Review: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

4th in the series

by Becky Chambers

Harper Voyager, 2021

Adult Science Fiction

Summary: When multiple space travellers make a planned stop on Gora what they don’t plan for is a disaster that prevents them from leaving. They aren’t sure how long they’ll be stuck.

Likes: I was so happy to get Pei’s perspective. We meet them in the first book and I found them very interesting. I found the other characters interesting too. I like how they get to know each other over the course of their stay. There are some really good moments as we get pieces of their pasts and perspectives. Sometimes sad and sometimes funny. The conversation about cheese is hilarious. I also love the worldbuilding. None of the main characters are human. I loved learning about each of their cultures and the complicated historical relationships. Also, how that informs their behaviors now.

Dislikes: I don’t want this series to be over.

Overall I was not ready for this series to be over. I found out because I read the acknowledgments. I could have happily kept reading about whichever characters Chambers chose to introduce us to. I also was hoping that we’d get another adventure with the first group of characters, or a checkin with everyone we’ve met so far. I will happily continue to read anything they choose to write though.