive.

I am a huge fan of Becky Chambers and her books. One of my friends once described The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet as a hug in a book, and it’s still the most perfect description of all of Becky’s books. The universe of the Wayfarer series isn’t perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than anything we have at the moment, and the impression you get is that they’re still working to make it better. Although each book has its own plot, the characters are the most important aspect, and The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is no different to the previous books in the series.

Each book in this series is a standalone, but there’s usually something which links back to previous books, and in The Galaxy, and the Ground Within we’re re-introduced to Pei, who we first met in The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. Pei finds herself stuck on Gora, a planet whose only purpose is serving as a pit-stop for intergalatic travellers, along with two other travellers, Roveg and Speaker, and her ground host, Ouloo and her child Tupo. Over the course of the book, we get to know these five people, each of whom has their own reasons for worry.

The thing that always gets me about Becky Chambers’ books, is that we do really get to know all the characters over the course of the book. I don’t know how she does it so well, and without you noticing, but suddenly something happens and you’re absolutely, completely invested in what happens to these people. Watching these strangers become a sort of family, over a very short time-span, despite some very deep differences, was such a wonderful experience. Ouloo was my favourite, absolutely determined to make sure the Five-Hop One-Stop catered to everyone. Her distress when she realised that she didn’t know how to make anything for Speaker’s species was palpable and it fuller endeared her to me. I loved her relationship with Tupo too – Tupo frustrated her, as I’m sure every teenager frustrates their mother, but her love for xyr was always visible. Tupo xyrself was adorable, desperate to know more about everything. In fact, I loved all the characters, and how they interacted with each other, and I cried when I had to say goodbye.

Something I really loved about this book was the way Chambers used her fictional world to reflect our own. This, of course, is what every good sci-fi book should do, but I’m not sure it’s ever been quite as obvious as in Speaker’s impassioned speech about how her species suffered under colonialism/imperialism, and how she can see the same things happening again under a different name. It is also made clear that the Galactic Commons continue to ignore the Akarak because they are different, while making excuses about not having the money to help them. Sound familiar?

I don’t think I have the words to do this book justice. Like all the Wayfarer books, it hooked me in and I felt like I was also part of that universe. The event that strands everyone on Gora is scary, but I still wanted to be there in Ouloo’s garden, getting drunk on Laru alcohol. I’m so sad this is the last Wayfarer book, but I’m glad it’s finishing on a high. If you haven’t read any of the other books, you don’t have to, as they’re all standalones, but I think you’ll get more out of the later ones if you’ve at least read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. That said, I cannot recommend The Galaxy, and the Ground Within enough. Read it.

I don’t think Becky Chambers is ever going to write a book that doesn’t make me want to lie on the floor and scream with happiness.

This was a beautiful, wonderful, incredible book. It might be my favourite yet. She’s ruined sci-fi for me forever and I’m not even mad about it. If I loved reading less I’d be perfectly content to read nothing but Becky Chambers books for the rest of my life, knowing that I was getting the best books there are.

And to think, yesterday I laughed at one of my colleagues for saying that he’d found his book of the year in the first half of January.

I'm so sad that this series is ending, but I'm so excited to see what she writes next!

I first came across the Wayfarers series in 2017, and fell in love with it within minutes of starting the "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" audiobook. I've been following Becky Chambers' writing ever since, so I was really excited when this book was announced - even if part of me does wish this series wasn't coming to an end!

I was definitely not disappointed.

As always, Chambers' writing is beautiful. It has amazing worldbuilding, a cast of well-rounded characters, and expertly used humour alongside the more serious/emotional parts. I really liked the balance of plot vs character development vs ethical dilemmas in this one, and the pacing felt just right. All of the characters had their flaws, but I definitely liked them all anyway by the end and was rooting for them all to succeed in their individual goals.

I'll definitely be preordering a copy of The Galaxy and the Ground Within, and rereading the whole series in the runup to its release.

Thank you to Becky Chambers and Hodder & Stoughton for letting me read an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was an amazing end to an amazing series, but let's be honest: I would have happily read many more installments.

This was such an interesting slice-of-life story about people of different species who all end up together stuck in the same place by circumstance and they have to make the most of it. This turned into such a heartwarming, friendly book that fits perfectly in the most comforting sci-fi series I've ever read.

Most final novels fall short, but this one does not. Where others have failed, this one has soared and created a satisfying end to the series. Warm, well-rounded characters; engaging pacing; simply excellent world-building. A glossary would have been appreciated, but still an amazing book in and of itself.

Becky Chambers you say? You bet! One of my favourite sci-fi authors and The Galaxy and the Ground Within was brilliant. It’s hard to find a sci-fi book where the aliens are “proper” aliens and not human variations. Brilliantly described, the narrative goes at a good pace and I can’t fault it. A triumph and privilege to read.

* I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

I absolutely adore Becky Chambers books, I will write everything she writes, and this book was utterly beautiful again. I am very sorry that it's the last Wayfarers Novel, but we get some closure from one mini storyline from #1, I believe.

This is basically about a hotel on a planet where different species sleep the night before travelling on. When an accident in space happens, they are all caught on the little planet in the little hotel and we learn more and more about our focalisers. This book is very queer, very wholesome, dramatic but also fun.

I loved it.

5 Stars

I’ll say this right at the start so no-one is confused: order yourself a copy of this book now you will not regret it. If you’re one of the three people left in the known universe to whom I have not recommended this series…suffice to say I am incredibly envious that you get to read them for the first time – you are going to read them right?

I’m going to assume from here on out that you have at least a sense of what the other books in this series are about even if you haven’t managed to read them yet. I do think reading in publication order is the best way to read these, but you could in theory read this book first if for some reason it fell into your lap. (For reference, the only books I would say it’s best to read in any particular order are books one and two).

This book follows on from the previous books perfectly, reflecting that majestic tone that I’ve only ever found in Becky Chambers’ writing. It’s a strange mixture of hopeful, melancholy, triumphant and poignant that cuts a straight line directly to my feelings. I’m being dramatic yes but I was in tears from around page 50 through to the end and that’s not too common an occurrence for me. Those who have read the previous books and loved them will not be dissapointed.

I think part of the reason this book works so well is the characters. While one character has featured as a side character in previous books the rest are totally new. This has never been an issue in previous books and it wasn’t here – I adored each and every one of these ‘aliens’ and I would gladly read more books from each of their perspectives. I look forward to hearing who everyone’s favourites were (I am an Ouloo fan myself).

One thing that I think a lot of early reviewers are picking up on is the fact that there are no human characters in this book. While that’s not a brand new thing for science fiction and Becky Chambers has never shied away from non-human storylines it is nonetheless a really interesting perspective – particularly if one considers that the last two works in the series Record of a Spaceborn Few and To be Taught if Fortunate were quite human focussed (albeit not ‘humans dominate all’). There are a couple of amusing alien observations on humanity but for the most part this is a story about completely different species and cultures with their own identities, needs, political crises etc. I think that part of the beauty of this book is that we learn just enough about each character – there isn’t oodles of world building for each culture we just get a surface level look at the bigger picture while delving deep into the characters’ individual emotions. I wouldn’t trust anyone but Becky Chambers with crafting something like this and she does not disappoint.

