Mid-Book Review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

[the_wanlorn]

Have you ever read a book where you hate one character so fucking much that you are close to DNFing the book every time they're in the scene, even though you love 99% of the other characters? Like, holy shit.

If I had to guess when this book was published I definitely would've guessed mid-2000s over mid-2010s. It's really got that Firefly nerd vibe and like. The thing! About Kaylee! Was that she was twee and quirky but also felt like a (young) adult.

Kizzy is very much a Kaylee-type character but feels weirdly infantilized. I'm not sure how to explain it other than that. All I know is it's driving me up a fucking wall. Everyone else except for the missing stair of Corbin is likable! Lovable, even! But, jesus. Every time I have to listen to Kizzy be Twee and Quirky I'm like what if I just... stopped reading. What then. That's a thing I can do.

But I'm just engaged enough that I end up sticking it out. And I feel kinda bad because I can see exactly why this book is so popular among a variety of circles and especially the sort of nerd I hung with in college, but like. That part is just not doing it for me. And I feel like I would be a lot more tolerant of Kizzy if it were.

I dunno, I'm like... two thirds of the way through??? Holy shit I thought I was almost done, how long is this book? Jesus.

(Also, I figured out why I DNF'd last time I tried to read this, and that is that it's got a plot but like. Not. It's mostly worldbuilding. And, like, to be honest, I love books that are mostly worldbuilding when I'm super into the characters. This is just. I dunno, I'm not as into the characters as I need to be to enjoy that.

Basically, I'm pissy about all this because it's a book that theoretically I should love to bits and I just don't. >:O