The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Content Ratings

Moderate Romance

The crew includes characters in varied romantic configurations including LGBTQIA+ relationships; one crewmember's romantic relationship with an alien involves physical intimacy described with warmth and moderate directness; relationships are presented with affirming specificity.

Mild Themes

The novel explores found family, the ethics of accepting dangerous work, cultural difference and genuine respect across species, and the emotional cost of lives spent entirely in transit.

Mild Violence

The climactic approach to the target planet involves violent conflict with significant consequences; violence is otherwise minimal in a novel focused on relationship and community.

Synopsis

The crew of the tunneling ship Wayfarer takes a year-long job to punch a wormhole through to a distant and politically volatile planet, and the novel is essentially the story of that journeyâ€”the friendships formed, the cultures encountered, the relationships deepened, and the crises navigated. A cozy, character-centered space opera that values compassion, diversity, and the texture of ordinary life in an extraordinary universe. Foundational to the 'hopepunk' subgenre.