The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEY’S WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 
Wayfarers 1

‘A quietly profound, humane tour de force’ Guardian 

The beloved debut novel that will restore your faith in humanity

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn’t expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful – exactly what Rosemary wants.

Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years… if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.

But Rosemary isn’t the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.
 
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A joyous, optimistic space opera . . . A heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general)  Tor.com
 
An action-adventure space opera . . . It is a quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism    Guardian
 
A real treat to read . . . Easily the most fun that I've had with a novel in a long, long time. This is space opera that's not to be missed
io9
 
By far the best sci-fi I've read in a long time: something genuinely different, inclusive and compassionate
Joanne Harris, author of The Gospel of Loki