
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1)
Publisher: Hodder
Pub Date: 31 December 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
📖 SYNOPSIS
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn’t expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.
But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful – exactly what Rosemary wants.
Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years… if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.
But Rosemary isn’t the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.
⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Child abuse (recounted), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol & recreational drug use (mentioned) blood & physical injury, terminal illness, death of a parent, murder, gun violence, torture/abuse, imprisonment, genocide discussed, war themes


TL;DR: Who would’ve guessed that I’d end up loving the book that everyone told me I would love? This is another instance where I’m kicking myself for stupidly waiting years to read this book because I can guarantee you now that it’s in my top reads of 2025. This is pure found family. This is space adventures through a character driven narration. This is a beautiful examination of humanity in all its wonder and mess, triumphs and joys, pains and heartbreaks. There might be minimal plot but who cares when the characters make every moment of this journey traveling through deep space, learning about the Galactic Commons and the sapients that populate it, such an incredibly fun time? I know I certainly didn’t mind and I’m already excited to get to the next book asap!
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