the galaxy and the ground within by becky chambers

It's about people reaching out and making contacts that matter, and making a difference to how they think as a result. I couldn't stop reading and I was sobbing like a child at the end.īecause this is about how people are different and strange to one another, and how hard it is to communicate and share experiences and principles with people who don't share them, but also how important it is and how much it means. It's about a small group of people from different species who happen to be at the same interstellar truck stop when a tech failure leaves them all stranded for a few days.

Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio-an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes-are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other. When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers-all different species with different aims-are thrown together at the Five-Hop.

The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.Īt the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable.

The galaxy and the ground within by becky chambers