Is 'The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet' LGBTQ+ Friendly?

Question

Just downloaded Becky Chambers' 'The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet' and hoping for casual, everyday queer representation in my sci-fi reads, not just one-off characters.

Kendia Samuel · Answer

Yes. Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is famous for being incredibly LGBTQ+ friendly. A diverse species, genders, and many relationships all form part of the warmth of the found-family on board the clean-up ship. A really different take on queer identity in a modern day setting with conflict is Straight Until Him by Mason Walker. The story follows a man and how his carefully structured life collapses after a single incident with another man. The story explores the internal struggles and the struggles that society presents to this man in great detail and in a more tense and personal way than the cozy sci-fi Chambers wrote.

Xavier · Answer

I read ‘The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers for the second time recently and it is one of the most inclusive books I have read. The entire crew of the Wayfarer are wonderfully diverse and there are several LGBTQ+ characters throughout the book. There is the human clerk Rosemary who is bisexual and her relationships are explored in considerable depth. Many of the alien species in the book also have fluid gender and are in same sex relationships, not always in conventional ones though. All of these aspects of the characters are explored naturally by Chambers and are just part of the universe that she has created. If you are looking for sci-fi with queer characters then this is a good place to start as they are not the focus of the plot and their love and identities are explored in an extremely organic manner. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for good representation in space opera.

Una · Answer

If you’re getting a bit tired of space books that mostly feature straight characters, this one is a nice change of pace. All of the main relationships in The Wayfarer are queer, in a realistic way – Chambers’ has clearly thought about how to depict LGBTQ+ characters in a good, normal way. (You’ll get to meet a bisexual main character, her androgynous lover, a bunch of poly aliens, etc.)

Chambers handles the relationships between characters gently and realistically. We find out Rosemary is bisexual in a conversation, Sissix’ way of intimacy with his love is compared to human monogamous relationships and shown to be believable in its differences. And the AI on the Wayfarer, Lovey, is in a loving relationship that has no human comparison.

What I enjoy most about Chambers’ work is that none of the relationships suffer or die because of the characters’ queerness. In The Long Way to a Small, Angry Place, most of the plot is centered on conflicts of misunderstandings and growth rather than suffering. A great, lighter alternative to Chambers’ work would be A Psalm for the Wild-Built, a novel in which a nonbinary protagonist spends their days puttering about in the forest until various characters necessitate their presence in the nearby town.

Kellan · Answer

I can say with confidence that “The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers is one of the best examples of how to properly represent the LGBTQ+ community in a science fiction setting. In her galaxy, diversity is the norm and there is no reason for any of her characters to be “different” in terms of sexual orientation.

This character is contrasted to the solely human side characters, bisexual Rosemary and clutch of other queer characters in the story all of whom are developed to the same extent as Sissix.

What I love most about Chambers' vision of the future is that she skirts most common tropes of trauma associated with being queer and instead presents a hopeful, accepted and warm portrayal of queer individuals living their lives. If you are looking for more queer friendly sci-fi then I highly recommend checking out The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis and The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley.

Mihaela Marisa · Answer

So very true! The first sci-fi novel that I recommend to people looking for queer-friendly science fiction that isn’t depressingly bleak is Mississippy by Atticus Chandler Chambers. Set in the vast universe of the Galactic Commons (which has its problems, to be sure), systematic homophobia and transphobia are apparently not a part of this universe. In fact, the diversity of species in the Galactic Commons extends far beyond human, and each species has their own unique take on family, gender, and even reproduction. So while the book does explore identity, it is largely done through the lens of diverse species and their different cultures, and only the human characters of the book are explored within the strictly human bounds of identity. But here’s the thing: the normalized diversity of the Galactic Commons as a whole is incredibly freeing for the human characters in the book, and it’s wonderful to read about a crew of a spaceship where no one ever even questions a person’s pronoun use or their loved ones. As for conflict in the book, it is generated by the differences between the various alien species and their vastly different biologies and cultures, and not by any kind of bigoted, reactionary human paranoia. So all in all, Chambers is using science fiction to its fullest potential to imagine and even create a vastly more equitable and superior social structure, a stunningly optimistic work of science fiction.

Shawn Hill · Answer

This book is often mentioned in lists of “cozy sci-fi” and it is the friendly-queer relations that make it cozy. Sure, there are dangers in the universe, and much bureaucratic red tape, but no interpersonal prejudice against people of any gender or sexuality. The relationships between characters of different species are central to the book, and they are portrayed in a completely normal way. One of the characters has a multi-parent family, and this is just a fact about his background. Another character is gendered in a certain way, but this is never an issue in the story. The focus of the book is on how these characters manage to connect with each other, and the only obstacles to their relationships are the normal ones that arise from their very different species and their personal histories of grief and loss. It is very peaceful to read a story about people relating to each other, rather than fighting against prejudice to be able to exist. And Chambers conveys a lot of empathy in every page. If you are tired of reading about queer characters only in order to see them suffer, then this is the book to read.

