Record of a Spaceborn Few

Wayfarers, Book 3

By: Becky Chambers

Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez

The Sunday Time best seller.

From the ground, we stand. From our ship, we live. By the stars, we hope.

The incredible new audiobook by Becky Chambers, author of the beloved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

#SpacebornFew

Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat.

Tessa chose to stay home when her brother, Ashby, left for the stars but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.

Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn't know where to find it.

Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.

When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:

What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?

©2018 Becky Chambers (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

"A quietly profound, humane tour de force." (Guardian).

"The best speculative fiction currently being written." (John Connolly)

"An emotional, moving look at what it means to be human, and the importance of heritage and legacy." (Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe)

This book is everything!

Becky Chambers is so good at teaching understanding and respect and tolerance in an exciting and super entertaining way. She deals with the questions of accepting those who are different from us by telling deeply humane stories. All three books in the trilogy are bit different from each other, so it’s hard to compare them. They are all deep and amazing in different ways. As usual, I laughed, I cried and I ended up feeling hopeful. This should be a compulsory reading for us to learn about curiosity and acceptance. Narration is perfect!

An absolute delight

The first book was a beautiful road trip /slice of life, in wich we discovered this amazing galaxy and their weird and fascinating aliens.
The second, was a tale of growth, two small stories woven in one.

This third one, we look at the Exen fleet, the humans that traveled the stars unended.
Another slice of life, about a universe that is as brigth and hopeful as it can be dark and cruel. Pure science fiction deep rooted in the reality of life.
Maybe the best one yet.
Bittersweet as it should be.
A must read.

best of the series

Chambers have matured while writing this series, and here delivered a low key masterpiece, filled with hope in humanity (despite the rather gloomy circumstances)

Interesting for the world building

Adjustment of expectations : I liked this book a lot, but it has no plot to speak about.
This is a spin off of "the long way", very different in style and characters.
We follow multiple people in the exodant fleet going about their daily lives, getting to know this part of the Galactic Commons.
I enjoyed it

Interesting character study, not a great story

The book follows several characters as they develop and live their lives and as a character study, it is indeed interesting. However, there is no plot or narrative tension. There is no conflict or question that needs resolving. The characters are not very relatable and the one who is, is only there for a few chapters. It feels endless and not in a good way, because you keep expecting something to actually happen and it...doesn't.

That being said, it's written and narrated well.

Hopefully vision of the future

I love Becky Chambers universe of characters, wolfs and species. They feel so real and grounded in daily life while concerned with our real world ethical and environmental issues. Her books challenge my views of what matters, what home means and what purpose means on a daily basis.