This story has moments of tension enough to make my heart race while simultaneously ‘just’ being a story about some strangers meeting at what is effectively a motorway service station in space, if it had any human characters I would call it gloriously human. I suppose ‘wonderfully sentient’ feels a little clinical. If we ever did meet aliens I would have to thrust these books at them and say ‘look – this one person figured out we could consider things bigger than ourselves’. It’s one of those books where for days (weeks) afterwards you find yourself remembering other moments from within the story in a ‘oh yes the part with the museum’ kind of way. It’s one of my hallmarks of a great book, the way it stays with you after the final page. It’s been a few weeks and I’m still stuck on this one.

That’s a lot of waffle to say – I loved this. I think A Closed and Common Orbit is still my favourite of all of the books because it speaks directly to my soul – but this might be a close second…

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley – all opinions are my own.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within is out February 18th!

The latest and final instalment of the Wayfarers quartet is a perfectly pitched, stunning farewell to a series I’ve loved since I first picked up Chambers’ A Very Long Way to a Small Angry Planet several years ago.

This queer, wacky, alien (in every sense of the word) sci-fi isn’t like your usual book series, much to its credit. There is no one ‘main’ character that you follow, but rather the stories are loosely connected by threads as briefly mentioned characters in one book become a point of view character in the next. One of the things I love about her work is that Chambers manages to make her novels both intimate and expansive, packed with lore and emotion, with every newly introduced character as unique and intriguing as the next. The Galaxy and the Ground Within is no exception.

This book focuses on the stories of three separate characters: Roveg, Pei (whom readers might recognise as Ashby’s Aeulon lover from the first book), and Speaker. The storyline kicks off when they stop – and are subsequently stranded – at the Five-Hop One-Stop, a waystation for travellers hopping between worlds run by Ouloo and her child Tupo. The “Snowed In” (or in this case “grounded by lots of space debris in the atmosphere”) trope is one that really fits her kind of storytelling well, as we follow this unlikely band of different alien species who would otherwise be strangers and see them come together during their time here.

Where Book 2 and 3 depart from the usual plot having a wider setting to play with, this final book brings back some of the intense character-driven conversations I loved about Book 1. Chambers’ strikes the right balance between poignant exploration of a whole host of topics from the meaning of family, love, loss, self-actualisation, and humour (there’s a particularly funny bit where the collective alien group discuss cheese, which I chuckled a lot at). The Galaxy and the Ground Within offers readers a concentrated exploration of “human” relationships, without a human in sight.

It’s in this book that Chambers really gets to flex her world-building muscles, dropping details about previously unexplained alien species, exploring their culture and customs a little more. Whilst one might think this “snowed in” trope means the novel is at risk of being stagnant, she continues to keep it interesting. There are twists and turns as characters learn more about each other, explore the nuances between them, argue, gossip, and change their own perspectives and prejudices that kept me glued to the page.

Without spoiling too much, the ending of this novel is a bittersweet one. As I reached the final few pages, much like Tupo, Ouloo, Roveg, Pei, and Speaker find a place in each other’s hearts, this book nestled its way into my own. I didn’t want it to end, but just as the character’s separate and get back to their original journeys, so too must this book come to a close.

Final verdict:

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is a fantastic send-off for a truly unique and colourful sci-fi series. It is a must read for fans of her series, and offers long-term fans a cathartic type of closure. I’m sad to see it finish, but am so very glad that I read this Wayfarers series to the very end, and I very much look forward to seeing what Chambers publishes next.

Whenever a Becky Chambers appears on my horizon I know I must read it, and her new book continues to prove how true this is as she expands the universe she creates in this new book. Her way with building characters and building worlds continues in The Galaxy, And The Ground Within at the level we have come to expect from them and I love reading more about it with each book that comes along.

Giving us the perspectives of multiple characters, the author gives us so many dimensions of the same event going on with incredible thought and pathos in this story, especially the one of Speaker alone on the ship without their twin and being able to handle the situation on their own and trying to figure out what’s going to happen. The characters are always so incredibly well developed and we see throughout the book the development of each character perfectly done.
Pei is the centrepoint of the plot and they are such a great character with a really well developed character - and how she connects to all the characters in this book is brilliantly done with such a small space, Chambers utilises one event and place to create brilliant connections between a diverse collection of characters and it makes for such beautiful reading.

I also want to touch on the ‘world building’ in this series - each character is of a different species and Chambers’ ability to give them all their own story but also their own origin story is such an incredible thing to read throughout this book - we are given planets, politics and people in this story and it makes me love it so much more.

Basically, if Becky Chambers writes it at this point I will read it.

5*

(I was given an ARC via Netgalley for honest review).

Oh Becky Chambers! You have written another spectacular addition to the Wayfarer series. I'm very sad to see that this is the last volume planned.

The amount of thought and imagination that has gone into creating every character and species, their history and making their likes and dislikes consistent and logical (as far as these things can be) was great. Within that, each character had distinct personality and motivation. The insights into society and behaviour that are given are incredible given that this is a very entertaining story as well. Hats off to the author!

One passage that particularly made me smile was the one discussing the human habit of eating cheese and how it was made. Finishing with the bombshell that it isn't even made with human milk was genius.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Becky Chambers closes off the Wayfarers series with another gorgeous and interesting slice-of-life story.

To start off: I love the Wayfarer books. They are cozy, interesting, well-written and the perfect slice-of-life books for if you really don’t feel like reading a story with an epic quest to save the universe.

In The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, we follow several individuals of different sapient species. Roveg, Speaker and Pei (whom we already know from the first Wayfarers book) all land on Gora and have to stay with Ouloo and her kid, Tupo, for several hours before they can use one of the space tunnels to continue their journey.

Several hours turn into several days, and we follow these five individuals as they try to fill their days. Most of the book isn’t more than that - characters conversing, explaining their culture and species to each other, enjoying time together, or arguing amongst each other.

Eventually something does happen, but this being a Becky Chambers book, you already know the outcome will be a positive one. This accident isn’t about the outcome anyway, but the way the characters deal with this event in their own personal ways.

And that’s what I love so much about Becky Chambers’ books. She writes very well-written and well developed alien characters, but makes it extremely easy to understand them. Her books read like a brilliant slice-of-life anime, and always leave me feeling cozy.

I’m sad to see the ending to the Wayfarers-series. There are still so many characters I’d love to know more about. But I also know Becky Chambers isn’t done writing yet, and I’m looking forward to whatever she’ll write next.

