"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a science fiction novel by Becky Chambers. It borrows some tropes of the genre that’ll be familiar to fans of Firefly and The Expanse. However, Angry Planet is light on world-building and plot; it’s almost entirely character-driven. I liked the first half of the book, when getting to know the characters—many of whom are alien species—and, for the most part, the characterization is well done. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to drive an entire novel.

By halfway through the novel, it started drag. Not enough was happening, and the world Chambers creates just wasn’t detailed or interesting enough to hold my attention. I almost gave up, and I had to force myself to power through the last hundred pages or so. If you think you’d enjoy a whimsical, character-driven jaunt through space this might a book you’ll enjoy. Otherwise, you might get bored with it, like I did.