Science Fiction: The Short Stuff discussion

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers was a co-winner of our first poll, which was for determining our group reads September 2024. I have never before heard of this story or its author. I am therefore looking forward to learning something new.

Ms. Chambers is 39 years old and has been publishing her work since 2014. By my count she has written and published four novels, all of which are in her Wayfarer series, and twelve works shorter than a novel, only one of which is in her Wayfarer series. Three are in the Vela series, two are in her Monk and Robot series, and the other six stand alone. The novella of hers we are choosing to read connects to nothing else she has written as far as I can determine.

The story won a lot of awards. It took 12th place in Goodreads' Science Fiction category for 2019, was nominated for a British Science Fiction Award for best short fiction, and took third place in both the 2020 Hugo voting and the 2020 Locus voting for best novella. It has a very respectable 4.20 GoodReads rating. Still, among my friends and reviewers whose opinion I most respect, opinions on this work are all over the map. Like many modern works trying to keep up with trends it does have LGBT themes, I see.

There is a fairly short Wikipedia page on the story. From that I discovered that the book is about (view spoiler)["four astronauts as they travel beyond the Solar System on a research mission to document extraterrestrial life on four planets (hide spoiler)]. I stopped reading the synopsis after that first sentence since that's enough to hook me and I really don't want to know more before I read it.

Becky Chambers also has a Wikipedia page. Dang! I don't think she has ever written anything that hasn't been either longlisted (twice), nominated (17 times), or won (4 times) some award or another.

Who is up for a read of this with me? If so, please feel free to comment with your impressions to this topic.

The Kindle price on this is a little steep, $14.99. The price for a physical copy is a few dollars lower. Previously owned is only a few dollars less than new. I slightly prefer to have book copies I can then give away when I'm done. So I'm going to buy a new book copy. September 10-11. Ouch! Hopefully, that's the slow arrival estimate. Companies like to exceed expectations.

Maybe I should have checked my library system. Oh well. Too late now.

I've just placed mine on hold at the library. It will be my first time reading this author.

Thank you for starting these topics and summarizing them for us. I'm looking forward to reading this one. I've heard so much about Becky Chambers, I figured it's time to read something by her.

Hi all! I love Becky Chambers' books, have read many of them. The Wayfarers series is exceptional, each book a gem. I haven't started Monk & Robot yet. I just put a hold on this book at my local library.

Yay! My paperback copy arrived from Amazon today via Fifty Third Street Books, Vancouver, Washington, 3-4 days earlier than advertised. It's a beautiful copy. Says "a novella" in bold white type right on the cover. That's rare. Also says "Bestselling author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" on the cover. If I like this one then, I guess I know what to consider reading next by Becky Chambers. That's the first book in The Wayfarer series, apparently. Finally, the cover claims this book to be a "National Bestseller." Really? A novella? Maybe times are changing. This novella is still a good 134 text pages long, with about thirty pages of author other-book related material after it. Good deal!

The novel proper starts, "I never knew an Earth that was unaware of life elsewhere. The Cetus probe scooped up bacteria-laden samples from Europa's geysers twenty-nine years before my birth..." Cetus probe. Is that a thing? Calling it the Cetus probe appears to be fictional, but scientists are extremely interested in finding life, even of the microbial sort, on Europa. NASA plans to launch the Europa Clipper space probe in order to investigate this moon just 34 days from now on October 10, 2024. Check it out! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_...

This Becky Chambers novella is therefore highly topical!

I started it last night, and it grabbed me instantly (reading on my Kindle).

Me too! Becky Chambers writes about going through suspended animation as if she has actually experienced it! I never before thought quite so closely about how it would feel.

I've finished the book and think it was okay, but there was a lot of explaining and description, but actually very litte action. The two sections with lots of action were also sad.
The section about the suspended animation was the most interesting section for me.

Another GoodReads "friend" complained of "data dump" in his review of the novella too. But then he complained of data dump in some of David Weber's novels too, and I didn't think so. Or if there was a lot of explanation I didn't mind because it helped me understand the story.

Not sure what I'll make of that here. I have noticed that not much seems to be happening yet and I'm a way past the waking up from suspended animation part. Can an author afford to move this slowly in a novella?

Continuing on. Sorry the novella was not more to your liking, Rosemarie.

