A Closed and Common Orbit
Wayfarers 2
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4.5 • 140 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 HUGO AWARD AND THE ARTHUR C CLARKE AWARD. WINNER OF THE 2017 PRIX JULIA-VERLANGER.
'Chambers is simply an exceptional talent' Tor.com
The stand-alone sequel to the award-winning The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has to start over in a synthetic body, in a world where her kind are illegal. She's never felt so alone.
But she's not alone, not really. Pepper, one of the engineers who risked life and limb to reinstall Lovelace, is determined to help her adjust to her new world. Because Pepper knows a thing or two about starting over.
Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that, huge as the galaxy may be, it's anything but empty.
PRAISE FOR THE WAYFARERS
'Never less than deeply involving' DAILY MAIL
'Explores the quieter side of sci-fi while still wowing us with daring leaps of imagination' iBOOKS
'So much fun to read' HEAT
'Warm, engaging, properly science-fictional, A Closed and Common Orbit is a very likable novel indeed' GUARDIAN
'The most fun that I've had with a novel in a long, long time' iO9
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
An iBooks Best of 2016 pick. You don’t need to be a hardcore sci-fi fan to love Becky Chambers’ standalone sequel to her career-making debut, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Though set against a futuristic backdrop, this book is all about the intimate story of an AI learning to be human in a new body—and the engineer who’s helping her through it. Illuminating both the mundane and meaningful, A Closed and Common Orbit explores the quieter side of sci-fi while still wowing us with daring leaps of imagination.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This worthy sequel to Chambers's lovely debut, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, again features marvelously detailed aliens, a universe full of carefully observed peculiarities, and a friendly, soothing atmosphere. This time, though, there's more emotional weight and depth, adding a necessary ominous shading to Chambers's generally calming voice. It's illegal for AIs to have bodies that can be mistaken for those of other sentient beings, but Lovelace downloaded herself into a human-form body on her first day of existence, more to help her ship's crew than by her real choice. Now, assisted by friendly tech Pepper, Lovelace has to figure out her new identity and make a new life for herself, including how to hack various portions of her own code to keep from being caught and destroyed. Simultaneously, Pepper's backstory as a cloned factory slave on a rogue planet that doesn't adhere to galactic laws is brought to the forefront, since not everything from her past can or should remain in the past. Chambers's clean, careful prose and beautiful pacing and structure keep the narrative engrossing from beginning to end.
Customer Reviews
So great
A truly moving exploration of identity, personhood, loneliness and love. I have never cried so much reading a book. Love the whole series but this one is my favourite.
Absolutely lovely
Even better than the first book. So great to find a sci fi novel with heart.