I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for a honest review.

Whew! When I received this book, I was so excited and yet so sad at the same time! I couldn't wait to return to the Wayfarer universe but I am so sad this will be the last time. As always Becky Chambers has done the impossible and created a masterpiece of character driven science fiction. Like all of the Wayfarer novels Chambers uses her diverse cast of dynamic characters to explore real life issues we face every day. Xenophobia, sexism, the unfair burdens we place on ourselves, inherent biases, gender construction and the self-fulfilling prophecy of institutional racism are all addressed matter-of-factly in relatable scenarios with no preaching or virtue signalling. As with most of Chambers books, this is story is made of a series of small vignettes that tie together to advance an over arching slow burning plot. I know some people find this maddening, but I love it so much. Science fiction is often accused of allowing characterizations to suffer in service of the plot but Chambers is a master at doing both. Unlike the other Wayfarer books, in Galaxy humans are not centered in the narrative, in fact only one human makes a (very) small cameo but we still get to check in on characters we know and love. I am also absolutely loving getting to know Pei better and watching her finally come to terms with her relationship with Ashby. The other characters like Ouloo, Speaker and Roveg are also fully drawn and the experiences, cultures and ingrained biases of their respective species are fully explored through their respective POV chapters. I do wish Tupo had been given a POV chapter or a epilogue, it would have been fascinating to see Chambers explore a childhood free of gender assumption. Also, given the interconnected nature of the Wayfarer universe and the various timelines, I had to double check and see if Tupo turned out to be Kit's Laru friend from University in Record of a Space Born Few. Unfortunately xe was not, but I would not have put it past Chambers to make such a wonderful, subtle connection!

While the little planet of Gora is little more than a glorified rock floating in space, it has the distinction of sitting along multiple interstellar traffic lanes, making it a useful stop for travelers waiting their turn to enter the wormholes that allow the Galactic Commons to stay connected across the vastness of space. The Five-Hop One-Stop is something of a truck stop on Gora, allowing travelers a chance to get out of their ships, stretch their legs, and partake of the hospitality offered by the Five-Hop’s proprietor– a mother and her usually helpful child. But when a freak accident halts both incoming and outgoing traffic, a group of travelers must make the best of their situation. An exiled artist with an important appointment to make, a cargo captain at a crossroads, and a mysterious figure doing her best to help a people on the edge all find themselves with the time and space to consider where they’ve been, where they’re going, and what their chance meetings could mean for their futures.

Like other cultural institutions, the combined genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) has seen its share of fragmentation over the past thirty years, as the internet allows people to delve ever deeper into specific niches and aesthetics. The sub-genres of Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Weird West, New Weird, and a host of others have sprung up in recent years, but the one that’s gotten the most attention is Grimdark, a subgenre loosely defined by the appearance of morally gray characters, violence, gritty realism, an overall tone of darkness, and the feeling that everything is terrible and there will probably be no happy ending. For anyone. And thanks to such television shows as Game of Thrones, Penny Dreadful, or The Expanse, and films like Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises), this particular subgenre has received heaps of praise and money.

But while many SFF fans embrace the gritty reality of Grimdark, others seek something more hopeful– and thus we have the subgenres of Solarpunk and Hopepunk, which don’t see the world as a grim and hopeless place where good people die first. Instead, they seek a way to find a way forward– together. It’s not a futile denial of reality and the grim future humanity faces, but an acknowledgement that being selfless and caring about other people takes strength, and in an environment that often feels like it’s ‘every man for himself’, putting others’ needs above one’s own is almost a radical act.

Enter Becky Chambers’s Wayfarers series, which nestles snugly into the heart of Hopepunk with its disparate alien cultures all trying to get along in the vast Galactic Common, where people are doing their best but don’t always manage it, because even a government that is trying to work for the common good doesn’t always make the right decisions in a timely fashion– or at all. But this doesn’t mean that individuals throw their hands (or tentacles) up in despair and give up, because that would be counterproductive and not help anyone. Chambers’s characters might be up against centuries of cultural taboo, GC law, or familial problems, but they’re not about to roll over and die. Not when there’s something they can do to make things better.

