In the future, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the galaxy transform themselves.

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in sub-zero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to explore neighbouring exoplanets long suspected to harbour life.

Ariadne is one such explorer. On a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds fifteen light-years from Earth, she and her fellow crewmates sleep while in transit, and wake each time with different features. But as they shift through both form and time, life back on Earth has also changed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the wonders and dangers of her journey, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.

First published 2019 | 153 pages | Adult Sci-Fi | Storygraph | Buy from Bookshop UK

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Review

If you’ve read one of my book reviews before, you’ll know that I usually split them into “good” and “disappointing” sections, but there is no need with this book because nothing was disappointing. Read this book.

End of review.

Joking. But seriously, if you are at all tempted by the synopsis, then definitely read this book. If you’re more on the fence, keep reading and hopefully I can persuade you to pick it up.

It goes without saying that the plot and characters in this book are perfect(ly flawed). The stakes were high, the execution excellent and the relationships both developed and compelling – both flawed and endearing. You will genuinely care about what happens and the people it happens to from the very beginning to the end of the book. Truly, the amount you will care is impressive for such a tiny book, as is the amount of plot packed in without somehow feeling rushed or underdeveloped? Magic, truly. (Or, well, skill and hardworking on Becky Chambers’ part, I guess.)

Apart from that, though, this is actually quite a literary book. I don’t mean it’s slow-paced or hard to read – quite the opposite – but it is quite focused on the exploration of internal conflict and themes affecting greater society. In fact, Storygraph lists the genre as “speculative fiction”. So I thought I’d highlight some of the topics or issues the book discusses that I found the most interesting:

1. The Value of Knowledge and Its Pursuit
   
   Is knowledge for knowledge’s sake valuable? Does scientific research (or research generally) have to provide practical benefit in order for it to be worth our time, expertise and money? Who decides what knowledge is useful or worthy – the scientists, the public?

We have satisfied nothing but curiosity, gained nothing but knowledge.

2. The Ethics of Space Exploration (and Exploration generally)
   
   Is space exploration ethical? How can we ethically explore and research other planets, moons etc. if we were to gain the technology to send humans to these locations? Especially if any of these contained life.
   
   A lot of space-based books include terraforming, so it was interesting to see an alternative – somaforming (adapting ourselves to the environment instead of the other way around). A lot of the discussions also apply to exploration of wild areas on Earth too.
   
   But also – the ethics of space exploration as applies to the astronauts themselves, especially when they’re going so far away. Is it ethical to ask astronauts to leave the planet for so long everyone they know dies? Would it ever be ethical to ask astronauts to go on a one-way trip, and could this have negative side effects on the astronauts’ mental health? What happens to astronauts on these decade-long trips if Earth moves on and forgets about them?

I’m an observer, not a conqueror. I have no interest in changing other worlds to suit me. I choose the lighter touch: changing myself to suit them.

3. The Importance of Community
   
   A common theme in both this book and Chambers’ Monk and Robot series is the importance of community and society. Partially this is on an individual level – the importance of our relationships and our support system in our personal lives – but also on a wider societal level. Chambers highlights how humans have to work together to achieve goals and create the kind of society we would like to live in. In this book, for example, the agency in charge of space missions like the one our main character on is a crowd-funded organisation.

Don’t believe the lie of individual trees, each a monument to its own self-made success. A forest is an interdependent community. Resources are shared, and life in isolation is a death sentence.

Verdict

If you couldn’t already tell, this is a five star book for me – something which is really rare. For context, I’ve read 56ish books so far this year (40ish if we exclude rereads) and only given three five stars, including this book.

I’ve read the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers before too and gave those books 5 and 4 stars too, so I really think Becky Chambers is solidly in my favourite authors category now. I should probably get around to reading the series that she’s most well known for (the Wayfarers series, starting with The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet).

Question Time

Have you read this book or any other book by Becky Chambers? Do you love them as much as I have so far?

Keira x

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