The Long Way... To a Common Orbit flash group discussion

"As she woke up in the pod, she remembered three things. First, she was traveling through open space. Second, she was about to start at a new job, one she could not screw up. Third, she had bribed a government official into giving her a new identity file. None of this information was new, but it wasn't pleasant to wake up to."

Love you and your organization skills <3 this has nothing to do with the book sorry.

Ha! :)

Getting slight & delightful whiffs of Firefly/Serenity & Chris Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay series. Like a light cinnamon dust on a perfect little cookie though: this is decidedly it's own cookie. I'm loving on these characters, except algae-guy of course.

At p.148 & MUST slow down! :) Too easy to keep reading: excellently well done science fiction + well thought out characters. Heaven!

It reminds me of Wooding's Ketty Jay as well. I have never seen 'Firefly' but I have seen this comparison a few times by now. Makes me want to find time to watch that show.

Nataliya--
after years of hearing about it, I finally watched it (and own it). Certainly very enjoyable. I loved the movie. Some episodes are downright great. Others a bit predictable but entertaining. Is it the best thing since sliced bread? idk.

I'm 140 pages in, and I can see some of this would echo the feeling of Firefly of the Ketty Jay, in the feel of the characters, the hint of swashbuckle. I really like that LWtaSAP is thoughtfully engaging with themes of science fiction and alien culture though; what it means for humans to be engaging in it, how that kind of cross-culture interaction can have tons of nuance, how it's not always pretty, but not nasty either, and a lot of worldbuilding for what that looks like and how humans got there.

Firefly and the Ketty Jay were adventure stories (that I love to death, so not knocking) that dealt with human and political themes. LWtaSAP is knocking at different doors, subtly (at least so far), while still keeping the camraderie and spirit of adventure that kept readers engaged with things like Firefly and Ketty Jay. It's thoughtful without being too overt or preachy so far, and it's full of nuance. So far it's off to a promising/intriguing start.

So glad to hear, Amelia. I used to read the Sector General hospital series and one of the things I miss is fun, explorative ideas of alien culture.

(Edited to reflect the place in the book this thread is actually for.)

One thing I liked about this very short chapter is how it, in very few words, tells us some things about the universe. Rosemary hires a scruffy transport, which tells us both that she's in an impecunious position and that there's class and/or wealth distinction in play.

Speaking of that transport, it seems like something that would be scary to wake up to. Especially if you are claustrophobic.

Agreeing with all of the above...

I really appreciated the way it opened--re-orienting the main character helps to orient the reader.

Way late to the game but my library finally got a copy in. Looking forward to the read.

Hey, no worries, Amanda. I hear you on waiting for the library copy. In fact, probably a great time to be reading... it's a sweet little book.