Some critics have disdained the Wayfarers series for its fluffiness, others for the lack of a plot in its four installments. But many readers have embraced the found families within the pages and found comfort in the fact that, no matter what happens between the first page and the last, there will be some sort of a happy ending, even if it’s not the one they expect. So it is for The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the fourth and final book of this Hugo-Award winning series (Hugo Award for Best Series, 2019). The accident that grounds the disparate travelers at the Five-Hop is less an inciting incident and more of a background element; it’s just the thing that prevents the travelers from leaving on time, rather than a disaster they have to struggle against to survive. There are no great mysteries to unravel, no dark pasts any of the characters are running from, no villain they have to find before bodies start piling up. The characters endure nothing more odious than boredom and anxiety, which they cope with by talking to each other and doing their best to learn about each others’ cultures and particular ways of life. And even if they don’t agree on the fundamentals of existence, at least they have taken the time to learn about each other, and how to live with one another. It’s a message of hope and understanding that has proven to be a comforting balm for many readers facing unsettling times.

The final installment of the Wayfarers series is a worthy successor to the popular first book, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and fulfills the promises of its Hopepunk subgenre. By portraying characters who actively seek to understand and look out for each other, Chambers shows how in this grim world of ours, simply being kind to our fellow beings can be a radical act.

-----

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion.

A disaster strands three alien pilots on a backwater galactic truck stop, where they confront their differences. A quiet conclusion to the Wayfarers series.

While I haven't read the whole series,but is not necessary to do so in order to fully enjoy this book. Stranded by an unexpected consequence due to scheduled maintenance, strangers from different cultures and species find strong, unanticipated connections to each other in this continuation of Becky Chambers Galactic Commons series.

I received The Galaxy, and the Ground Within from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I have loved all three of the previous installments of the Wayfarer series. This one was no different. I think The Galaxy, and the Ground Within was more of a slice of life story that the previous three books and I actually really enjoyed that.
The story follows five characters, Speaker, Pei, Roveg, and Ouloo and her child, Tupo. They are all different species. I had a bit of a hard time picturing what they each looked like. But I really liked each of their stories. I really enjoyed them spending time together and learning more about each other’s cultures and lives. I thought there were some really fascinating conversations. The dynamics of the characters and their lack of any kind of relationship is what made this book so good. Five strangers are stuck on Gora, their travel plans delayed when technology fails and communication and travel becomes impossible. So, they hunker down together.
Ouloo and Tupo are the owners of the Five-Hop and they do their best to keep the guests happy. I really liked learning about the Laru species. I think Ouloo was my favorite of the characters. She just wants to create a space that will accommodate the many different species of the galaxy. I think the Five-Hop was a place I would absolutely love to visit.
Then there’s Pei, who we sort of know from a previous book. She’s dating Ashby, who we know from a previous book. She’s dealing with a lot of emotions because she is keeping the secret of her romance with Ashby. Then, her shimmer starts. She needs to find a male of her species or she will likely never have another chance to have a child. But she’s not sure she even wants a child.
Roveg’s story was an interesting one. He’s exiled from his homeworld. While he doesn’t regret what he did to get exiled, he does regret being away from his family. He has a very important appointment that he needs to make. And all of the delays on Gora might just cause him to miss this appointment. I really enjoyed learning about the Quelin culture from someone that doesn’t agree with most of it, but also still values bits and pieces.
Then there’s Speaker. Speaker is an Akarak. This is an alien species that little is known of. I thought it was really interesting seeing Roveg take the time to learn about the Akarak history and develop a friendship. I think Speaker was a fascinating character. She’s outside of what we already know from this series and getting to learn about her species and their struggles was one of the more interesting aspects of this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed the slice of life aspect of the book. I think the development of the relationships was really well done. I think it was a slow and enjoyable progression. As always, this book was diverse and unique with the pronouns of the different species and I really appreciate that aspect of this series. I thought this book was a compelling depiction of people with differing lives and differing opinions coming together in an unavoidable way. I would absolutely recommend this book and this series.

