Publishers Weekly
★ 04/10/2017
This worthy sequel to Chambers’s lovely debut, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, again features marvelously detailed aliens, a universe full of carefully observed peculiarities, and a friendly, soothing atmosphere. This time, though, there’s more emotional weight and depth, adding a necessary ominous shading to Chambers’s generally calming voice. It’s illegal for AIs to have bodies that can be mistaken for those of other sentient beings, but Lovelace downloaded herself into a human-form body on her first day of existence, more to help her ship’s crew than by her real choice. Now, assisted by friendly tech Pepper, Lovelace has to figure out her new identity and make a new life for herself, including how to hack various portions of her own code to keep from being caught and destroyed. Simultaneously, Pepper’s backstory as a cloned factory slave on a rogue planet that doesn’t adhere to galactic laws is brought to the forefront, since not everything from her past can or should remain in the past. Chambers’s clean, careful prose and beautiful pacing and structure keep the narrative engrossing from beginning to end. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
As with her amazing debut, the power of Chamber’s second space opera is in her appealing characters [...] Her protagonists might not all be human, but they possess more humanity than most” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Chambers uses her considerable talent to take a more focused and contained look at a gut-wrenching story of self-determination and personal autonomy [...] No matter what beautiful and strange world Chambers takes us to, we can count on her to lead with humor and heart.” — RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)
“Warm, engaging, properly science-fictional, A Closed and Common Orbit is a very likable novel indeed.” — The Guardian
“A Closed and Common Orbit may be smaller in scope than the book before it, but in its focus and its force, in the sheer delight it takes in the discoveries it documents, it’s as fine and as fantastical and as fun as Chambers’ absolute darling of a debut.” — Tor.com
“As good, smart and satisfying as its predecessor...If there was such a thing as a Cosy Space Opera subgenre of Speculative Fiction, Becky Chambers’ series would likely be listed alongside the equally excellent On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.” — Book Smugglers
“While most sequels feel the need to go bigger and bolder, Orbit is a more intimate story than its predecessor, exploring trust, the mind/brain paradox, and unease with one’s body, while examining the ways someone without a family makes their way in the world and forms their own connections.” — AV Club
“The vibrant lines drawn between lives prove as compelling as laser battles and widescreen explosions. If you yearn for science fiction with heart, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better candidate this stellar novel.” — B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
“Chambers Wayfarers series is the feel-good science fiction series you were looking for. Depressing dystopias got you down? Here’s the antidote [...] This is optimistic science fiction for those who grew up on Original Series Star Trek.” — Pop Verse
“For any of us, life as we think we know it can change at any time. A Closed and Common Orbit simply reminds us that, in a universe of immense and wondrous possibilities, there’s no shame in finding oneself a novice here anew.” — Strange Horizons
“Humane and alien, adventurous and thoughtful, vast in its imagination and wonderfully personal in the characters it builds. But above all else, it is joyously written and a joy to read.” — Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
“Great fun!” — Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
“Becky Chambers’ debut novel . . . is probably the most fun that you’ll have with a space opera novel this year. It’s exciting, adventurous, and the cozy sort of space opera that seems to be in short supply lately. . . . Not to be missed.” — iO9
“Becky Chambers’ debut is a joyous, optimistic space opera ... Although it isn’t shy about tackling Big Questions, Planet is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general).” — Tor.com
“A warm, big-hearted, progressive and fun blast of sci-fi. . . . The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is just so much fun to read, and we can’t wait to see what Chambers does next. 5 stars.” — SciFiNow
“A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism.” — The Guardian
“One of the most enjoyable, brilliantly realized spacey SF novels I’ve read in ages.” — James Smythe, author of The Echo and The Explorer
B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
The vibrant lines drawn between lives prove as compelling as laser battles and widescreen explosions. If you yearn for science fiction with heart, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better candidate this stellar novel.
AV Club
While most sequels feel the need to go bigger and bolder, Orbit is a more intimate story than its predecessor, exploring trust, the mind/brain paradox, and unease with one’s body, while examining the ways someone without a family makes their way in the world and forms their own connections.
Book Smugglers
As good, smart and satisfying as its predecessor...If there was such a thing as a Cosy Space Opera subgenre of Speculative Fiction, Becky Chambers’ series would likely be listed alongside the equally excellent On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.
Tor.com
A Closed and Common Orbit may be smaller in scope than the book before it, but in its focus and its force, in the sheer delight it takes in the discoveries it documents, it’s as fine and as fantastical and as fun as Chambers’ absolute darling of a debut.
Strange Horizons
For any of us, life as we think we know it can change at any time. A Closed and Common Orbit simply reminds us that, in a universe of immense and wondrous possibilities, there’s no shame in finding oneself a novice here anew.
The Guardian
Warm, engaging, properly science-fictional, A Closed and Common Orbit is a very likable novel indeed.
Pop Verse
Chambers Wayfarers series is the feel-good science fiction series you were looking for. Depressing dystopias got you down? Here’s the antidote [...] This is optimistic science fiction for those who grew up on Original Series Star Trek.
Claire North
Humane and alien, adventurous and thoughtful, vast in its imagination and wonderfully personal in the characters it builds. But above all else, it is joyously written and a joy to read.
RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)
Chambers uses her considerable talent to take a more focused and contained look at a gut-wrenching story of self-determination and personal autonomy [...] No matter what beautiful and strange world Chambers takes us to, we can count on her to lead with humor and heart.
James Smythe
One of the most enjoyable, brilliantly realized spacey SF novels I’ve read in ages.
SciFiNow
A warm, big-hearted, progressive and fun blast of sci-fi. . . . The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is just so much fun to read, and we can’t wait to see what Chambers does next. 5 stars.
iO9
Becky Chambers’ debut novel . . . is probably the most fun that you’ll have with a space opera novel this year. It’s exciting, adventurous, and the cozy sort of space opera that seems to be in short supply lately. . . . Not to be missed.
Ann Leckie
Great fun!
From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY
"Optimistic, feel-good, adventurous and fun: A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers' stand-alone follow-up to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is as good, smart and satisfying as its predecessor." —The Book Smugglers
B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
The vibrant lines drawn between lives prove as compelling as laser battles and widescreen explosions. If you yearn for science fiction with heart, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better candidate this stellar novel.
Library Journal
★ 01/01/2017
At the end of A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Lovelace, the artificial intelligence (AI) of the starship Wayfarer, had undergone a hard reboot that wiped out her former personality. She decides to leave the ship in an illegal body kit and try to make a new life on Port Coriol with engineers Pepper and Blue. Lovelace, now known as Sidra, struggles to find a place where she belongs while hiding that she is an AI. Her chapters alternate with flashbacks to the struggles of a child called Jane who was raised in a brutal dehumanizing factory, who has a significant bond with a different AI. As with her amazing debut, the power of Chamber's second space opera is in her appealing characters. VERDICT While readers might initially be disappointed to leave the Wayfarer behind, they will quickly find this an equally compelling story that gains intimacy with its smaller focus. Her protagonists might not all be human, but they possess more humanity than most.—MM