Many negative reviews of Arthur C. Clarke's novels and other "hard sci-fi" authors seem to come from readers who prefer action-packed stories. I believe sci-fi—especially without fantasy elements—really shines when it focuses on science and world-building. Exploring a new planet is a compelling plot in itself; I’m not sure what else needs to happen.

I find that the story flows well, and the mystery of why the main character is telling the story adds enough suspense for me. But then again, these are the types of stories I enjoy!

I actually enjoy Arthur C. Clarke's works a lot. Not a lot really happens in Rendezvous with Rama and I've read that book twice.
The book is very episodic as they visit each planet, which are described well, but I find the characters lack any depth and it's hard to get emotionally engaged with any of them.
I'm in the minority in my opinion here, but I'm used to that. This book just didn't do it for me.
There was also a very disturbing scene that didn't feel right somehow.

I'm glad you enjoyed the book, Stella.
Can you explain the title? I have an idea of what it means, but I'm not sure if the author meant it that way-that is, they will get an answer.

I didn’t finish it yet. I just wanted to comment on “nothing happens” it’s what I hear a lot about book like the Martian, project Hail Mary, Seveneves…

But now you explained more about it the characters and depth, etc.. I’ll let you know what I think once I finish the book. 😀

I'll be interested in your thoughts, Stella.

I just finished the novella too. I understand your feelings on it now, Rosemarie. The psychological term for the feelings this type of story can invoke is "depressive realism." Psychology Today has an article on it: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-.... That type of storytelling is the opposite of escapist fiction, for sure. I find a lot of modern SF, such as what's often in Analog or Asimov's, to be written in similar style. My subscription to neither is up-to-date even if I do read from my old issues on occasion.

Anyway, here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I got this from my library and am not done with it yet.

You know, I rated both of the group reads this month three stars, meaning I liked them, but neither thrilled me at any point. Still, this is the read, between the two, that continues to resonate with me and the one I think more about.

I loved this book! It’s everything a sci-fi should be—some real science, something new (but possible) blended seamlessly into the story, and completely believable. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish reading. A bit of a mind-blower.

It didn’t drag on and yet the point was made - nothing matters if there’s no one left to learn from it, to pass it on.

The only caveat: could a solar flare really destroy all communication systems so completely and permanently?

I will definitely read more Becky Chambers.

--
Also, it was cool to learn where the title comes from—goosebumps!

The title comes from from the opening audio recording on the Voyager Golden Record, spoken by Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and launched into space in 1977:

> I send greetings on behalf of the people of our planet. We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship, to teach if we are called upon, to be taught if we are fortunate. We know full well that our planet and all its inhabitants are but a small part of the immense universe that surrounds us and it is with humility and hope that we take this step.

Some passages I really enjoyed and underlined:

"Say what you will about Homo sapiens, but you can’t argue that we’re a versatile species. On Earth, we can survive a decent swath of both heat and cold. We eat a mind-boggling variety of flora and fauna, and can radically change our diets according to need or mood. We can live in deserts, forests, tundras, swamps, plains, mountains, valleys, shorelines, and everything in between. We are generalists, no question. But take us away from our home planet, and our adaptability vanishes..."


"The idea behind Open Cluster Astronautics was simple: citizen-funded spaceflight. Exploration for exploration’s sake. Apolitical, international, non-profit. Donations accepted from anyone, with no kickbacks or concessions or promises of anything beyond a fervent attempt to bring astronauts back from extinction. It began in a post thread kicked off in 2052, a literal moonshot by a collective of frustrated friends from all corners – former thinkers for big names gone bankrupt, starry-eyed academics who wanted to do more than teach the past, government bureau members whose governments no longer..."

"Every body is different, and can only be measured against itself.
"

"Our species evolved for a world that spins. The lengthy days and nights of our planet’s poles prove challenging for our diurnal minds, inviting summer insomnia and winter depression. Falling and staying asleep was one of the most common frustrations for early 21st-century astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, who saw the sun come up every hour and a half in their constant gravitational free-fall. But steady planetary rotation is not a given in the universe, nor even the norm."

I loved this story. It had everything I like about Becky Chambers' writing. She always has great character development and plenty of science. I found the story plenty interesting: the experiences of the team on the different planets, the anxiety of the watery planet with the frogs (made me anxious!), the scientific inquiry, and the loss of communication with Earth. I think for those of you who found it too explanatory, the Wayfarer books would still be a good choice.

I meant to comment that I loved when I got to the very end and learned where the title came from.