This is the fourth, and apparently final, book in Becky Chambers' wonderful Wayfarers series. The series is set in the Galactic Commons, a federation of sapient species in the galaxy, of which humans are one of the newest and least important members.

In this book, as in A Closed and Common Orbit, humans are more peripheral characters. The central characters are two Laru (a marsupial-like species), a Quelin (arthropod-like), an Akarak (a small, bird-like species that doesn't breathe oxygen, and uses a bipedal environment suit), and an Aeluon (bipedal, scaled, bald, and communicate through color patches on their cheeks--somewhat analogous to cephalopods, who also use the ability to change color in various ways to communicate.)

Gora is a world with no water, only a thin atmosphere, no life, no valuable resources--unremarkable except for being at the nexus of five wormholes that provide transport to far more interesting places. It's a busy hub, and the main, or rather only, industry on Gora is providing hospitality, supplies, and maintenance to the crews and ships passing through. Few visitors hang around long, until an accident among the communication satellites in orbit around Gora.

With no communications, and no one able to take off safely due to the debris cloud, everyone is stuck on planet until the debris cloud is cleaned up and communications are restored. At the Five-Hop One-Stop, run by the Laru Ouloo, with the sometimes dubious assistance of her child, Tupo, is suddenly hosting three guests who had expected to be gone within a few hours after arrival.

Roveg, the Quelin, is a vid designer, exiled from Quelin society, and with an urgent appointment to keep. Pei, the Aeluon, captains a cargo transport serving the Aeluon fleet in the Rosk war. She plans to meet up with her friend Ashby, aboard the Wayfarer, but that, too, has a time limit. She can't overstay her leave. Speaker, the Akarak, is traveling with her sister, Tracker--but Speaker is on the planet alone in her shuttle, with Tracker back on their ship. Akarak normally travel in family groups, but Speaker and Tracker don't really have other family.

The Akarak also aren't members of the Galactic Commons, for complicated reasons. They're on the fringes, scavenging and trading, and widely perceived as thieves and troublemakers. Speaker, though, only wants to help her people survive, and is proud of never stealing to do it.

There's not big plot here, built around adventure or battle or murder. It isn't even about the orbital disaster that has temporarily grounded them all. It's about these five people, three travelers and their two Laru hosts, getting to know each other, both as individuals and as members of different cultures with different customs, standards, and beliefs. All of them learn and grow and change, and make some major life choices as a result. As in all Chambers' work, the unifying theme is decency, kindness, and mutual respect, even, or perhaps especially, when it requires some uncomfortable reexamination of oneself and one's own assumptions.

If this is truly the end of the series, and to be clear, kudos to Chambers for ending it now if she feels she's said all she has to say in this setting, I'm going to miss it.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. From the very first chapter of this book, I knew that I was going to love it. Becky Chambers has taken a cast of characters that are 100% not human, and made them so relatable, that I felt the urge to have a chat with what are essentially Space Llamas about the joys and frustrations of raising a teenager. I loved getting to know each character, and how their own cultures and species shaped their perspectives of the galaxy at large. They were each relatable in their own way, and were well-rounded and complex.
The book takes a classic trope (strangers trapped together by an emergency), placed it in a new location, and made it fresh and fun again. After a mishap with satellites exploding in the atmosphere, the characters were all stuck together at Ooli and Tupo's tiny travel center. The characters were forced to learn to respect each other's differences and experiences, and form friendships (or at least understandings) with people from completely opposite cultures. It sounds tropey, but the author is skilled enough that it is instead heart warming, gentle, and a joy to read. I highly recommend this conclusion to the Wayfarer series, and it is going straight to my keeper shelf.