When I think about space operas, I think about this series. This book, as its predecessors, was a quite, simple yet complex, tale about different individuals getting together and just being themselves, challenging their lives and how they view others.

The story takes place on a space "truck stop" after an accident forces three very different individuals to stay there for a while. We have aliens from different cultures, upbringings, and experiences, all together, knowing each other outside history books. They will learn more about themselves and how little they actually know about what's outside their civilization.

The characters stuck there, plus the mom and kid who run the Five-Hop, will form a bond like no other. Not without confrontation and learning opportunities. Each of them, very different, with a story to tell, places to go, decisions to make.

There's no way to explain this book and its simple complexities. This is a quiet space opera you have to experience for yourself. This series is one of the sweetest I've ever read and I will never stop recommending it.

Why are reviews for books you absolutely loved the most difficult to write? You all probably know by now that Becky Chambers is one of my absolute favourite authors of all time. I adore her cosy science fiction writing and a new book from her is always a big event in my reading life. I went into The Galaxy and the Ground Within knowing exactly how much I'd love it, and all my expectations were met.

If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say that the reason I connect so strongly with Becky Chambers' books is the 'human' element. Her books are about people just getting on with their lives -- there are no sweeping space epics, heroic destinies, or nefarious evils to be defeated. I'm sure that there are great heroes and space battles happening in the background -- in fact, Pei's storyline confirms it -- however I love that we focus on the average person living their life in the galaxy. I truly think that every person can see something of themselves in her characters for this reason. 

The strongest aspect of this novel is the characterisation -- it is the definition of a character driven book. There is a bit of a plot -- for readers familiar with her other books, there's more plot than Record of a Spaceborn Few but less than A Closed and Common Orbit -- and the focus is definitely on these strangers as their lives are put on hold on Gora. Through these characters and their backgrounds, Chambers gives us a greater glimpse at the galaxy we've come to know and the different hardships that every species faces. From political and social exile to war and the empty promises of the governing body, this book doesn't shy away from difficult subjects. Despite how cosy and lovely all of her books are, the world is not a perfect place and that makes them all the more readable and relatable.

Speaking of characters, there are five characters with four points of view, and I struggle to determine which of them is my favourite. We have: 

-Pei: a soldier at a crucial crossroads in her life. She's the only character we've seen in a previous book -- she is Ashby's lover in The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
-Roveg: an exile from his homeworld and an outcast among his people. He's a soulful artist with a very important appointment to keep.
-Speaker: a member of a misunderstood and mistrusted species. She is incredibly close with her sister, whom she is separated from after the disaster on Gora.
-Ouloo: a mother and businesswoman. She runs the Five Hop One Stop, where all the characters are grounded. She just wants everyone to be happy and comfortable (if I had to pick a favourite, it's probably her).
-Tupo: Ouloo's child, who has all the curiosity and bluntness of a prepubescent child and is the glue holding the group together.

All of these characters have different backgrounds, statuses, and political views, however The Galaxy and the Ground Within is all about setting aside preconceived notions and prejudices and learning from one another. The way that this group learns to respect each other and forms friendships is just wonderful to watch. 

The Galaxy and the Ground Within is a fine conclusion to one of the best modern science fiction series out there. It has so much heart and like all of her other books, is moving and impactful (it made me cry in the bath and I'm not ashamed to say it). If you're a fan of the previous books in the Wayfarer series, I really think you're going to love this one. I'm so sad to see this series coming to an end, but I am so excited to read whatever she writes next.

1. I’m so upset that this series of perfect heart-warming found family space opera goodness books is over and I’m never going to be okay.

2. As a standalone, The Galaxy and the Ground Within kind of makes sense but I 100% believe you should read these books in order so that you can a) witness the universe coming together and b) see more from the minor characters or previously mentioned sapients that Becky Chambers introduced before.

Anyway, now those two points are out of the way, I can focus on this review. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. It’s not my favourite book in the series (there’s a whole blog post and video on that coming up in the near future), because Record of a Spaceborn Few is just too perfect. But The Galaxy and the Ground Within was also incredible.

I loved how Becky Chambers brought together some minor characters from previous books (mostly Pei, I mean Pei), and also reintroduced some sapient species that she had mentioned before and gave them actual storylines and personalities and backgrounds. I didn’t realise I was missing out on these until I read this book.

As always, there’s a little bit of a plot and the story moves along. There are dramatic moments, sure, but the main focus of this book is the characters. As always. I loved meeting them all and watching them all interact.

Being introduced to Speaker was wonderful and I think she was my favourite. The topic of disability, amongst others, was covered and I greatly appreciated how it was handed. I also loved all the other characters though, particularly Roveg and Tupo.

I’ve been struggling to get my thoughts on paper for days now, and I am still struggling. I was supposed to be doing a full video review of this book but I’m not sure I’m up for it. As always with books that are absolutely perfect to me, I am having a difficult time conveying my thoughts and finding things to talk about that aren’t just DFSFKHFK READ THIS BOOK.

This is my mess of a review, thank you for reading.

And so we come to, The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final instalment of the excellent Wayfarers quartet. Once again we meet a number of interesting characters, different species all thrown headlong into a melting pot.

Gora is a planet that is a stopping off point for travellers. Gora had domes that contain everything the traveller might need - hotels, restaurants, refuelling facilities etc. One of these domes is the Five Hop One Stop where Ouloo, and her child Tupo, welcomes all the different species that land on Gora. When there is a problem with satellites a number of spacecraft find their stop on Gora is a bit longer than planned. We meet a number of different species; the exiled Roveg an artist from Quelin; Speaker an Akarak, struggling with being separated from her twin, and Pei a cargo runner.

The species all from different planets try their best to observe each other’s culture and differences, although there is an occasion where tension rises.

Many subjects are covered many of which could relate to our own planet; colonisation, species choosing their gender, wars over territory but who drew the map, accommodation only suiting certain species.

This is an excellent novel which with great characterisation. A terrific book in a terrific series.

Once again, Chambers weaves her magic. We are drawn into the lives of these disparate individuals as they are temporarily trapped at a small stop-over. Each one of these characters are aliens with very different bodies, customs and cultures – Roveg is a Quelin, though exiled from his homeworld; Speaker is an Akarak, frantic at being separated from her twin, and Pei is the one character who links us back to the first book, as he is Ashby’s lover. Their needs are being catered by a Ouloo and her adolescent child Tupo, who both captured my heart more than any of the other characters. That said, each one of them have their own challenges and simply do the best to get by – which resonated with me.

What leapt off the page was everyone’s striving to do their best to be accommodating and polite, despite finding themselves stranded in quite difficult circumstances. Which was often in stark contrast to what has been unfolding during 2020, while we grapple with our own difficult circumstances… Nonetheless there are cultural tensions – and they flare one evening when at least one of the characters has had too much to drink. And it is Ouloo’s response that brought tears to my eyes when she announces that she knows that what has happened to both Pei’s and Speaker’s people is completely unacceptable – but there is nothing that she can do about that. She is simply overwhelmed by the complexity of the arguments on both sides. What she can do is try to help people feel at home and relaxed when they stop off for supplies – and serve desserts they find delicious.

