2024 reread:

Ahoy there mateys! I listened to the whole series again this year and have to admit that books three and four continue to be my favorites.  I love getting the viewpoint in book three of the human space station and its culture. I also love the alien researcher and the field notes they write.  I love book four because there are no humans and I love seeing the way station and how it caters to everyone.  More cozy yet thoughtful reads. Arrrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys! I absolutely fell in love with this author’s first and second novels. This is the third book in the Wayfarers series. It actually can be read as a stand-alone, though I still recommend readin’ them in order.

What I find fascinating about this series is how each book feels so different from the others in both tone and writing style and yet the books keep getting better and better. I gobbled this one up.

This book focuses on the Exodus Fleet which were the generation ships that left Earth long ago to find a new place among the stars. They did find a stopping point and many, many subsequent generations have left the ships and adapted to life on planets throughout the galaxy. Yet there still remains a sizable population on board the fleet. But the ships are old and dealing with non-humans have led many changes. Does the fleet serve a purpose anymore?

The beginning of the book starts with a catastrophe that the impacts the remainder of the story. The book follows several points of view:

- Tessa – her brother left the Fleet and she stayed on to raise her family; did she make the right choice for her children and herself staying behind?

- Kip – a teenager who doesn’t know what direction his life should take; can he find the correct task on board or does he need to be anywhere but where he is?

- Sawyer – a young adult who grew up planetside but visits the Fleet to understand his cultural past and to explore a possible new future; is he prepared for a new life in space?

- Isobel – an archivist tasked with preserving the history of Earth as well as recording the present for those to come; how can she make sure the correct memories and events are preserved when so many people seem to be leaving the Fleet?

- Eyas – a caretaker of the dead dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophe; has her function been superseded by the recent technological changes in the Fleet or can she regain the sense of purpose of her task?

Side note: there is also an academic “alien” visitor to the Fleet doing research that I adored! Ye get to read some of the academic journal entries and observe some on board conversations.

This book is a character driven story. The purpose, for this reader at least, was to delve into the lives of the Fleet residents and explore the past, present, and potential future of the humans who reside in the stars. I found all viewpoints to be wonderful snippets of the life of humans trying to figure out their places in a universe greater than anything imaginable to those who came from Earth. The book is bittersweet at times but overall powerful and optimistic. I love this series and hope Becky Chambers has many more stories to tell.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/