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A Closed and Common Orbit
by Becky Chambers
“Life is terrifying. None of us have a rule book. None of us know what we're doing here. So, the easiest way to stare reality in the face and not utterly lose your shit is to believe that you have control over it. If you believe you have control, then you believe you're at the top. And if you're at the top, then people who aren't like you... well, they've got to be somewhere lower, right? Every species does this. Does it again and again and again. Doesn't matter if they do it to themselves, or another species, or someone they created.”
Lovelace was created to guard ships and watch out for crew mates as a ship's AI, but circumstances find her in an illegal body made to act like a human's. Along with her friend Pepper, Lovelace learns to navigate both her new life as a 'human' as well as universe that's unprepared for AI like her. Told in alternating chapters of past and present, A Closed and Common Orbit shows the way stories bind together over time, as well as the struggle to accept things that seem new and impossible.
I loved [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet|22733729|The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729._SY75_.jpg|42270825], so I jumped into this book right away. I was both excited and sad to learn that Orbit follows a somewhat new cast of characters. The first book had a solid ending, so I was happy to see that their ending wasn't being messed with further, but I also was wary about moving on to new characters. In the end, I was worried for no reason, because this cast was just as fantastic as the one that came before.
First of all, I absolutely loved how this story was told. We get Pepper's early life (a dark, tumultous one) told alongside Lovelace's current story with Pepper, and these half stories, while quite different in aim and focus, combine extremely well together. I loved each one equally, and unlike most multi-pov books, I was never upset when we switched from one to the other. It was probably the most equal balance of enjoyment I've ever found in a multi-pov book.
I also liked the departure of this book from the journey style story of The Long Way . Instead of a long trip filled with many different places and people, Orbit focuses more on a single space and a limited cast. It makes the story more internal, focusing more on the social aspects of the societies in the world rather than introducing the reader to new and varied worlds. The focus is mainly on humans, and the book is more introspective, and while in the end I didn't enjoy it as much as Chambers's first, I loved this book immensely all the same.
Lovelace's journey was fascinating to read, as she struggles with the idea of being made for a certain task and the freedom to depart from that destiny and create her own path. She's also a quite flawed character, and there are a lot more negative character interactions in this book as a whole as well. However, it made sense in Lovelace's story, as she's a young AI being put into a position she never asked to be in, having to learn to be herself rather than simply a creation. It also brings a lot of questions in general to mind, mostly about AI but also about morality and ethics as a whole, and the dependence and use of creations that have become more than their creators intended.
I also absolutely loved Jane's/Pepper's origin story, as it seems to tackle a similar vein. Jane was genetically engineered to clean up the messes of the 'superior' humans, to learn how to recycle the junk they were too lazy to. She was also created for a purpose and decides to leave it, to grow to be more than it, and her struggles against what she was made for and leaving the home she was created for were both utterly heartbreaking and inspiring. It added a lot to her character overall, even if we didn't see her all that much in the present part of the story.
Overall, while I didn't like this as much as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , A Closed and Common Orbit stands strongly on its own as another fantastic novel about humanity and morality set into the beautifully diverse space that Chambers has created.
Lovelace was created to guard ships and watch out for crew mates as a ship's AI, but circumstances find her in an illegal body made to act like a human's. Along with her friend Pepper, Lovelace learns to navigate both her new life as a 'human' as well as universe that's unprepared for AI like her. Told in alternating chapters of past and present, A Closed and Common Orbit shows the way stories bind together over time, as well as the struggle to accept things that seem new and impossible.
I loved [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet|22733729|The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729._SY75_.jpg|42270825], so I jumped into this book right away. I was both excited and sad to learn that Orbit follows a somewhat new cast of characters. The first book had a solid ending, so I was happy to see that their ending wasn't being messed with further, but I also was wary about moving on to new characters. In the end, I was worried for no reason, because this cast was just as fantastic as the one that came before.
First of all, I absolutely loved how this story was told. We get Pepper's early life (a dark, tumultous one) told alongside Lovelace's current story with Pepper, and these half stories, while quite different in aim and focus, combine extremely well together. I loved each one equally, and unlike most multi-pov books, I was never upset when we switched from one to the other. It was probably the most equal balance of enjoyment I've ever found in a multi-pov book.
I also liked the departure of this book from the journey style story of The Long Way . Instead of a long trip filled with many different places and people, Orbit focuses more on a single space and a limited cast. It makes the story more internal, focusing more on the social aspects of the societies in the world rather than introducing the reader to new and varied worlds. The focus is mainly on humans, and the book is more introspective, and while in the end I didn't enjoy it as much as Chambers's first, I loved this book immensely all the same.
Lovelace's journey was fascinating to read, as she struggles with the idea of being made for a certain task and the freedom to depart from that destiny and create her own path. She's also a quite flawed character, and there are a lot more negative character interactions in this book as a whole as well. However, it made sense in Lovelace's story, as she's a young AI being put into a position she never asked to be in, having to learn to be herself rather than simply a creation. It also brings a lot of questions in general to mind, mostly about AI but also about morality and ethics as a whole, and the dependence and use of creations that have become more than their creators intended.
I also absolutely loved Jane's/Pepper's origin story, as it seems to tackle a similar vein. Jane was genetically engineered to clean up the messes of the 'superior' humans, to learn how to recycle the junk they were too lazy to. She was also created for a purpose and decides to leave it, to grow to be more than it, and her struggles against what she was made for and leaving the home she was created for were both utterly heartbreaking and inspiring. It added a lot to her character overall, even if we didn't see her all that much in the present part of the story.
Overall, while I didn't like this as much as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , A Closed and Common Orbit stands strongly on its own as another fantastic novel about humanity and morality set into the beautifully diverse space that Chambers has created.