I am conscious that I’ve made this story sound rather sappy and Pollyanna-ish and it’s nothing of the sort. Despite the relative gentleness of Chambers’ writing, she doesn’t shy away from some gnarly subjects our small band of aliens are encountering – sexual and cultural prejudice, and the plight of refugees who through no fault of their own have no planet with no imminent hope of being allocated one because they fall outside the accepted norms in appearance… I’m aware my review hasn’t begun to adequately describe the magic of Chambers’ writing – probably because I’m not really sure how she does it.

However, I urge you to go looking for this one if you’re scratching your head at my inane attempt to try and sum up this book – and try it for yourself. If you fall under her spell, chances are, you’ll be thanking me if you do. It’s made my Outstanding Reads of 2021, that’s for sure. While I obtained an arc of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

Becky Chambers always seems to write the perfect book for the moment. I certainly wasn't expecting the story of a group of people trapped at a space b&b to have too many parallels to lockdown life, but as I read it I was struck by how Chambers has sued her Wayfarers series to expertly speak about the things that make us all- well, human is probably the wrong word. I really loved meeting these characters and finding out what made them who they are- and, as someone who has always had a special fondness for weird goblins, Speaker was an absolute delight as a character and the Akarak are now one of my favourite alien species.

I am deeply sad that this is the last Wayfarers book- but I'm so glad that I got to experience this world. Thank you, Becky.

I am a huge fan of Becky Chambers' previous novels in the Wayfarers series, and I have to say I was quite sad to hear that this would be the last book in the series :( However, I do think it is a good ending to the series, if a little anti-climactic.
Once again, Chambers has created a charming cast, with one character that featured in the first book in the series, with Pei being that character. Chambers does a marvellous job of making the alien species feel so real and easy to picture in real life. She also makes me yearn for space life, and it does make me sad that I will never experience it in my lifetime cause wow does it sound fantastic!! Stand out characters were definitely Speaker and Roveg for me, and I absolutely love the friendship that blossomed between them in particular.

I also enjoyed the politics between the different species that Chambers delves into - brief albeit was. I would have loved for more of that, but unfortunately it was not meant to be which makes sense for the story. I did like that there was enough to flesh out the characters and their backstories which were all compelling and most importantly, made sense.

One problem I have always had with Becky Chambers novels in the past was that the last few chapters of her novels would always be terribly rushed, which was a pity to say the least. However, this time she got the pacing perfectly right! It is so nice to see an author's writing develop and grow over the years and I'm so pleased and happy with how far Chambers has come since book 1 in the series! The only issue is that while the book itself had the perfect ending, I am saddened that this is the last in the Wayfarers series as I feel there is still so many stories left to tell in the universe of the GC. I also do dearly miss the characters from the other books, and while I know the point is to explore other characters with each book, I think I'm still allowed to wonder about what happened to them after the events in said books.

Overall, this book gets a solid 5/5. I loved every part of it, and reading it was such an enjoyable experience that I was very sad when it ended. I love the Wayfarers series and it holds a very special place in my heart, so I am a bit biased there. But I do genuinely believe that non-fans will also enjoy this book, and I highly recommend it!! The books in this series do not need to be read in any particular order, so feel free to pick this one up first~ Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for sending me the proof!

An absolutely brilliant and stunning finale to the Wayfarers series. Trapped on the planet Gora due to a freak event, three strangers are cast together with the owner of the Five-Hop One Stop and her occasionally helpful youngster, Tupo. This is the only series where I've given every book 5 stars, and I think this might be the best yet.

The strength is in the characters, their interactions, their quirks, their humanity and their philosophies. Loved it.

I was automatically approved for a review copy of this book by NetGalley, and despite the utter hassle getting an epub onto my nook has become these days, for the fourth (and final) book in the Wayfarers series I would have endured worse. With the previous book being a slight disappointment for me compared to the first two, I approached this one with a little more caution. I needn’t have. It is absolutely bloody fantastic.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within feels like it brings together elements from all three of the previous books. The adventures of space similar to Angry Planet, the limited number of main characters akin to Common Orbit, and the feeling of isolation from a Spaceborn Few. It takes those elements and makes something wholly new and wonderful.

All five of the main characters are loveable, another common trait for this series of books. Roveg was my standout favourite, though. For someone with a literal hard shell, he was so soft at heart. Similarly, Ouloo, the host of where this group are stranded for several long days, only wants everyone to be happy and does everything she can to make that happen. Pei and Speaker were fascinating, both individually, but especially together; their tentative relationship and the juxtaposition of both their species’ histories. Tupo is the glue holding all the other characters together, simultaneously a moody teenager and a ball of curious energy, xe was definitely my second favourite character.

With an unforeseen hiatus from their travels and stuck for several days on a pit-stop planet with nowhere to go, every single character goes on a journey regardless. They learn from each other, about each other, and give each other advice. There is a blast of action at the start of the book, and some tense action at the end. The middle is a quiet and meaningful meander from one to the other. The characters gradually give up more of themselves and their stories as they get to know one another, and on the whole it was just so peaceful.

Of course, there is the amazing world building that Chambers writes so well. Details and information dotted and sprinkled throughout, always adding depth and interest to the characters; the various species, cultures, and social norms; as well as to the story as a whole. The book touches on important topics as commonplace as dietary requirements, accessibility, and language, to equally important but more philosophical topics such as the concept of home, the merits of war, and the erasure of an entire species.

This book is just… so… lovely. It left me with a feeling of such warmth. A group of such diverse folk in a difficult situation, all making the best of it, being nice and considerate to each other. What does it say about the real world (or perhaps my perceptions of it), that a book about people simply being kind to each other affected me so much?

They say that sometimes a book finds you exactly when you need it. I think for me this was one of those books at one of those times. I didn’t want this book to end. I felt safe while I was reading it, and dragged it out far longer than I needed to. But I just absolutely adored this book. I’m sad to see this series end, but look forward to revisiting it again in the future.

Four complete strangers, thrown together with an extended layover on a planet which is more like a very small airport with very little to offer in way of entertainment.  What makes this interesting is that all of the strangers are from different species and again the host species is also different and none of them are human.    I guess you could say this is a closed room mystery without the mystery.  As with all of Becky Chambers books so far, character takes precedence to plot. There is a plot, but only just. 

Humans feature very little in this book and are only brought up in passing as one of the travellers is on the way to visit her secret human lover.  There is only one actual human in the book and she only makes a brief  appearance about 15% from the end. 

Roveg is an artist and creates simulated worlds for VR like adventures and other simulations and is an exile from his people.  His species,. the Quelin have an insect like body and use six dexterous feet to manipulate their world, they also have a tightly controlled society and are intolerant to anybody questioning it, from inside or out. 