This is like a Sci Fi Breakfast Club with mostly adults. While being grounded due to technical difficulties with the wormholes a group of aliens are stranded at the Five-Hop One Stop. Specifically a hotel of sorts run by Ouloo and her offspring. As each work to learn about the other you can see the friendship or understanding develop. Tupo was one of my favorite characters. He was the only teenaged characte. When disaster strikes you see them put aside their differences and work together.

The fourth, and sadly last, book in the Hugo award winning Wayfarer series. If you haven't read the others in the series, start. I'll wait. Light on action but heavy on character development, the pervious books in the series explored what it means to be human from the perspectives of a multispecies tunneling crew, an AI in a human shaped body, and a culture of refugees who built a communal society. The Galaxy and the Ground Within is unusual for the series because it continues to explore humanity and society without any human perspective characters. At the Five Hop One Stop, Laru Ooluo and her child Tupo welcome guests traveling from one tunnel to another, striving to make everyone comfortable. This day's guests are Quelin exile Roveg, Akarak Speaker, and Aeloun cargo captain Gaipei Tem Seri, known to series readers as Pei. An unexpected accident traps the guests at the Five Hop for several days, leading to deep conversation and intense friendships. This book, the the rest of the series, is about the journey and understanding others, no matter how different they are. The forced isolation speaks to the feelings of readers who have survived the Covid years. Highly recommended for literally anyone who cares more about characters than explosions. Keep your eyes peeled for the discussion of cheese and thanks me after you finish laughing.

I've never really been a fan on character driven books over plot driven books. The only exception to that rule so far has been the Wayfarer series. This final installment was just as fantastic as the previous books in the series and I enjoyed myself immensely reading it.

The Wayfarer series has become my comfort series and its makes me sad to know that there will be no more Wayfarer books. Chambers has a true gift for world building and while I usually like it simple, I have yet again made an exception for the Wayfarer Series. The characters are complex, likeable, and it's like getting a hug whenever I read them interacting with each other.

As with the previous books, there are the hints of social commentary which I find very enjoyable and thought provoking,

Just another pure masterpiece. I highly recommend this book (and the series as a whole)

This is the latest book in the Wayfarer series, but could easily be read a standalone. It has many of the hallmarks of a classic Becky Chambers scifi story. This one offered an optimistic view of the future, filled with diverse, kooky aliens. Unfortunately, it was also rather lacking in plot. I find myself quite disconnected to the reading experience because I couldn't get lost in the universe. Other early reviewers clearly had a different experience so perhaps I am missing something, but I can only speak on mine.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Where to start? Honestly, I'm not sure that Becky Chambers can do any wrong with this series. I'm a huge fan, have suggested other titles in this series, and was hoping against hope that this title would live up to the others. It absolutely does. Well done! Will recommend for casual reading among friends and students.

As usual with her books, I really liked the world building of the planet Gora and the Tren star system. So Gora is a sort of rest stop world. There are no indigineous life forms. It is inhabited by a variety of alien species (including some humans I’m pretty sure) who live in and run their own little habitat domes. This planet is located near a worm hole that travelers use to get from this part of the galaxy to other parts of the galaxy. Kind of like an airport hub. Travelers have to sign up for their transport times so that there aren’t any collisions within the worm hole - eee, which leads to somewhat lengthy layovers anywhere from a few hours to a couple days. So travelers will stay at these rest stops x bed and breakfasts hosted by the Gora inhabitants.

This story takes place at one of these layover hotels hosted by a derpy llama alien and her child (these alien descriptions are going to be dumb on purpose - I actually love the character designs of the aliens. They each feel so unique and full of life). On this day they have 3 visiting ships. A silvery fish-like alien that speaks in colors that also has a voice box implant in order to converse with other aliens. A fancy blue lobster man who works as a virtual reality sim designer. And a pair of smol bird sloth sisters who use mechs to walk around the outside world.

