Becky Chambers' 'Wayfarer' series, of which this is the final (as yet) is a fitting farewell to the comforting Galactic Compact. The Wayfarer does not make an appearance, but the multi-species environment of the GC is the fuel which makes this story go around.
An orbital accident (conveniently) delays the travel plans of our three protagonists (Pei, an Aeluon; Roveg- a Quelin, and Speaker, an Akarak) on the bare rocky world of Gora, where they were laying over between wormhole tunnel transits at the humble stopover Five Hop One Stop, with Laru proprietor Ouloo and adolescent progeny Tupo.
And so whilst 'Stuck in Transit' so to speak, each gets to confront their inner demons, and the things that they fear and regret. And make difficult choices. And it is brilliantly done too. Some will say that 'nothing happens', but that complaint is selling the story short. The internal arc of each of the characters is vast, significant and eminently credible.
Chambers not only introduces two new alien races (Lau and Akarak), complete with motivation, lifestyle and prejudices, but digs deep into the familiar (to the reader of the series) Aeluon and Quelin, deepening understanding of these disparate cultures. And of course, there is ample discussion of food, and the joy of eating, tasting and cooking!
I do wonder how Chambers would cope with an alien species which lacked taste buds though!
An orbital accident (conveniently) delays the travel plans of our three protagonists (Pei, an Aeluon; Roveg- a Quelin, and Speaker, an Akarak) on the bare rocky world of Gora, where they were laying over between wormhole tunnel transits at the humble stopover Five Hop One Stop, with Laru proprietor Ouloo and adolescent progeny Tupo.
And so whilst 'Stuck in Transit' so to speak, each gets to confront their inner demons, and the things that they fear and regret. And make difficult choices. And it is brilliantly done too. Some will say that 'nothing happens', but that complaint is selling the story short. The internal arc of each of the characters is vast, significant and eminently credible.
Chambers not only introduces two new alien races (Lau and Akarak), complete with motivation, lifestyle and prejudices, but digs deep into the familiar (to the reader of the series) Aeluon and Quelin, deepening understanding of these disparate cultures. And of course, there is ample discussion of food, and the joy of eating, tasting and cooking!
I do wonder how Chambers would cope with an alien species which lacked taste buds though!