Ahoy there me mateys! I discovered this here space opera when perusing the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke shortlist. It sounded awesome. And it was.

The novel is the story of a ship called the Wayfarer and its crew. The ship is a tunneler that helps create the wormholes through space for other ships so that it doesn't take light years to get from point A to point B. Luckily for this physics hater, the book only had basic introductions to the principals behind space travel and focused more on the plot and the world building.

The crew is certainly the heart of the story and they are its highlight. They are a multi-species crew and I frickin' adore 'em. There are a variety of genders, nationalities, sexes, and personalities. The introduction to the world is told at the beginning through the viewpoint of a human from Mars named Rosemary but soon branches out to include the other crew members.

This is not a space opera with an overall massive scope or crazy inter-species politics. Politics exist and have ramifications for the crew but are not the primary plot point. Also while the world is as large as the universe, the viewpoint we receive is that of a single crew mostly inside their ship. Their forays onto other planets serve as spice and flavor.

In general, it's a book that promotes tolerance. It is about creating a family that might not be the one ye are born in. It is about how life can shape personality and how even yer bad choices can be overcome. It is about self-discovery. It's about secrets. It's about seeing aliens through the eyes of different aliens. It's about loss, grief, and choices. It's about love.

I highly recommend me crew to pick up this novel and fall in love with the Wayfarer and her crew like I did. I would be glad to have any of them aboard me ship. Arrrr!!!

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