eBook Review - To Be Taught, If Fortunate

• Title And Author: To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Beck Chambers
• Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eBook Gifted by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction
• Length: 176 Pages

As you guys know, I am a bit of a late comer to Becky Chambers. I still have to read her third Wayfarer novel, Record of a Spaceborn Few. Hoping to read that sometime in the next six months. But when the news of this novella was first announced, I instantly preordered it. A novella set outside of the Wayfarer series. Colour me intrigued. 

So when I saw I could request the eProof of this on NetGalley, I did think carefully over if I want to request this or wait for my novella. In the end, I requested it as my curiosity got the better of me. 

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a discovery in human space travel. They discovered somaforming: a way for humans to survive hostile environments by using synthetic biological supplements. They can produce antifreeze so you can survive sub-zero environments, absorb radiation and convert into food, help adjust the pul of different gravitational forces. This can make space travel possible and visiting other planets, moons, and other environments possible. 

Ariadne is an astronaut. She and three others are on a mission to survey four habitable worlds fifteen light years away from Earth. She and her crewmates sleep while in transit and, when they wake up, they have a new world to explore and the somaforming has changed their bodies, ready for the new world. 

I don’t think I can go any further in detail with this novella as I’m a little worried on what is a spoiler and what isn’t. But, you guys want me reactions to this… well…

Book Review - A Closed And Common Orbit

• Title And Author: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
• Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Physical
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 364 Pages

As you guys know, I was meant to start my “Pick My Next Read” polls after I finished The Hand, The Eye and The Heart by Zoë Marriott. However, I was going to holiday (a small weekend break away in Bruges) and I didn’t want to start this while away. Plus, I have been getting an itch to read something else. So, I decided to push it back a read, rewrite my “Pick My Next Read” post and start the book in question. 

 A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers was the book is question. 

A companion/sequel (I’m going to say companion as this really didn’t feel like a sequel) to A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, A Closed And Common Orbit follows Lovelace. Once, she had eyes and ears everywhere. She was a long haul spaceship’s artificial intelligence system. Not any more. Now, she’s housed in an illegal synthetic body. She might have Pepper by her side, Lovelace feels very alone. 

Pepper is determined to help her. She knows a thing or two about starting over. Because, Pepper wasn’t always Pepper. Pepper was once Jane 23 and, when she was ten, she had never seen the sky. 

So how did Jane 23 become Pepper? What is Pepper trying to find? And will Lovelace find her place in the universe?

Now, I know what you are thinking, what did I think of this book?

Book Review - Long Way To A Small Angry Planet

You can blame Ellie aka @patchworkbunny (her blog is Curiosity Killed the Bookworm - you should check it out!) and Darran aka @ShinraAlpha (he's involved in the eZine, Shift - check that out as well!). I saw Darran was reading Record of a Spaceborn Few and I went "Ooooh!" and asking questions about this series. Ellie saw my questions and helped answering my questions and went "You know what? I love this author and this series so much, I will send you the first book and you can read it on your holiday."

And it came with a day or two before my holiday so, of course, I read it by the pool in Cyprus.

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship that punches holes in space to make transport easier, she isn't expecting much. She just wants to be far away from her troubled past. That's why she's using a false name. But what she gets on the Wayfarer is more than she expects: a mishmash of species and personalities, but what Rosemary wants.

But when the crew get an offer of a lifetime, the chance to create a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet, they would be mad to not accept it. This could earn them enough money to live comfortable for years. But first, they need to get there, and while space is vast, spaceships are small and some secrets can't survive in a space that small...

This is a space opera, something I am not well read in - in fact, I'm not that well read a reader in the scifi genre, but I devoured this in three days. I couldn't put this book down and I had such a blast with it. The characters were unique and fleshed-out, each species felt fresh and different. For a sci-fi book, it tackles sexuality, gender, race, politics and goodness knows what, this book knocked it out of the park. This read felt interesting, weird yet it was a gripping read.

But, I hear you say, on Goodreads, you didn't give this a five star review. This is when a half star is needed on Goodreads. So why didn't I give it the full five stars? Because... I don't know. It's hard to explain but there was something that held me back. I wonder if it's because I read this so fast (three days is fast for me!), I didn't connect to the book and the characters so much as I would have if I read it over a two week period.

But I had such a wonderful time with this that I can't wait to continue with this series and read A Closed and Common Orbit and Record of a Spaceborn Few. I am aware that each book can be read as standalone and companions to each other. I think fans of Doctor Who and Firefly would love this series (so thank you/curse you Ellie and Darran!)

On holiday so enjoying the sun reading this beauty. Thank you @patchworkbunny & @shinraalpha for making me aware of this (& @patchworkbunny for getting me a copy). Having a blast reading this! #bookporn #bookstagram #bookworm #bookdragon #booklion #wayfarer #thelongwaytoasmallangryplanet #smallangryplanet #beckychambers #hodder #bookpost #bookblogger #gayblogger #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #holiday #holidayreading #readingbythepool #cyprus

A post shared by Andrew (@thepewterwolf) on Apr 6, 2018 at 11:30pm PDT