It feels like a normal day until the sky starts falling. (chicken little insert?). Something went wrong with the satellite trajectories and they crashed into each other causing a massive planet wide disruption in communication. They are able to get the emergency channel in, but they can’t contact anyone off planet. We spend the rest of the story getting to know these characters and seeing how different and similar they are to each other. Quite Wholesome.

You might need to go on the Wayfarer wiki to refresh your memory of some or most of these alien species like I did, but it was not a big deal for me.

I liked the bit about how the bird sloths have never gotten to try a VR sim before because no one has made a mind map for their species yet. They are outsiders everywhere they go, due to some uuhhh imperialism related reasons and there’s not that many of them. So the VR sim makers never really thought to put them in their games. I think it highlights the importance of accessibility in video games - just because proportionally there’s not a lot of people who would benefit from accessibility options in games does not mean it’s not worthwhile to put in that work.

There were parts in this book where I felt that the wholesomeness was being laid on a bit thick, but like a nice thick blanket. So, sometimes kinda cheesy, but not over the top.

4 out of 5 stars

Let's put the bottom line right up top: If you like the Wayfarers series, you'll like this latest entry (the last entry) in which Becky Chambers has clearly grown as a writer, both in areas of strength as well as weakness. But if you had problems with some aspects of her approach to storytelling in the past, you will continue to have the same problems, despite her improvement.

Maybe you're even like me, with one foot on both sides of the line -- "Her work has been alternatively criticized and praised for the deliberate, character-driven pacing and lack of the propulsive plots," is how one reviewer summarized it, and I for one feel the urge to simultaneously praise and criticize her work along those lines.

On one hand, I find it hard to resist the best qualities Chambers has to offer -- breezy, optimistic, inclusive character-driven stories with relevant messages for contemporary readers. One the other hand, I find it difficult to quell my frustration at the dearth of story arc for overly archetypical characters, occasionally tedious dialogue about inane subjects, and the gratuitously naive simplicity in dealing with complex contemporary issues.

But as I say, Chambers has improved -- there is some conflict, some drama, some subtlety to her characters' development. These may be five characters in search of a plot, but there is a modicum of narrative momentum, throwing them together artificially so that they have to reveal themselves to each other (and thus to us, and to themselves). There is another artificial circumstance that forces a climax of sorts, which is still somewhat frustrating but a grand sight better than The Long Way.

A lot has already been made, and will increasingly be made, about the absence of human characters (other than a brief visit from an Exodan doctor and references to Wayfarer captain Ashby Santoso by his Aeluon paramour Pei, one of the five main characters). But of course, they're not really futuristic aliens who take the form of sentient lobsters, octopi, or large furry mammals. They're really us, in all of our diversity. And the message, delivered without the slightest pretense of subtlety, is that we'd be better off embracing diversity and inclusivity than continuing to war over our differences.

There are too many "one line fixes" (as Rob Lowe in Thank You For Smoking famously says when suggesting product placement of cigarettes in a sci-fi movie -- "Cigarettes in space? Wouldn't they blow up in an all-oxygen environment?" / "Easy fix. One line of dialogue: Thank God we created the, you know, whatever device.") But there are some good debates about our social and political divisions (even though they may be, as earlier stated, simplistic).

So for every positive, a negative. But where the series started at maybe 40-60, 35-65 positives to negatives, we're probably at 70-30, 75-25 in this book, more along the lines of a good literary novel that emphasizes character over plot, but in a decidedly science fiction setting. If it worked for you in her earlier books, this will work even better; if it didn't, it still won't.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Apologies if the review is a little too honest...

I loved this book. With no humans at all, this was the best book into the Wayfarer series for getting a look into the different alien civilizations in this universe. The story takes place as 3 travelers are all temporarily trapped in an isolated waystation. The real journey is in how they interact and learn from each other.

Like all books in the series the world building is incredible, and the story incredible thoughtful. I loved every second of it.

The fourth and, sadly, final book in the Wayfarers series. This book all takes place in what I thought of as a galactic truck stop called The Five-Hop One-Stop. A place to freshen up before going through transports to other parts of the galaxy. This place is run by Ouloo and her child Tupo.