Pei is an Aeluon, a species who cannot hear but communicate with each other by changing the colour of their faces. She has an implant as have most modern Aeluons which send sound data directly to the brain.  We met her briefly in the first book of the series as she is the secret lover of the Wayfarers captain Ashby who she is on route to visit. 

Speaker is from a species who cannot breath the same oxygen rich air that most other species need to survive, they breath methane instead and whilst he is out of his shuttle he exists in a bipedal robot like suit which he pilots from the head space where he resides.   Akaraks like him are rare and try their best to avoid detection by other species. 

The hosts are a Laru mother and son.  The Laru are a hairy bipedal species who carry their young in a pouch a bit like marsupials. They are generally a very relaxed and friendly species and are often found in mixed species habitats. 

This book also explores the concept of belonging and how the different species have families and children and how not all of them have planets they can call home. 

As with the rest of the series the world-building is exquisite and builds seamlessly on the work done in the previous three books.  

I love the fact that the chapters are all very short and they do alternate between the different characters each chapter in the close third person narrative.  

This is a difficult book to review as it is subtle and creeps up on you.  On the surface when picked apart and in pieces it doesn't seem very much but when you take it as a whole it is a breathtaking piece of speculative fiction which has changed the way I think about the possibility of alien life and how we experience the world.

Review due to be posted on Thursday 18 Feb 2021

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth (and last?) book in Becky Chambers’ wonderful Wayfarers series. Each book has been set in a different location in her vast and imaginative galaxy, featuring different people, and has tackled different aspects of (human) experience from AIs right to a self, to finding a place to belong. The latest isn’t an exception.

The book is set on a small rock of a planet that has no life of its own, but—as Tupo, one of the characters says—even life that is introduced on a planet is life. Gora is a hub of space travel between several wormhole jump points, a place to rest and refuel for a day or two while waiting for a place in the jump queue. Life is contained under large domes, and the only thing connecting the domes is the power grid.

One of the domes is Five-Hop One-Stop, a rest-stop run by Ouloo and Tupo, her child. They are Laru, a species that resemble long-legged and necked dogs or maybe Alpacas; they’re furry and four-legged, with front paws acting as hands. It’s a matter of pride for Ouloo to make each and every traveller feel like home when they visit, whether it’s offering them particular food, accommodating different bathing habits, or finding a suddenly fertile Aeluon the closest place to procreate.

On this occasion, she’s visited by Pei, a female Aeluon, a mostly humanoid species who communicate with colours on their skin; Roveg, a Quelin male who are basically large insects with exoskeletons and multiple legs; and Speaker, a female Akarak, a small species who cannot use oxygen and therefore only exit their ship inside a mechanical armour. Accommodating such different guests isn’t easy, but Ouloo does her best. And then a disaster strikes, stranding them into her dome for days with no way of communicating outside.

Like all the books in the series, this is very much character driven. We follow each character as they try to adjust to a change in their plans, their worries for what they might miss or what awaits them once they reach their destination. Each character has their own story and reason to travel. And for the first time for most of them, it’s a chance to get to know species they find alien. They do this in a respectful manner and with minimal strife, which has become the hallmark of these books. While nothing much happens externally, each character changes through these interactions and by the time they are able to leave, they have made new friends. The epilogue sees everyone to their happy places, the private conflicts solved.

This was a wonderful, happy book that left me warm and fuzzy inside. If this truly is the last one, it’s a great ending, but I wish the series would continue. It’s been imaginative and positive, with great detail and thought put to the biological and cultural differences of the various species, and I’m sure there would be dozens of stories to tell. I for one could read many more Wayfarer books.

Eejit over here (hello) decided to read the LAST book in a four-part series without touching the others and, needless to say, was a little confused as to what the fuck was going on. But because I’d seen the amount of love the Wayfarers books were getting, I was like oh hell yes let’s just run in with no context see what happens.

I was not prepared.

At first, I thought this might be a book about space furries. Cool, I could get on board with that, but I quickly realised that I was being an utter fanny and this was a book about bloody space aliens. Of course it was going to include vastly different looking species considering they were ~ floating ~ about up there. You know… in space. I’ve clearly read too much historical (and very human) fiction – time to wiggle my way into a whole new world.

Also, a wee PSA:
This book uses gender-neutral terms for one of the species. As I’ve not come across these before, it took me a bit of time to get my head around it but after about an hour, it became second nature. You’ll find Xe and Xyr throughout to describe Tupo – a delightful wee character whose gender isn’t determined until later in life.

To cut to the chase, I’ve not read anything quite like this. Here’s what you’re in for:
✨ Space aliens. A lot of them. Each with their own unique cultures and needs
✨ Clashing opinions with no escape from each other
✨ A story with no plot (I’ll explain this later)
✨ A story that’ll stick in your mind

As I’ve not read any of the other three books, I was a little lost as to what was going on at the start. Now this can absolutely be read as a standalone but I am most likely missing a lot of character buildup so if you’re thinking of doing a Jen and jumping in at the end, stop. Go read the rest first.

The story’s set around four main species and their plinky, plonky planet-based shenanigans as they find themselves unexpectedly stranded at what I can only describe as space motorway service stops but on a much grander scale.

The Five-Hop One-Stop on Gora is home to Ouloo and Tupo – a fluffy species known as the Laru of which I now have in my head as looking like an Arcanine from Pokemon. Determined to make the extended layover a bloody delight, Ouloo goes into overdrive to accommodate her guests.

Her guests consist of Roveg, a Quelin artist who creates simulations and has Scyther vibes. Pei – an Aeluon who changes colour depending on her mood and Speaker, an Akaras bird-like creature who stomps around in a mech suit as they can’t breathe the same air as everyone else. For this, I have images Big Bird in a Dr Robotnik robot. All of these wonderful characters have stories to tell. They just need to be comfortable to tell them – thanks to the ol’ stranding issue, they’ve got plenty of time to get to know each other.

So that plot thing I mentioned earlier? It’s not really there. And this isn’t a bad thing – it just caught me off guard. I’m used to manic stories that raced from here to there however this… this felt nice. Relaxed almost. I was seeing different species covering topics from gender, race, exile, culture and xenophobia being played out without a human in sight. It makes you take a step back and think. The complexity of the conversations are wild, but this book just seems to get the points over to you in a wonderful way.

I’ve ummed and ahhed about this book. Did I love it or just I just get sucked into its delightful words? It’s not something I’d normally grab but holy shit has it worked its way into my head. I keep thinking about their relationships and how the non-plot plot crept right up on me. If I could hug all these characters I would and based on my now irrational commitment to the band of misfits, I upped my feelings towards this book.

I’m off to get some JenJen cake (whatever that is…) and catch up on the three books that I missed.