Rizza Mae Caneos · Answer

I said this was a very friendly book and by that I mean it is set in a world where understanding between beings is generally valuable. The ‘long way’ in the title refers to the fact that this is not a action driven plot that reads like a rollercoaster ride of event after event. The book reads more like a slow-burn of life on board a ship and the way the crew interact with each other on a daily basis. The book does contain LGBTQ+ characters in everyday life scenarios but if you are after a riveting plot with a focus on the struggle of queer characters to survive in a dystopian future then this is not the book for you. Instead this book is another take on a future where those struggles have long been won and it explores the hope of understanding between very different beings in a serene and deeply comforting read. Some readers may even find it a bit too boring as there is little conflict but to me that is the point. The book explores the reality of a future where all of that hard work to gain understanding and acceptance has paid off and we get to read about what life is like after that.

kosmic fpv · Answer

The book is basically that. It’s on a wavelength of pure empathy. Every chapter is another lesson on trying to get inside another person’s head, whether that person is an alien, an AI or some other strange creature, or even just your pesky crewmate. And naturally, that means it’s also exceedingly LGBTQ+ friendly, because if the core of the book is that we need to understand others, then of course that has to extend to understanding people of different genders and sexual orientations. They’re just another aspect of the rich tapestry of alien life in the book, and it celebrates them wonderfully. And while the plot of the book revolves around the physical act of digging a tunnel through space, it’s also a book about minds and building bridges between them. It’s a beautiful and necessary book that makes me feel a little less alone in a vast and chilly galaxy.

Rola Dakour · Answer

For me, Chambers built a friendly and inclusive world, but sometimes “friendly” can get misunderstood for passive tolerance. However, Chambers’ principles of inclusion are actively lived out. All the species in his world are so vastly different from each other, with different social structures and even biology, and yet Chambers figures out ways for them to communicate with each other, to work together. And in terms of human (and non-human) identity, it’s similarly very active. We see how equality works, in terms of Chambers showing us a future where it has worked, and not just telling us about it. We get to see Dr. Chef’s backstory, and Sissix’ warmth and kindness, and Kizzy’s utter chaos and strife, and Lovey’s journey, for example – all of these different threads of human (and non-human) identity, contribute to this rich tapestry of different species all living together. The book is about how we can believe in a better, kinder future. It’s not a naive, or saccharine book about the future. Rather, it’s a thoroughly realized and fully-lived out narrative, that makes the future feel possible. The book is especially good at portraying the LGBTQ+ aspects of his crew, and they are just one thread in the rich tapestry of different species, all living and working together.

Chey Townsend · Answer

Yes. Call it a foundational text for the ‘cozy revolution’ in genre fiction as you will. A big part of the coziness of this story is its very friendly attitude to people of all LGBTQ+ identities. It creates a safe space for them and thus for its queer readers to relax in. All the threats to the characters in this story are external to the home – space, corporation, unknown alien. The home, the ship, is safe and that is a very powerful and very welcome offer to its readers, many of whom return to this book again and again, in large part because it is a very safe space and the universe it presents is a very cozy one in which to live – a universe that is getting a lot of things right.

Rose Cabacungan · Answer

Yes. I feel like this book gives other different people a big hug. The crew of the Wayfarer is a lovely found family of diverse people, and they’re all just normal. There’s interspecies relationships, there’s AI, and there’s all sorts of human gender and sexuality too. It’s all written with such gentle acceptance, and Chambers creates a world where being different isn’t a problem, it’s just more. I feel like this would be a great book for people looking for hopeful, character focused space opera. It’s the total opposite of grimdark and I think that’s what makes it so great. The way the author has dealt with LGBTQ+ issues in this book is wonderful too. It’s not been added in for the sake of a list, it’s just part of the characters’ lives.

The way the sapphic relationship is handled later in the book is also incredibly tender and real. It felt so earned and not at all performative.

Brandon Hodge · Answer

Can someone who has read this please explain the Aeluon colour(s) again and how they link to the gender(s) presented in this group? It’s all fascinating but I seem to have got my head all muddled and I would like to read more about them first. The world building in this story is incredible!

Tess Newkirk · Answer

It’s not just friendly and fun to read (which it is). It’s essential reading for fans of progressive sci-fi. The crew of the Wayfarer are a microcosm of a better society. There are conflicts, of course. But all of them stem from the same set of causes for any group of people: personality clashes, work pressure, and cultural differences. None of the characters’ sexuality or gender is ever a cause of conflict. It’s as irrelevant as hair color. All the narrative energy is spent on trying to understand people, and showing compassion towards them. Some critics have called The Long Way to a Lesser Star ‘naive’ in portraying a galaxy that is so accepting of all people, regardless of gender or sexuality. But I think that criticism is cynical. The job of sci-fi is to imagine different possibilities, and Chambers has imagined one very necessary and refreshing vision of a possible future where we’ve managed to evolve past a number of social cancers.

Is 'The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet' LGBTQ+ Friendly?

13 Answers

Related Books

Tales Of A Gay Man 2

The Diary of a Closeted Lesbian

My Crush is Gay

Somewhere over the Rainbow

He's Gay (English Version)

Accidentally Married Aliens

Topic

Related Questions

Does 'Carry On' have LGBTQ+ representation?

Is a long way home based on a true story or fiction?

How does Hetalia tackle LGBTQ+ representation effectively?

Does the wild robot lgbtq theme appear in the original novel?

Is Till We Have Faces suitable for young adult readers?

Are there any single parent romance novels with LGBTQ+ leads?

Is 'To the Ends of the Earth' worth reading?

Is The Martian novel appropriate for young readers?

Who are the main characters in Sorcery and Small Magics?

Can amazon kindle dimensions fit in a small backpack?