Stuff happens and everyone gets stuck on the space station. Speaker, a small creature who uses a robot suit to walk around, since she can only breathe methane, Roveg, a Quelin artist and food lover, and, Pei Digby's main Aeuleon squeeze.

What I have really loved about most of the Wayfarers novels is that plot takes a back seat to characterization. (This isn't a criticism. There is room in far flung space novels for stories that take place on a planet with beings talking to one another and learning from and about one another.) And, what awesome characters we have here! There's a lot going on from basic features of each species to interesting quirks for each character. We pick up so much in a small amount of time. This is wonderfully written and by the end of the first Day I can't wait to spend more time with these characters and learn even more about them.

Having said that, there is a bit in this book where the tension is ratcheted up and it's not 100% clear which way the story is going to go. The tension was palpable through the writing, and it allowed for some characters to interact in brand new unexpected ways.

I like that the relationship between each character is explored and it is shown how they can (and sometimes can't) learn from each other.

I'm pretty bummed that this series is ending. I guess it is good that Chambers is ending it on such a high note. (Personally, I've loved each book of the series as different as each of them has been.) But, I feel like there is such potential for more stories. I want to know more about Dr. Miriyam. I want to hear what other adventures the crew of the Wayfarer get up to. I guess I'll have to wait to see what Chambers comes up with in the future and look forward to that, instead.
But, if the series has to end, this is a good send off. One of the things I really liked about all of these books is how positive and happy they are. This book is no exception, and a cherry is placed on top by some activities at the end of the book that I especially enjoyed.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not affect my review.

+Extensive world-building
+Compelling characters you quickly bond with
+Thought-provoking plot
+Great balance of character growth, world building, and plot

This series (and all of Becky Chamber's, to be honest) has become my comfort series. Every time I read these books, it's like being wrapped in a warm hug, even if the stories themselves are sometimes heartbreaking. This final installment has only further proven that, and I can't wait to read these books over and over again. I'm heartbroken I won't get another story in this world, but at the same time, I've loved the other works Chambers has written as well (To Be Taught, If Fortunate and the Psalm for the Wild Built), and can't wait to see what she writes next.

One of my favorite things throughout this series has been the universe that the stories are set in. Chambers has always done a fantastic job of creating worlds and cultures that feel entirely real, while also making them inclusive and realistic. Her world-building has become what I compare other sci-fis too, as to me it's just a perfect example of how to create a deep, fascinating setting for a sci-fi story to take place in. The diversity that exists between the different cultures and how they perceive the world around them (both on a cultural level, such as with gender and relationships, but also on a physical level, like communicating through colors instead of sound) is one of my favorite parts of the universe this series takes place in. I also love that each new book seems to take a different approach and angle to this universe, and we aren't just getting the human perspective of this vast world. We get to see the world through the lens of different species, and it's always really cool to see how that changes a particular story. This book is a perfect example of that, since our point of view characters are all from a different species and therefore have an entirely different way of seeing and interacting with the world.

Chambers also always really shines when it comes to the characters. Every story of hers has, without fail, ensured I was attached to the POV characters (and often side characters), within the first few chapters. The level of care that seems to echo through every layer of their development is visible in every interaction between Chambers' characters, and in their thoughts as they process certain events. You quickly grow to love these characters, to understand them. I loved the cast we got to see in this book, and it hurt finishing the story knowing that I wasn't ever going to see them again. Another important aspect, related to characters, was the relationships between them, and this part was especially interesting in this installment, as the main POV characters all started off as strangers. It meant we both got to see how characters viewed themselves and how they viewed each other, which varied greatly depending on the beliefs of individuals characters and the prejudices they had going into this situation. It led to discussions between these characters that were sometimes confrontational, but even in those arguments, Chambers did a good job of not painting any single character as a 'bad' one. This allowed readers to see the many shades of the same color, and that no specific character was right.