I always look forward to a new book from Becky Chambers - this didn't' disappoint! This is the final instalment in the Wayfarer series and it might be my favourite. Set on Gora, a stop over planet which acts as a service station for those on long journeys, the characters get stuck there after a catastrophic event. The best part of any Becky Chambers book is the relationships between the characters - they drive the narrative and we really care about them because they're so well drawn. I didn't want the book to end and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it.

Having only discovered the Wayfarers series last year, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet quickly became one of the best books I had ever read.

There is so much I admire about Becky Chambers and her writing. One of these is how she manages to explore universally important questions about humanity and modern life in a manner that is not engaging, and also enlightening. It is inclusive and diverse in a way that I believe is hard to find in fiction, and it leaves the reader not only feeling satisfied, but also with plenty of food for thought. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is no exception to that.

I can count on one hand the series I’ve previously read where each story is equally as interesting, compelling, and well written as the last. The Wayfarers series is now counted within this number and this final book completes the circle beautifully.

The simplicity of the plot is genius, for it allows Chambers to open the floor to a number of poignant questions and reflections, also made possible by the wonderful characterization. A moving story, it is clear it has had an immeasurable amount of creativity and energy poured into it, and yet feels effortless to read.

Thank you very, very much for the ARC.

Review posted to Instagram, Twitter, Goodreaders and will be added to Amazon when available.

I only discovered Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series last year but after reading the first book I immediately became obsessed and proceeded to devour the rest of the series. Needless to say I was very excited for the next installment of the series (though naturally, gutted to find out the series was coming to an end). If like me you've been eagerly awaiting the next Becky Chambers book, I'm happy to say you won't be disappointed by The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. Maybe it's the fact that I'm writing this after reading the entire 400-page book in the space of 6 hours and am so utterly consumed by the world, but I think this might be one of my favourite books in the series (ALWTASAP will always be my favourite though, I think).

If you're familiar with Becky Chambers' writing, you'll be well aware of her absolutely genius ability to write characters that are so well-rounded, complex, and realistic (even those that are alien?!). Her world building is impecable and she is a master at transporting and absorbing the reader into different, utterly fascinating settings.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within follows four characters (of different species) who stop at a sort-of rest stop on their way to different locations, but after an accident occurs in the air space, they find themselves unexpectedly locked in, unable to leave the rest stop bubble, communication with the outside is mostly cut off, and they have only each other (as well as the bubbly owner of the rest stop and her child) for company. (Side note: I'm assuming Chambers had the plot of this book planned out before the outbreak of COVID when countries across the world started to go into lockdowns. It's a strange coincidence how the unexpected lockdown situation the characters in this book find themselves in mirrors that of the real world at the time of the book being published!)

One of the main characters is Pei, who we met in book 1. In fact, this book seems to follow on directly from the events that occur in book 1, and we get to see Pei's reaction to the Toremi incident and her struggling with the decision of whether or not to make her relationship with Ashby public. I really loved how we come back to Pei and slightly revisit the storyline of the first book in this final book of the series, it really felt like coming full circle and a fitting way to close things off.

The rest of the main characters are also pretty interesting. Speaker's character was particularly well done, I thought. Speaker is of an alien race that is looked down on and very negatively stereotyped by the rest of the galaxy, essentially, and I thought it was really interesting how Chambers used this character to highlight real-world issues of racism and xenophobia as well as disability and ableism, among others.

The dynamic between the characters was so good. Naturally, being a group of strangers of widely varying backgrounds and personalities, they didn't all always see eye to eye, but there's an overarching theme of friendship and kinship throughout that was so warming to read about. The ending honestly had me feeling emotional and, as is always the case after reading a Wayfarer book, wishing I could spend more time with these characters and find out what they go on to do next.

Overall, if you're a fan of the Wayfarers series and are eager to see how the final book in the series holds up, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It definitely lived up to my expectations and I already can't wait to (inevitably) reread it in a few months or so. If you're new to the series, this book can probably be read as a standalone, though I'd highly recommend checking out at least book 1 first, just for greater understanding of the world; you'll definitely enjoy this book more having read ALWTASAP first.

Three strangers and their two hosts are stranded for a few days in a small habitat bubble on a humdrum little planet. They are in safety while the world around them crashes down in unfortunate and spectacular ways.

Warm, funny and feel-good are not usually words that spring to mind when describing a scifi novel but ‘The Galaxy and the Ground Within’ is just such a delight.
Becky Chambers again manages to explore big ideas from the smallest of spaces. She unfolds strange worlds, introduces us to weird species (not quite as batshit as humans, though) and makes them deeply relatable. And even if not everyone parts as best friends, a bit of good-naturedness goes a long way.

This book is brimming with joy and wonder and I was left with a little tear but also a big smile and a hopeful heart.
Also, an especially timely message in times of pandemic: when your life is on hold – be nice to each other.

“WE ARE NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT. WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME STORM. SOME ARE ON SUPER-YACHTS. SOME HAVE JUST ONE OAR.” Damian Barr, British writer, columnist and playwright
“Thank you for your patience. We are all in this together.” – “The galaxy and the ground within”
Characters and their species:
Ouloo, Tupo Laru
Roveg Quelin
Speaker, Tracker Akarak
Pei Aeluon
This is the last book in this wonderful series – and I think it is my favourite of the lot. It differs from the others in having no humans among the main characters, and also in having most of the action taking place in a very small space, in the Five-Hop-One-Stop guest house, on one barren planet, Gora.
Ouloo is the proprietor of the guest house situated at an intergalactic crossroads, where multiple species stay a day or two, waiting for their turn in the wormhole queue to their destination. She is expecting three guests for a short stay, but when the satellite and communications array supporting Gora unexpectedly crash, Roveg, Pei and Speaker are unable to leave and are trapped with Ouloo and her teenager Tupo.
The set-up initially brought to my mind a joke – ‘three aliens walk into a bar …’ or an Agatha Christie style murder/mystery – all the suspects (strangers) trapped together in a house … (There isn’t a murder though part of me kept expecting one, but one character does come very close to death). However, the book is so much more than a cursory glance at the set-up might suggest.
The story is entirely character driven. Each main character (except Tupo) gets their own chapter in each section of the book. The narration is in the third person, and each section is started with an update from the Goran Orbital Cooperative Info Team on the situation re the satellite system.
All the characters are unrepresentative of their species: Ouloo lives apart from other Laru to give her child a maximum exposure to other species and cultures; Roveg is exiled from the Quelin homeworld; Pei is (covertly) dating a human; and Speaker communicates with other species on behalf of Akaraks who cannot. All of them see themselves as open to, and appreciative of, other species and cultures, but each still retains some of the inbred biases of their own species: the Other vs the Us.
“Quelin fear outsiders because we use them as scapegoats for the things we fear about ourselves. We bar cultural exchange because change frightens us. Whereas your people …’ He looked at her (Speaker).‘You fear outsiders because they gave you no choice in the change they forced upon you.’”
“There were Quelin, and there were aliens. Quelin were people. Aliens were … aliens. They were almost like people, but not quite, and never would be. Never could be. You could talk to an alien, and trade with an alien, but aliens were not like you. You should be polite to them. You should respect the laws you shared. You should not be their friends.”
“(Pei) had no idea when exactly the Aeluon taboo against interspecies relationships had taken root in mainstream society, only that it was older than the GC and as much of a given as rain on a winter’s day.”
One of the most telling sequences, was when Tupo sang the sapient song:
“‘What are the Five Pillars?’ Speaker asked. Tupo burst into energetic song. ‘Water for drinking, oxygen for breathing—’ ‘Tupo—’ Ouloo said pleadingly. The child continued singing the bouncing tune, despite xyr mother rubbing her face with her paw. ‘Sunlight to make life go! Protein for building, carbon for bonding, that’s how all sapients grow!’ ‘It’s the basic ingredients all sapient species need,’ Pei explained. ‘I thought everybody knows that,’ Tupo said. ‘Don’t you know the song?’ Speaker was quiet. ‘I don’t,’ she said at last. ‘Because it doesn’t apply to me.’”
For me, whether you are racist, sexist etc, does not depend on how you initially might (subconsciously or not) judge others, but on how prepared you are to change your opinions. We all – anti-racist, feminist, pro-LGBT+, or archconservative – have our prejudices. It is whether we are able to rise above them or not that counts. And this is what the aliens also come to discover about themselves. The story is one of personal development – and so beautifully and sensitively done.
And the ending – it had me in tears. Each character gives to another a present from their soul, something than means so much to the recipient, so much more that they could have ever felt possible.
I love every bit of this series, and especially this book. The characters, the language, the descriptions … I cannot recommend this series highly enough.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by either the author nor by the publisher.

