Record of a Spaceborn Few

By: Becky Chambers

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Series!

Brimming with Chambers' signature blend of heart-warming character relationships and dazzling adventure, Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third standalone installment of the Wayfarers series, set in the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, and following a new motley crew on a journey to another corner corner of the cosmos - one often mentioned, but not yet explored.

Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science-fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life - and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.

©2018 Becky Chambers (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

In depth character study but no action

Characters were well developed but there was basically no action. It was just stories of peoples lives. Ordinary people. Ok they were in space but this wasn’t what I consider real science fiction

Am unexpected delight

Too often writers write their coming of age novels first when they really have yet to come of age. The first two novels of the Wayfarers series were very different from each other and each quite enjoyable — what made this different was there was very little outward conflict. It was all internal. Not to say that most of the first two weren’t dealing with internal conflict but this was all about what made things okay for you — and becoming comfortable knowing what it is that you value. And all the while deciding to continue to try. Coming of age.

I get bored when there are big action set pieces in books these days, little to no character development happens within those scenes — but all the same I kept waiting dutifully for one to appear. And when at last I realized it was never coming, I smiled.

I feel like we are in for bigger and bigger things from Becky Chambers. I feel like we have gotten on board at the ground floor. Can’t wait to ploughing ahead through her expanding bibliography!

Not Bad

Not as amazing as the first two books, but a good story all the same.

Give it a chance.

Multiple separate story lines leave the story starting slow, and it takes a while to get invested in the characters. Without any over arching crisis that needs to be solved, it’s different from most sci-fi. But after listening to the first two books, I stuck this out and was very happy with it by the end.

Another Great Wayfarer book.

While ever so slightly less engaging than the others in the series so far, this is still filled with the heartwarming imaginative storytelling that Becky Chamber's has a special knack for. Rachel Dulude's narration is extraordinary. Great listen.

Life Centered Aboard a Spacecraft

The book is based on how a successful human society would be structured to survive on an ark vessel. The lives of numerous central characters are woven together to give a glimpse of this society. Narrator did an excellent job and is an excellent storyteller. Writing and character development was also well done.

The four star rating was based on the fact that I was not emotionally drawn into the story. I like the writing style of this author and the low conflict worlds she describes.

Didn't find it Slow or Boring

Though I've read that some didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, I liked it even more. In the first book we get to meet the ensemble, this one goes deep into one relationship. I can't wait to listen to the next story in this intriguing universe.

new for me

the series, while set in the same universe, follows three different sets of characters, and while I still miss the crew from the Wayfarer and am excited to see new journeys for them, this way has much less disappointment as the hype you build for each book resets with it's new set of characters. I really enjoyed this book, I think more than book two. Though, all three were great books.

A beautiful story about coming home, leaving home, and finding Home

This book came to me at exactly the time I needed it. I devoured the rest of the Wayfairer series in a couple of months but for some reason decided to take a break before I read this one. On a whim, I picked it up.
Becky Chambers is just a fantastic writer. Her books are so easy to read (and listen to) and the works building comes so naturally, not to mention the casual diversity rarely achieved in fantasy.
This story in particular, is a beautiful, judgement-free exploration of what it means to be home. Where do I belong? Is this enough? Is there more *out there*. The scifi book I never knew I needed. Would recommend to anyone who likes scifi, any students, young adults, or people looking to re-examine their place of Home.

Slow to start, but totally worth it!

This was an unusual ending to an interesting trilogy. I like the concept of a trilogy comprised of three books that are only marginally related to each other by much beyond being set in the same universe. This final book is unlike the first two, however, in that it doesn't necessarily have a main plot or a main character. It's more like a collection of short stories, at least at the beginning, until the various characters' lives begin to cross paths. I'll admit that I struggled at the beginning, the jumping around from story to story made it really difficult to keep up with who was who. But, it was well worth it in the end!