Once again, Becky Chambers distills the hope of humanity into the fleeting thoughts of a far-off astronaut. I am, once again, bathed in love and awe.
I’m an observer, not a conqueror. I have no interest in changing other worlds to suit me. I choose the lighter touch: changing myself to suit them.
Ariadne is more than our narrator, and she’s more than the pilot of her ship. She is our eyes, ears, and heart. She is an equal yet extraordinary piece of her four-person crew. This novella begins with a plea from Ariadne and her crew: please read this missive.
From a plea we unravel the tapestry of space and time, landing on a distant ice-covered moon peopled only with Ariadne, Elena, Chikondi, and Jack. They are on a mission that will keep them away from Earth for eighty years, but they will not age with the same pace nor feel time in the same way. They are deep in space, and they are placed deep in sleep while they jet from one unexplored planet to the next. They are bound by curiosity, love, and duty. They have been tasked by the public with finding the future for generations to come.
With great power comes yadda, yadda, yadda- but not here. Ethics, inclusion, respect, and empathy pump through every member of this team- a Chambers signature – allowing the reader to assume a great weight with great care. This piece is frustratingly short, but I remain in awe of how much of the human condition can be covered in so few pages.
While the “Pandemic” square is open to mean many things, one line in this piece solidified the fact that this would be my Pandemic Pick:
The amount a person can spare is relative; the value of generosity is not.
