I don’t want this series to be over!

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the final installment in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series. We find ourselves on the planet Gora, a rather inhospitable place with no native life. It serves merely as a sort of interplanetary truck stop, now that the Galactic Commons has set up a station here. But when a freak accident results in all traffic lanes and communications going out, several strangers are stuck at the Five-Hop One-Stop. Grounded for at least several days, they have to figure out how to get along, and where they might be going in life after this.

I am reminded yet again that I need to buy the physical books, because there are so many names and terms I have no idea how to spell because I listened to the audiobook. Bear with me as I make my best guesses.

As with all the books by Chambers, I love these characters. From Ouloo and her precocious child Toupo, to sisters Speaker and Tracker, to Roveg the exile and Pei the cargo runner, they’re all amazing. And as usual, this book is much more about interpersonal relationships than action and adventure. It’s so rewarding to see how they change and grow as a result of knowing each other, even over such a short amount of time.

I also really admire Chambers’ ability to represent minority groups, in this case mostly people with physical disabilities. It’s almost like she uses extraterrestrial characters as a metaphor, their experiences reflecting those of certain humans. In Speaker and Tracker’s cases, they have certain physical attributes that limit how they can interact with the world of the Galactic Commons, which is designed for different beings than them. It’s reminiscent of how humans with chronic health issues or mobility issues have to deal with life in a very different way than able-bodied people, and it’s handled quite well here.

There’s also a lot of levity too, as these characters from such different backgrounds get to know each other and bond. They learn quirks about each other’s cultures and engage in good-natured teasing, either about that or about their collective amusement regarding humans. It never occurred to me, for example, how bizarre cheese, as a concept, would be to someone who’s never heard of it. We take another species’ milk and let bacteria make it solid, then eat it? Yeah, I’d be grossed out too!

Anyway, cheese aside, this book is a brilliant testament to how to deal with differences of any kind. It demonstrates how important it is to ask questions with genuine interest and curiosity, and to be open-minded about the answers. It’s about how to treat people with dignity, even when there are disagreements. Honestly, it’s a book everyone should read.In the end, I loved The Galaxy, and the Ground Within and I’m sure no one is surprised. This book, and the series as a whole, is so full of kindness and wonder for the universe that it’s hard not to love. There’s a contemplative existentialism here, coupled with humor and love to balance it out. I want a dozen more novels in this series, but even so, it’s nearly perfect as it is. I could go on gushing, but I think you get the point. I’m obsessed.