Record of A Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Publisher – Hodder & Stoughton
Published – Out Now
Price – £8.99 paperback £5.99 Kindle eBook
Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat.
Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.
Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn't know where to find it.
Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.
And when a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:
What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?
In science fiction and fantasy ‘Home’ tends to be at the start or end of a story. We want to leave it, save it, or run away. As many of us come to SF in our childhood it opens the door to say there is more to life than this house and there is a world awaiting us. Novels exploring the nature of home itself are rarer. In Becky Chamber’s Record of a Spaceborn Few I was taken on an exploration of what home can mean taking us far into the stars and yet seeing some things never change,
Humanity left a dying Earth to travel the stars and find a new home. They escaped in the Exodus Fleet generational starships perfectly balanced ecosystems even if lifestyles are fairly simple. Eventually contact with other races took place and while some have moved on to living on other planets; and it even became apparent the Earth was not dead for long a large population still now hang in space around a spare sun. Life goes on still dangerous as a terrible ship accident showed a few years ago where thousands died but despite that people try to carry on in the family traditions. For these exiles now known as Exodans change eventually has to be faced.
The story follows several individuals who all are approaching the fleet in different ways. Tessa has a key role as an engineer working docking in the fleet managing the transit of materials needed across the ships. Her brother left to fly a spaceship; her husband mines asteroids so it’s often just her, her daughter and her dad staying together. Tessa’s daughter Aya was hugely impacted by seeing a terrible accident a few years ago and Tessa is trying to find a way to get through this as well as dealing with her dad’s growing health issues and her bosses being increasingly fascinated with AI alternatives to manual labour being offered by many of the other aliens. Kyp is a teenager with his whole life ahead of him; finishing his exams; trialling various jobs and restlessly trying to find where he fits in this new fleet and increasingly less keen to do what his parents want. Sawyer slightly older than alto lives outside the fleet – he is human but not got any ties to this strand of humanity. He has lived on a planet where life is tough; humans are just one of many races and he thinks he needs more – he wonders if the Fleet can be home. Eyas has an important role as a Caretaker – handling the final rites of the dead and returning the deceased to the ecosystem. She too was on hand for the disaster, and it has made her feel something else is needed in her life but she has no idea as to what. Finally, we have Isobel the oldest of the main characters – an archivist who is wedded to the history of the Exodans about to meet one of her alien friends who wishes to see what life is like on board the fleet although Isobel’s wife feels the Fleet is being used for entertainment. All these characters are about to cross paths in an unusual way impacting decisions people make about their futures.
I loved this story. It is not a massive space opera exploring the future of the human race and our role in it. Humans are also not the centre of the universe and playing a key stage in galactic politics as the glue to hold it all together. This instead is a story about humans and our connections with a home. The stakes are personal and yet I think Chambers very carefully has explored a decision we all have to face about where we grow up – do we stay or go?
What I was really impressed by is how the Exodans are humanity stripped of our power - we are not seeking conquest, exploring, or seeking authority. This is an ecosystem that has evolved out of necessity and removed those ambitions. Each ship is designed for optimum efficiency – people don’t have excess; they have to rely upon each other, and people need to buy into that way of life. Chambers shows us belief systems; food cultures and an approach to seeking technology that is fascinating - humanity as a co-operative. But it is still not shown as the ideal either. Now humans are aware that aliens are out there and that many are centuries ahead in technology some feel embarrassed, some feel angry, and some feel it is time to explore the wider galaxy. Here the characters of Kyp and Tessa particularly play a role. Kyp is the young man who doesn’t want to follow in the family footsteps; already straining to rebel with drugs, alcohol and fake IDs – his scenes are probably for older readers going to strike very true that feeling of wanting to rebel but not sure as to what. Tessa is now a parent and good at her job but starting to think the Fleet may no longer be the right fit. Can you outgrow your old hometown and will it really suit your family? Coming from a once powerful industrial town like Liverpool I really related to this question as to when you can outgrow a place you’ve known all your life
But the other interesting angle Chambers takes is exploring how home and our concept of it changes. Sawyer is in many ways the catalyst the story centres around – the human who wants to actually join the Exodans. Some view him as a tourist wanting to slum it for a while; others welcome some new blood into the fleet at last while others see him as easy pickings. The idea of people wanting to live in your hometown doesn’t always makes sense and I really liked how Chambers painted Sawyer feeling both pride and embarrassment at how various characters perceive him and his dreams. He gets to represent the people seeking a home.
The last two characters though were my favourites and I think gave the story it’s emotional heart. Eyas as someone focused on death and now feeling as if that is not enough any more feels the most likely character for a mid-life crisis. She has no other ties in the Fleet but finds Sawyer sets her mind thinking about other options and also a challenge as to what exactly is the Fleet there for? In counterbalance I loved Isabel’s scenes with the very alien Ghuh’loloan Mok Chutp a non-humanoid alien who helps gives us a fresh perspective on how others see humanity. Exodans aren’t special at any technology, Exodans have just about managed to survive – why are they worthy of attention. Asking what the point of life is is a fairly large question and I was impressed by Chambers thinking how other cultures may find something in humanity’s basic design that makes them tick. We may not be the best, but we could at least be worthy of interest just because we decided to survive and not have a hissy fit and try to murder the rest of the universe as we now know others did. That choice alone may be enough. Hometowns sometimes need to embrace change to survive.
The main plots are all low-key. This feels more like a big slice of life tale but for me that is the delight of the story. This felt more an examination of humanity at a fundamental level. It’s a tale of accepting or rejecting changes and moves from tragic to comedic to heartfelt very easily as we regularly rotate through these characters and the decisions they faced. It is the novel of finding your place or even your next place in the world – thoughtful and how these characters get to impact each other was cleverly and movingly done. Some may want bigger theatrics or moral philosophy but I actually appreciates the smaller scale look at life – it felt in many ways the most accurate for how many of us seek questions about where we go next in our lives.
As a novel in the Wayfarer’s series this is probably the most human focused tale and I think works well after the first two to now say ‘look at us when our big ego has finally been removed’. If the first two novels are about finding a new family after leaving home; facing your childhood, then this is about the next stage in life - who are we when we know it is not just about us anymore – where are we going next? An examination of what is home in SF is very welcome and this I feel may be the novel many people will relate to. I think it’s one of the most thoughtful and mature stories I’ve read and confirms this as one of the most interesting SF series in the last ten years.
