The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the 2014 debut science fiction novel by Becky Chambers, set in her fictional universe the Galactic Commons. Chambers originally self-published it via a Kickstarter campaign; it was subsequently re-published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Fleeing her old life, Rosemary Harper joins the multi-species crew of the Wayfarer as a file clerk, and follows them on their various missions throughout the galaxy.

It was shortlisted for the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and earned Chambers a nomination for the British Fantasy Awards' 2016 "Sydney James Bounds Award for Best Newcomer". It was the first self-published novel to be shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle for Best Debut Novel.

The Guardian called it "a quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism".Io9 considered it to be "exciting, adventurous, and (...) cozy", and comparable to "the best space opera universes".

Adam Roberts felt that it was "a huge amount of space-opera-y fun, with some interestingly nuanced perspectives on gender woven into the whole", while James Nicoll observed that although the setting was evocative of the Traveller roleplaying game, he was "more strongly reminded of James Tiptree, Jr.'s short story “And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side” … that is, if James Tiptree, Jr. instead of being relentlessly, inexorably depressing, had been a cheerful optimist."Strange Horizons' Linda Wilson commended Chambers for portraying naturalistic conversation and exposition, and for the relationships between characters.

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