Other quotes that I loved:
“But as the host of a multispecies establishment, she (Ouloo) knew all too well that what might smell delicious to her might trigger anything from an allergic reaction to a personal insult in someone else, and she valued the long-term satisfaction of her customers exponentially higher than the fleeting indulgence of a rich springweed lather.”
“Awaiting him (Roveg) at the airlock entrance was a Laru – a large child, too young to have chosen a gender yet, comprised of angles that didn’t look comfortable and feet that didn’t match xyr body.”
“He (Roveg) was sure he looked odd to plenty of people outside of his own phenotype. But stars above, Laru were so floppy. Their limbs were like animated noodles, their stubby torsos thick and bumbling, their long tail-like necks somewhere between a nightmare and a grand cosmic joke.”
“The child exhaled from the depths of xyr lungs, as though this were just one more injustice from a universe that existed only to conspire against xyr.”
“The universe was not an object. It was a beam of light, and the colours that it split into changed depending on whose eyes were doing the looking.”
“The time in which we (Akaraks) exist is enough to learn one subject really, really well. We’re specialists, not generalists. That’s what our names reflect. We don’t have abstract names like you do. Your identity is what you do for your community.”
“That’s the thing about rakree. Needs can be big or small, but they all matter.’ ‘So it’s not a barter, then. It’s a truly open exchange.’ ‘It can be a barter, but yes, you’ve got it. There’s no expectation of receiving something in return for what you give, and no guilt about taking what you need.’”
“The Human species, which destroyed its own world and which no one in the GC knew existed seventy-five standards ago. You will grant them full rights. You will give them a star to park their ships around. You will allow them to build colonies. When we expressed our outrage about this, we were told that the circumstances were so very different with them. Humans breathe the same air you do. Their ways were easier for you to understand. They don’t die in the middle of political talks. How convenient for you, to at last work with a species whose bodies are compatible with your bureaucracy.”
“The only proper way to approach such inequities was to figure out how best to wield them, so as to bring others up to where you stood.”
“‘We’re not in their ****ing territory. They can do – or not do – anything they want on their side of the map.’ ‘Yes,’ Speaker said. ‘But who drew the map?’”

A gentle, lovely story of three space travellers who are forced to spend some time together during a stop on their long-haul travels.

Though it's number 4 of the Wayfarers series, and there are some connections between the books, I believe you can read these all standalone (I haven't read number 3, and when I read number 2, I'd completely forgotten what had happened in number 1), as each one focuses on different characters in a different part of the galaxy.

This is a slow-paced book, and it might be that doesn't suit your needs. But for many others, it's worth persevering with.

It begins on the planet Gora, a planet that's got no natural life of its own and is no good for anything except a stopping point on the way to somewhere more interesting. Think the services on the motorway, but with a touch more charm. Ouloo and her child Tupo run the Five-Hop and welcome three strangers to stay over one day. Three strangers from three separate species and completely different ways of living. Then something happens to the satellites above and no one can get in and out of Gora at all! It can be fixed, but until then the strangers will have to figure out a way to get along within the confines of the Five-Hop...

So it's an interesting premise, but not one that hits with you with 'Wow, gonna have to stay up all night to see how this turns out'.

But that doesn't really matter. Read it when you want a warm hug. Read it when you want to be transported into another world. Read it so you're there when lift-off is finally allowed again, and you get to see how these spacefarers have been changed by spending time with one another.

It's really a book about kindness, sympathy and understanding.

A massive thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this review copy!

This is the fourth and final book in the Wayfarer’s Quartet, and what a finale it was!

I was so happy to dive back into this world again. We got to meet so many more characters and species. It was remarkable.

I liked how this one wasn’t centred around a human perspective as in the previous books. We got to know so much more about other species. I loved Ouloo and Tupo, Roveg, Pei and Speaker who are the main POV’s of this book.

I can’t say too much about the plot as I don’t want to ruin it (or the previous three books), but I felt that the author’s world building skills were soo much better. You can feel how much work has been put into it.

If you haven’t read any of the Wayfarers books yet, then I urge you to do so!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers 4) is the last book in the Wayfarers series, and whilst we don't go back to the Wayfarer ship, we do have a character from that first book!  This time it's Pei, who is the Ashby's lover.

This book is set on Five-Hop One-Stop, on the planet Gora, which is at a nexus of wormholes, and so is a popular stopping point for many travellers. 

Pei is on leave, and heading for Ashby on the Wayfarer, Speaker is an Akarak, travelling with her twin, and Roveg is a Quelin, heading for an appointment.  They all stop at the Five-Hop One-Stop, and so are the guests of Ouloo, and her child, Tupo.

They all have to stay on the planet for longer than they had planned, and so have to rub along together, which means, as in the other books in this series, we learn more about the people, their motivations, and their fears.  

One of the things I've enjoyed about this series is that unless you know the person, you don't assume their pronouns, and in fact there are some people who use the gender neutral pronouns for various reasons.  Instead xe and xyr is used.  In this book, Tupo has not chosen a gender yet (and might not), and so is referred to as xe and xyr.

