A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2)

by Becky Chambers

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: I didn't think it was possible but A Closed and Common Orbit was even slower than The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

There were two parallel running storylines, one of Lovelace in the present, and one of Pepper in the past. Personally, I cared much more about Lovelace and how as an AI, she came to integrate herself among sentient beings. Pepper's backstory made me zone out every now and then, although I could see why the author made this creative choice.

While alternating plot lines belong to my least favourite storytelling devices, I appreciated the comparisons that became evident between humanity and AI. In a book club setting, I imagine that would give rise to hours and hours of intellectual discourse.

In any case, I tremendously enjoyed the interactions among the various species and the ideas of acceptance despite differences. I also liked seeing how they all adapted to one another. These outweighed some of my misgivings because they were so well thought out with great attention to the smallest details.

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Note: I received a finished copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.