A Closed and Common Orbit

A Closed and Common Orbit is a 2016 science fiction novel by Becky Chambers, published by Hodder and Stoughton. It is a sequel to her 2014 novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

A Closed and Common Orbit
First edition
AuthorBecky Chambers
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesWayfarers series
GenreScience fiction
PublisherHodder & Stoughton
Publication date
2016
ISBN978-1473621442
Preceded byThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 
Followed byRecord of a Spaceborn Few 

Synopsis

In the aftermath of the events in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Lovelace the artificial intelligence loads herself into an android body and leaves the starship Wayfarer to pursue an independent existence in the company of Pepper, a technician. A parallel narrative strand explores the early years in the life of a genetically modified child slave.

Reception

A Closed and Common Orbit was a finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel.[1]

At the Guardian, Adam Roberts noted that, although the novel is a sequel, it "works as a standalone story"; he also observed that it shares the first book's strengths (including "complex characters" and "sheer likability") and weaknesses (including "a tendency for characters to pootle about rather than move the larger plot forward").[2] Publishers Weekly called it "worthy", with a "friendly, soothing atmosphere" and "beautiful pacing and structure".[3]

Strange Horizons lauded Chambers both for her "delightful world-building", and for her skillful presentation thereof.[4] The A.V. Club considered it to be "more intimate than its predecessor",[5] while James Nicoll described it as "more focused (and) more effective".[6]

References
  1. 2017 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved October 11, 2017
  2. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers review – an AI on the run, by Adam Roberts, in the Guardian; published October 22, 2016; retrieved October 11, 2017
  3. A Closed and Common Orbit, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published April 10, 2017; retrieved October 11, 2017
  4. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, reviewed by Maggie Clark, at Strange Horizons; published June 5, 2017; retrieved October 11, 2017
  5. Becky Chambers’ universe gets smaller in A Closed And Common Orbit, by Mike Vago, at the A.V. Club; published October 31, 2016; retrieved October 11, 2017
  6. Hide Me in a Hollow Sound - A Closed and Common Orbit — Becky Chambers - Wayfarers, book 2, reviewed by James Nicoll; at James Nicoll Reviews; published April 10, 2017; retrieved October 11, 2017
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