Literature Let's All Be Nice for a Change
If I had to summarise the plot to Becky Chambers' debut sci-fi novel The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, it would be "Imagine the plot to Alien, had the alien never shown up". It's a year long space voyage featuring the human and alien crew of the Wayfarer, who are commissioned to build a hyperspace gate in a distant system. The first thing that strikes you about this novel is just how overwhelmingly nice people can be when they aren't in an adventure story, killing anyone.
It's a gentle, character driven story about gentle characters. We see this is a galaxy of space pirates, deadly aliens, and gunslinging heroes, all of which come into contact with the Wayfarer at some point, but these largely remain off in the periphery and the Wayfarer's pacifistic crew does its damnedest to avoid all of that nonsense where possible. They'd much rather get along in this open minded, pansexual, optimistic future.The main thrust of the drama comes from the consequences of sticking half a dozen or so people in one ship together for a year, and how their diverse, alien cultural backgrounds start to clash. It takes on an episodic kind of feel, resembling something from a classic Star Trek episode, in which the characters have to navigate some bizarre sci-fi dilemma. One involves, for instance, figuring out whether there is a moral imperative to force a cure on one alien who's entire culture is built around dying to a highly specific (yet completely curable) illness.
All this talk on philosophy and character stuff isn't to say that the book lacks tension. Angry Planet does a neat job of getting you to love these characters whilst reminding you their job is really dangerous; you know in the back of your mind the entire time that at least one of these guys is probably going to die, and you'll feel miserable for it when it happens. But as the tantalising clickbait goes: But which? The answer will shock you! The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is an exceptional book that manages to simultaneously feel nostalgic for the good old days of sci-fi whilst offering a refreshing and modern perspective.
Literature What if ... respect were a cultural norm?
This series is now my go-to for comfort reading. There's a word tropers use for when a creator really revels in a particular aspect of the story, like food, scenery, costumes - or yes, sex - and they share it with the audience in a way that we can luxuriate in. Here, the subject seems to be 'interpersonal respect'. For anyone tired of hate and xenophobia, pull up a comfy chair - these books are respect porn. Sure, you have a bunch of characters and civilizations with their own wants, needs, agendas and prejudices. Not everyone gets along. People tread on each other's toes through emotion or impulse or misunderstanding. But this series embodies the hope that somewhere along the way between now and the Galactic Commons, respect for others becomes so necessary and so common that it becomes the norm. And while things may never be perfect, they can always get better.