The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

A Novel

By: Becky Chambers

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Return to the sprawling, Hugo Award-winning universe of the Galactic Commons to explore another corner of the cosmos - one often mentioned, but not yet explored - in this absorbing entry in the Wayfarers series, which blends heart-warming characters and imaginative adventure.

With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. 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. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At 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 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.

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. 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.

©2021 Becky Chambers (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Beautiful as always

I cried listening to this book, like I always do the first time through a book by Becky Chambers. Reading her books are a great way to tackle complex grief. I love her rich, thoughtful stories where the badguys are things like ignorance and systemic inequality. I really want to visit the Five Hop. I also wonder how it is that no one has purchased a little dome like that and filled it with methane instead of oxygen. It seems fairly straightforward, if not exactly easy

Give it a chance!

When I first started this book, I almost gave up on it after a couple of chapters, because I couldn't get into it. I'm so glad I didn't! After the initial character building, the story started to meld together and I fell into the story. I loved the characters and their interactions. Great listen! Give it time to build!

Beautiful and heartwarming as always

Becky Chambers has done it again! A delightful character-driven story that both warmed my heart and got me thinking about inequity and cultural exchange. I enjoyed it thoroughly - great writing, plot, characters, and worldbuilding. It's also so refreshing to read scifi that relaxes me rather than stressing me out.

I love all of the GC Commons and Wayfarer Series

I love everything about this. the wayfarer series and GC Commons books are all great. My favorites that I can't stop listening to.

Another masterpiece by Becky Chambers!

I love discovering new characters and touching base with old. I can’t be leave how attached to the characters I got! It was no cliff hanger but I wish the stories to never end! I wish I could follow the lives of all the characters in the book and the whole wayfairer series! Hope there will be many more ❤️❤️❤️

A great Fantasy; cute and cuddly

Well written, without reliance on explosions. Faithfully encapsulates notes from dozens of classes on culture and language and maybe science; or at least it tries to sound that way. The series would be a great orientation read for incoming students who are limited to familiarity with their own family and dating legacies. Ponder and choose.

A couple distractions for me. The AI element in the story seems more like a 1990 projection that in future centuries we will have phones in our pockets. And the fantasy-beyond-belief element is the fluent embrace and the outgoing, comprehending interaction between different species, going way beyond Roddenberry. Perhaps the author should try living in a totally unfamiliar non-western culture for a while. I spent most of my adult life there.

Stars❗️ A-Mazing

For the science-fiction fan, this entire series is worthwhile. Becky Chambers is gifted. I read the first three books in the series before I chose to listen to this one on Audible. The performance made all the difference in the world . . . make that Universe. We absolutely get a chance to learn more about the non-human characters.

Feel good

Just a breath of fresh methane. Loved it. Brought hope and comfort to my darkening mind.

Wokeness in space

I loved the other books in the series. I love the universe. I love the characters. I don’t love the ze zer zem agenda and it nearly ruined the book. There’s two genders. I suppose for aliens maybe there’s another but y’all…

painting with words

The author's weird choices invite a kind of poetry. The language is organic and colorful, thought provoking.