I devoured this audiobook in two days. This is the opposite of a problem.

In A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, the AI program known as Lovelace faces a new experience when she’s placed into a humanoid body after total system shutdown and reboot. So she finds her way off the ship and into the home of Pepper and Blue, an engineer and an artist, who agree to show her how to be a person and avoid detection. She’s not technically allowed to exist in this form, after all. But the more Lovey learns, the more doubt she has about who she’s supposed to be. Meanwhile, the story of Pepper’s childhood shows how she’s struggled and fought for every moment of happiness, and how far she’s come.

I’m kicking myself still for not starting this series earlier in my life. It’s got so many things I like, and so many things I didn’t realize I enjoyed. The world-building of the Galactic Commons, the planets that have made a mutually beneficial alliance, is excellent. I love the ways the different cultures and beings grapple with sharing space and resources; it’s both realistic and optimistic at the same time, if that makes sense.

And the characters are fantastic. Artificial intelligence is obviously a topical concept these days, and it’s fascinating to see where the technology might be going, the ways it can help humans be better and also the ways it can become better in its own right. Lovey is a true AI, a fully formed personality with feelings and dreams and doubts in the way a human would be. And though she’s at her core (pun intended) still a machine, her experiences are still relatable to humans. In particular, her tendency to get overstimulated in loud and crowded environments and her complex feelings about her body will certainly ring true with neurodiverse and/or trans readers. In fact, Chambers’ choice to draw a comparison between software installed in the wrong hardware to the trans experience of body dysphoria is so clever, and it’s done with grace and empathy.

So while there’s Lovey’s story (or Cidra, as she chooses to be known later) of her finding meaning and purpose after her world is turned upside down, there’s also the other storyline focused on Pepper’s childhood. And this is an example (few and far between in my experience) of a book where there are two separate plots that I’m equally invested in. Each time we changed perspectives between chapters, I was fine with it, because I wanted so badly to know what was going to happen with each character.

But wow, Pepper’s backstory is an enthralling tale. It’s heartbreaking to see where she came from and the abuse she suffered, all from a child’s perspective. But then there’s also the survival aspect of it. This is apparently one of my favorite subgenres—a single person isolated in outer space trying to endure, sometimes aided by a single other being. Basically, this storyline is what I adore about Andy Weir’s best books, but featuring a young kid instead of a science-savvy adult.

I feel like I could go on and on about this book, so I’ll try to wrap it up soon to not waste everyone’s time. But basically, this book is amazing. The two timelines are captivating in different ways, then come together for the last act in an emotionally satisfying way. I also love the side characters Owl, Blue, and Tack (whose name I don’t actually know how to spell, because I listened to the audiobook and don’t yet own a physical copy). I do think, though, that the story wrapped up really quickly. There’s a specific scene I would have loved to see the full ending off. I wanted to see Pepper’s reaction to… well, to a spoiler… hmm. Anyway, the point is, I think we jumped too quickly to the epilogue!

However, in the end, A Closed and Common Orbit was incredible. It has heart and adventure, love and friendship. The characters’ search for purpose and for freedom is so compelling, and the allegories for marginalized groups is done quite well for me. I feel like a broken record, but this world is so cool and the characters are so awesome, and I love these books!

At this rate, I’m going to read the whole series in less than two weeks. Gee, what a shame.