On the Wayfarer, crew means family—no matter your species, past, or secrets—love and belonging light the journey. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first book in the Wayfarers series. Thank goodness it’s a series, you won’t want to say goodbye to these characters.
Romance Snapshot
- Emotional Intimacy: 5/5 Themes like trauma, forgiveness, and unconditional love. The story will stay with you emotionally.
- Physical Intimacy: 2/5 Brief scenes of physical intimacy with no graphic detail.
Overview
On the Wayfarer, you’re more than crew, you’re family. The crew accepts you as you are, no matter your species, culture, or social structure. The Wayfarer’s employers hire the ship to build a new tunnel route to Hedra Ka. Along the way, the crew confronts past decisions, secrets, and long-lost family.
Positives
The heart of the story is its relationships, which highlight the different ways to love. We see romantic, platonic, familial, self-love, and even love across species and consciousness. Rather than following one central romance, we get the perspective of the entire crew as they each process the love they are experiencing.
I expected a single romance between Ashly and Rosemary when I started this book, but the story surprised me by breaking away from most sci-fi romance plots. It was a pleasant surprise once I figured it out. You definitely have to go into it with an open mind, some dynamics are very unique.
The world-building is fantastic! The different cultures the crew comes from are unique. Pair that with the focus on character development of every character, and it’s no wonder this book is so popular.
Negatives
With so much focus on the characters and the world-building, the plot is a little weak, especially considering it’s considered a space opera. To me, space operas have dramatic and or action-packed plots. The plot in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is simply creating this new route with a series of meet-ups and stops.
Recommendations
It definitely feels like a cozy romance, just with a few “high stakes” moments. If you’re a fan of love in all forms, you’ll love this, especially if you’re interested in exploring some light science fiction. It’s four stars for me.
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