We need more hopeful stories like Chambers' in this world, and I love how full and happy I feel whenever I finish another one of her stories. There's just something so compelling and fulfilling about a story like this, one that isn't necessarily about packing as much action and excitement as possible into 400 pages, but instead focuses more on lived experience, interactions across cultures, and exploring what it means to just be. I couldn't recommend this book, and the Wayfarers series, enough. I'll be (impatiently) waiting to see what Becky Chambers writes next!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in the Wayfarer’s series and it was just perfect. It’s so hard to pick a favorite in this series because they are all so uniquely wonderful but this one is definitely near the top of the list. If you haven’t read any Becky Chambers, GET ON IT. You are seriously missing out on some of the best science fiction ever written. This is also one of my favorite book covers maybe ever.

I haven't read all of them, but it seems like every book in the series operates as a stand alone. Even then, before this installation of the Wayfarers Series, I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet to get a sense of Chambers' universe. It had been on my Kindle for quite awhile, and I'm not sure why I never got to it. It was silly to have waited this long, because I loved it!

Yet it didn't prepare me for how much I would LOVE this book. As a reader, I love how well-rounded all her characters are by the end, with small snippets into their past lives scattered throughout the novel. As a writer, I can't comprehend how she comes up with these societies so incredibly different from each other and from the ones on our planet. Since this is a written work, as opposed to a televised one like Star Trek, we are instantly privy to the character's interior thoughts, instead of hearing them through the words characters say.

Most of the reading I've been doing recently boils down to a main character who is different from those surrounding them, which usually also includes some special power that saves or changes the world. I don't want to knock that kind of story, but I really needed one like this. There is not one main character with special abilities, but instead a diverse cast who together have the special powers (just like Speaker suggested, btw). The Wayfarer's universe reminds me of Star Wars, in the sense of a bunch of weirdos thrust together who have to work together for a common goal.

The novel is set on a barren planet only habited as it became useful as a space port stopover. This setting means that all the characters are outsiders, and there isn't a dominant species. Additionally, there's only one human in the story, and she's a minor character, usually only referred to as The Human. Thus the reader is in the same boat as all the other characters meeting and interacting with new species, and overcoming biases. There are several times in the book where one character tries to explain a concept from their culture to another, who don't have the words (or colors) for it. This detail really stood out to me.

OK, now to gush. Spoilers ahead. (view spoiler)

After I finished this book, I just lay on my couch for awhile letting all the warm feelings it gave me swirl around. I still haven't started another since, because I'm not quite ready. I think the only solution is to go back and read A Closed and Common Orbit and Record of a Spaceborn Few!

ARC provided Tor through NetGalley <3

No doubt this is my favorite book in the Wayfarer's series penned by Becky Chambers. While all of the three previous entries were terrific, this one had me talking about it with friends even before I finished.

Chambers excels at character-driven plotlines. The Galaxy and the Ground Within is no exception. The plot device of having very different species thrown together for an extended time is not a new one. What Chambers does with this is.

Set on a barren planet, which is only populated because of its proximity to four wormholes, means that there's really nothing special about the place overall. The majority of the story takes place at the dome of one of the planet's residents, whose purpose is established early: she desires the comfort of her short-term guests.

The other characters are a selection of alien species from Chambers other novels. While she has always made us part of her character's thinking and perspective, we are treated to the curiosity and awkwardness of other species interacting with each other as well.

There are no blazing gun fights, no huge space battles, and no violence of any type. This is a few days of people being people, with their own motivations, concerns and worries, dealing with the same situation together.

Interestingly, only one human inhabits this story and almost at the end. We aren't spoiled with our own species fallabilities and foibles -- humans are just some other race in this galactic community.

I've read many books in which I've come to learn and care about the characters -- alien and otherwise. This book is special, however. It is clear that Chambers not only wants us to know these characters but to come to care about them as well.

A fantastic conclusion to an excellent quartet of books! I highly recommend it for its treatment of "other" in a unique and empathetic way.