Review – The Galaxy and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, Book 4) by Becky Chambers (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 333 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: April 20, 2021
ASIN: B088RDCLQ4
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Wayfarers series
Source: Bought ebook for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars
“With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.
At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.
When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.”
Series Info/Source: This is the fourth and final book in the Wayfarers series. I bought a copy of this book for my Kindle.
Thoughts: I loved this book just as much as the last one. Where the last book really focuses on the humans that live in the Fleet, this book is more focused on other alien races. The book is set on Gora, a dull planet that’s on a major travel route. Gora is pretty much an intergalactic truck stop. In particular we are introduced Ouloo who is Laru, her and her teen child (Tupo) who run the Five-Hop One-Stop travelers rest. It’s a place for travelers to park their ships, re-fuel, have a snack and stretch their legs. When disaster strikes above Gora, Ouloo’s visitors are forced to interact a lot more and have a much longer stay than they were expecting.
The premise is simple but this book was so rich in thoughtfulness and amazing characters. Ouloo and Tupo are fun characters all on their own. They are joined by Roveg a Quelin (who is a crustacean-like character), Speaker who is one of the Akarak (who as a species was denied entry into the GC because of their short lifespans), and Pei an Aeluon who is Ashby’s (Ashby is human) love interest from the first book. Each character is dealing with their own trauma and has their very separate lifestyle but somehow they all ended up coming together and supporting each other.
I absolutely love Chambers’ creativity in developing these different alien species and love how she brought them together. This is such a feel good book. The different species all have their different perceptions of the other species as a whole, but of course your perception of a species is not the reality of the individuals of that species. In this book the characters are constantly surprising each other, both with their differences and similarities. They may live different lifespans and breath different types of air but they might love the same music or enjoy the same types of activities. In the end, when a child is injured it doesn’t matter what species that child is, they all put aside their differences to help in the best way they each individually can.
Chambers makes these species come alive and I loved all the individual characters as well. They felt so real and reading about them was completely engrossing and intriguing. I am still in awe at how Chambers can pull me completely into a story like this when there really isn’t a strong plot driving anything forward. These are just aliens hanging out at a rest stop and the book was completely impossible to put down. I loved every minute of it. My only complaint is that this didn’t feel like the end of the series and I feel like there must be a lot more stories that want to be told in the Wayfarers world.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this book and really loved this series as a whole. The amazing alien races and the thoughtfulness with which they interact was fascinating. These characters are so easy to engage with and love and so fascinating to read about. If I have any complaints it is that I am super sad that this series is over and I would love to read more stories set in the Wayfarers universe. I would highly recommend this series if you are interested in the softer more introspective side of science fiction. All the Wayfarers books are thought-provoking, heart-warming and just flat out fascinating.