This was a lovely end to the series of books, which the description of quiet was really made for.  Yes, they're in space, yes, there are aliens, but this is about characters rather than space battles, and it was very good.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers 4) was published on 18th February 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones (signed edition!) and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Becky Chambers on her website and Facebook.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Hodder & Stoughton.

You can read my review for previous books in the Wayfarer's series:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet  (Wayfarers 1)

A Closed and Common Budget (Wayfarers 2)

Record of a Space Born Few (Wayfarers 3)

HIGHLIGHTS
~natural history can be rocks
~Significant Sparkles
~a truly excellent bathhouse
~cheese
~brain maps
~DESSERTS FOR EVERYONE

As delighted and honoured as I felt to get approved for an ARC of this, it’s kind of hard to imagine that any book of Becky Chambers’ needs pre-release hype. Surely it’s enough to just announce that she’s written a new book, and it’ll fly off the shelves like the spaceships she made her mark with? I mean, do we even need titles or pretty covers or blurbs at this point??? If it’s by Becky Chambers, we’re going to read it and love it, yes?

By which I mean, yes, The Galaxy and the Ground Within is utterly perfect.

Obviously.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is to the reader what it is to the characters: an enforced pause to rest and breathe. It’s reflective and a little bit dreamy; gently exploratory; focussed on people and the relationships between them rather than big, galaxy-changing adventures. It’s quiet and soft and so perfectly soothing: exactly the kind of book so many of us have been craving.

Or, like some of the characters, maybe you don’t think or realise that you need a little quiet time. But I bet giving your mind a break within this book will still do you good.

Although it stands perfectly as a standalone (like all the Wayfarer books), Galaxy does circle around somewhat to book one, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet; it feels like a kind of companion to it, maybe a mirror. In Long Way, we encountered Pei, the Aeluon in a secret romance with the Human Ashby, who was one of Long Way‘s main characters; in Galaxy, it’s Pei’s turn to shine, as she becomes one of the PoV characters. The other main PoV characters are Roveg and Speaker, who both come from species we have only known until now from the negative interactions we had with them in Long Way. You can absolutely read Galaxy without having read Long Way (although why are you denying yourself the pleasure of more Wayfarer???) but Roveg and Speaker very much serve to – forgive the term – humanise species that we had a poor impression of before.

So Galaxy does bring us back around to the beginning, in a way. It closes the circle, neatly and gently, on what has been one of my favourite, and one of the objectively best, series ever.

I’m struggling to describe the plot to you, because it’s built out of so many quiet, personal, normal moments rather than any big drama. Yes, there’s an accident that grounds hundreds (thousands?) of ships while it’s sorted out, but we’re not up there in the atmosphere with the people dealing with the difficult, exciting part; we’re on the ground, seeing how this delay, and the forced break from their lives, affects the characters. Which is not to say that it’s one long flatline of serenity; Roveg is incredibly anxious that he not be late for a very important appointment; Speaker is unable to contact her sister, who is still in orbit with a chronic health condition; Pei is restless and wrestling with the life-changing choice she’s promised to make; and Ouloo, their incredibly sweet host, is immensely distressed that there’s a problem for her guests that she can’t smooth away.

But these are all…personal, intimate problems. Kingdoms won’t rise and fall by what Pei decides; governments won’t topple if Roveg doesn’t get to where he’s going; and even if Speaker’s sister dies, people die every day, and the universe keeps going.

So it would be easy to dismiss all of these as…uninteresting, I guess. But Chambers has always had the magic of making the reader care about ‘small’ problems. Where other storytellers look at the big picture, Chambers zooms in on the small one…and shows us how beautiful it is. How delicate. How intricate and interesting, made up of so many tiny parts, all of which are infinitely valuable in different ways. And Galaxy, even more than the other Wayfarer books, is very much all about how much the small picture matters. About remembering to care about yourself, and others, not as players on a galactic stage, but just as people.

It’s also, beautifully, about how people come together during times of stress, of emergency. It’s about unexpected kindnesses and confronting your own ignorance or beliefs about others; it’s about different kinds of love and different ways of being; it’s about how fast and deeply you can form a bond with someone who’s gone through a scary thing with you, even if you were strangers before.

It’s about delicious desserts, and just wanting people to be happy.

And I’m tearing up a bit, because this is the end of the series and that makes me sad. But I’m happy too. Because Ouloo is very, very good at her job of taking care of people, and after closing Galaxy, I feel like I’m leaving the Five-Hop One-Stop after receiving the best possible care.

And I can always come back and visit again, just by opening up the pages.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is out on the 18th of Feb in the UK, and 20th of April in the US. I heartily recommend you make sure you get a copy!

I read this book upon a recommendation from a friend. I'm not a sci-fi fan; it was the book cover that drew me in, I didn't even read the description, but I can fully say that from this book alone, I am a sci-fi convert.

It took me a few attempts to get past the first page. I didn't think it would be for me, but I perserved and by the middle of the first chapter I was hooked. What impressed me most about the book was the individual character development, and how that tied in with the overall understanding of the narrative. There was no forced storyline, no big drama or excitement happened, it was purely developing our understanding of the characters, how they had come to meet at this point in time, and the profound impact they consequently made on each other's lives. From having not read any of the other Wayfarers books I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised - I didn't want it to end!

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go and purchase the other three Wayfarers books!

An excellent follow-up to the Wayfarers series - so cosy and heart-warming - it's everything I hoped it would be. A fantastic wrap up. Looking forward for more from Becky!

I don't know if I can find the words to properly describe why I love this book and this series and why everyone should read it, but I'm going to give it a try.

If you're a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek, the Wayfarer series basically combines all the best things from those series that have to do with exploring space and amplifies it 200%, while taking out all the battles, war, weapons and violence.

As is always the case with Becky Chambers, this book is all about the characters and the relationships. The plot is minor, although I do think more happens in this book than in the first two in the series (haven't read the third yet). But it's never boring. The characters are so fascinating, and each one of them is dealing with their own burdens. There are cultural clashes and frustrations due to differences in ideology, but when it comes down to it, they all band together to deal with the situation at hand.

This is the first time that there's no human character present, and one of my favourite parts is when the group discusses what cheese is and how gross humans are for eating it.

There is so much hope in this book, just as in the others, and that makes these stories some of my ultimate feel-good reads. I always love spending time in the worlds Chambers builds, love seeing how each book expands the universe without overwhelming you with information, always taking you by the hand through the eyes of new, fascinating characters to teach you something new about yourself, the world, the way we treat people and the prejudices we might subconsciously have. The writing is sharp and clever, the dialogue witty, and when I reached the climax in the book I actually got emotional.

I only needed to read the first book to know that I will buy anything Chambers puts out without even checking the synopsis, and I am grateful and happy that the series has stayed consistently excellent throughout. I can't wait for the next one.

Instagram link will be added later this week.