It's really hard to rate this book bc the story is character driven. We know what they are doing and cam guess what might happen and the end is open for hopes or pessimistic interpretations. I also don't really get the wholesome-ness from the story but maybe I'm to pessimistic for that? It was interesting and my first book from those author. I just didn't know what to expect. I think I'm just way more used to plot driven Stories with action but this story was just ... chill? Yeah

«I'm an observer, not a conqueror. I have no interest in changing another world to suit me. I choose the lighter touch: changing myself to suit them.» Becky Chambers doing it again. Damn. I just love this niche of science fiction she does. Everything about it is amazing and I can't wait to see what she does in the future. Especially love how casually all the representation is mentioned, it just warms my heart. Again the entire look on the human race and its development was perfection. The entire concept of being addressed by the main character also was incredible clever.

Habe mir diese Buch zu Gemüte geführt, da ich mir schon länger überlege ihre Trilogie zu lesen, und wollte mir zuvor einen Eindruck von Chambers verschaffen. Ich bin begeistert! Wir begleiten in diesem Buch vier Personen, die auf eine interstellare Mission zu vier verschiedenen Planeten gesendet wurden, die Lichtjahre von der Erde entfernt liegen. Die Rahmengeschichte ist nichts anderes als ein Logeintrag, den Ariadne, die Erzählstimme, schreibt. Dabei erfahren wir aus ihrer Sicht was sich auf ihrer Mission zugetragen hat. Zunächst beschreibt sie die verschiedenen Entdeckungen und Erfahrungen die sie und ihre Crewmitglieder machen. Später treten einige Probleme auf, und Chambers bespricht hier in einem exoplanetaren Setting philosophische Fragen. Das Ende...werde ich nicht verraten. Eine sehr immersive und empathisch geschriebene Geschichte, die einen eintauchen lässt in eine eigentlich bekannte, aber dennoch komplett fremde Materie. Habe es sehr genossen!

A crew of four people is exploring different maybe-habitable planets. If I got it right, all crew-members are on the LGBTQ spectrum. But it is not a plot-device. They work for a project which basically is crowdfunding space exploration. What is different about this story: instead of trying to terraform planets, the humans are altered to live in different environments. Their blood is more restitant against cold, their muscles are made stronger. They even glitter. Chambers seems to have put a lot of research into this novella. At least to me the descriptions of the planets and their lifeforms seem authentic and feel like a "real exploration". What I also liked is the end of the novella, where the crew needs to make an important decision. You should read it if you like stories by Stanislaw Lem or "The Martian" and prefer Sci-Fi that is non-violent and explorative.

A lot of people have recommended Becky Chambers to me and I finally got around to reading a book by her. The story revolves around a team of four astronauts tasked to research life on other planets. At times the book felt like a nature documentary describing the different worlds in vivid detail. The first two planets were wonderous adventures and full of scientific discoveries. When they land on a less than habitable planet things start to go downhill. Relationships and nerves are tested when conditions continue to worsen. Part of what impressed me most about this book is how much character, atmosphere and content Becky Chambers packed into this novella without it being overmuch. Her writing is exceptional and the science is explained well and "plausible". The book raises some good questions and is great for discussions in book clubs or with your friends that have read it.

Last year I read the whole wayfarer series and the monk and robot series after. So it’s safe to say I have become a full Becky Chambers fan. And no matter how many of her books I read, there are always new and unique questions of ethic, of morale, of philosophy. It is truly amazing how her books get me thinking while also always having this underlying vibe of comfiness. They just always leave you in a good mood. - and with a lot of food for thought

I loved the portrayal of science and scientists in this book and the very belivable science fiction aspects. I could really envision all the environments and resulting emotions and I was hooked even before we got to the "mystery" of the book. I laughed in the beginning and sobbed in the end - what more could I wish for?

