The Galaxy, and the Ground Within - Becky Chambers

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

By Becky Chambers

  • Release Date: 2021-04-20
  • Genre: Science Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 291 Ratings

Description

National Bestseller!

Return to the sprawling, Hugo Award-winning universe of the Galactic Commons to explore another corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored—in this absorbing entry in the Wayfarers series, which blends heart-warming characters and imaginative adventure.

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.

Reviews

  • Magical for the little things

    5
    By Nerdy728
    5 days at an intra-galactic truck stop, and the transformation of the strangers who find themselves delayed there. Chambers is a master of the miraculous power of mundane interactions, and her rich worlds full of sapient species keep me coming back to check on her characters, the charming and the prickly ones alike.
  • Kind cultural exploration

    5
    By Missheleneous
    I love the dignity and respect that this author uses when writing. Each character is a different species, but all are people.
  • Lovely

    4
    By History reader 15
    Heartwarming and interesting. A story about relationships and how interesting it is to meet people who are different from you. We can live together and thrive BECAUSE we’re not the same. A wonderful story with great world building.
  • A must-read extraordinary series

    5
    By Dvlrbbt
    Found myself making excuses to avoid reading the last few chapters because the author had stated it was to be the last book of the series and I simply did not want the journey to end. Science fiction at its finest.
  • The Final Wayfarers Book is a Great Story about Five Aliens

    5
    By Prairie_Dog
    “The Galaxy and the Ground Within” is the fourth and reportedly final book in Becky Chambers Wayfarers Series. This is set in her Galactic Commons Universe where humans and many forms of aliens coexist mostly in peace, and interact with each other on many levels. This final Wayfarers book is emblematic of the series. It involves the interaction of several different alien species in a low stakes setting. It is a warm and cozy story of three aliens who get inconveniently delayed at a star called Tren which has a single lifeless planet called Gora. This system is only important because it is a nexus of wormholes that allow travel to other star systems. Travelers through this system sometimes stop at places like the Five-Hop One Stop to rest, relax, and refuel while they wait their next transit. Due to an unprecedented and accidental delay caused by a cascade of satellite collisions in orbit, three visitors to this establishment are delayed together for a few days. The interplay of these visitors as well as the host and her adolescent son are the entire story, and it is a great story. These beings, their interactions, and their backstories are the entire book. Did I mention that none of them are human? In fact humans are only peripherally present in the story at all. As far as these aliens, only one individual has appeared in previous Wayfarers novels, and she only appeared as a supporting character. In spite of these characters all being aliens, the story is very much focused on the individuals and their motivations. The drives, aspirations, and experiences of these beings are all explored, and it’s a fantastic journey. While I am sorry to learn that the Wayfarers Series has concluded, I’m looking forward to future works by Ms. Chambers. I think her character-driven writing will be showcased in her upcoming Monk & Robot Series, in fact I’ve pre-ordered the first book “A Psalm for the Wild-Built.”