Diese Novelle mit dem unglaublich passenden Titel (wie finden manche Autor*innen solche Titel, die nicht nur 100% passen, sondern dem Werk sogar noch einen drauf setzen, wenn man sie am Ende endlich ganz versteht?) ist wieder ein Highlight von Becky Chambers. "To be taught, if fortunate" ist ein cozy scifi-Werk, das die Geschichte einer Raumfahrercrew erzählt. Das Team von Forschenden ist im Weltraum unterwegs, auf einer Mission, die von neugierigen Menschen auf der Erde finanziert ist, und deshalb weder militaristisch noch kolonialistisch veranlagt ist. Sie haben wirklich nur den Auftrag, zu erforschen, mehr zu lernen. Diesem Auftrag gehen Ariadne und die anderen ihrer Crew mit großer Begeisterung nach. Man lernt sie nach und nach kennen, aber vor allem ihr Staunen und ihre Neugier, wenn sie wieder auf einem neuen Planeten landen. Die Hälfte der Novelle ist diesem gemütlichen, behaglichen Staunen vorbehalten, dann wird es wesentlich melancholischer und trauriger. Dennoch bleibt es - ganz in Becky Chambers Stil - ruhig in der Erzählweise. Hier findet sich keine dramatische Spannung, es tickt nirgends eine Uhr im Hintergrund und es gibt auch keine Schocker-Momente. Wer beim Lesen jede Minute eine neue Überraschung will, sollte nicht zu Chambers' Büchern greifen, das kann immer nur in einer Enttäuschung enden. Nachdem das hier für mich schon Chambers' viertes Buch war, wusste ich, worauf ich mich einlasse und habe es unglaublich genossen. Ich hätte gern auch mehr über Ariadne gelesen, letztlich war die Länge aber perfekt, gerade mit dem Ende, das mich sehr beschäftigt hat. Absolute Leseempfehlung!

Starting with Monks and Robots was a mistake. Becky's writing is certainly unique, so someone would undoubtedly recognize her style with its calming descriptions. I had my expectatioms for this book and i am glad it turned out another way. The calming style is the same, the story what i wanted, the only thing i disliked was the setting in space, but with the planets to explore that was only a tiny fraction of the book that put me down.

That was... beautiful. I admit that I had some problems getting into the book. Especially the beginning of "Aecor" was somehow very difficult for me - maybe there were too many theoretical constructs and not enough plot? Yes, that could be. But then at some point a little later it clicked and I devoured the book and hate it a little for being so short. It was, as with all of Chambers' books, so full of important and beautiful thoughts. Full of philosophical questions and answers that you might not have thought about before. It invites you to dream ... To think and also to be sad and to say "I understand you". It was depressing and fuelled an uncertainty that brought tears to my eyes and in the end I raised my hat off to the crew of the Merian. Did I expect this ending? No ... but I find it well-chosen and stirring. As always, the writing was wonderful, I can't say anything else about it. This book is only 134 pages and I recommend it to anyone who also enjoys quiet books. <3

Diese Novelle habe ich am Ende des letzten Jahres angefangen und Neujahr abgeschlossen. Ich mag Novellen genau so gerne wie richtig dicke Wälzer. Aber mit dieser hatte ich Probleme. Mir fehlte einfach der rote Faden - die Figuren waren interessant angelegt, blieben mir aber fremd, weil ich sie nur durch die Augen der Tagebuch schreibenden Technikerin zu sehen bekam. Nicht wirklich zufrieden war ich auch mit der Menge an Sachinformationen, die im Zusammenhang mit der Erforschung und potentieller Besiedelung neuer Planeten stehen. Ich liebe gut recherchierte Bücher, aber das war mir hier ein wenig zu viel und ich habe an einigen Stellen nicht einmal verstanden, warum die Ich-Erzählerin etwas für aufschreibenswert hielt, abgesehen von der Tatsache, dass die Autorin es den Lesern nahebringen wollte. Aber zum Positiven: Die Sprache war gewohnt schön, das Buch steckte voller Ideen, ist, wie oben schon erwähnt, gut recherchiert und an einigen Stellen musste ich lächeln, weil die Autorin Fehler, die mir in anderen SF-Geschichten aufgefallen sind, bewusst vermied und erklärte. In Summe sicher nicht das beste, was ich von Becky Chambers gelesen habe, aber nichts, was mich von zukünftigen Büchern dieser Autorin abschrecken würde.

"To Be Taught, if Fortunate" is Becky Chambers fourth book and very different from her Wayfarer Series. I am almost struggling to put into words why I enjoyed this book so much. Just like the Wayfarer books, it's not a plot driven book. But unlike Wayfarers, it's not really a character driven story either. It is driven by how carefully Becky Chambers is building a world, a possible future, that feels very realistic and vivid, thanks to the amount of detail she poured into it. It's filled with so many scientific examples that it sometimes feels like reading a very enjoyable handbook about evolution, while at the same time filling you with excitement for progress and for what the future may hold for humanity. And sometimes, it manages to make you forget that this is just a work of fiction, as you experience the same child-like excitement as the characters upon making a new discovery. You start imagining that this is how it's really going to be when we will discover new habitable planets. Her story makes you dream - it doesn't make you dread the dystopia of corporate greed. It's not a story about terraforming new planets to colonize and exploit them, while destroying its wonders in the process. It's about discovery and respect, marveling at the wonder of new life without trying to influence or control it. It's a story where the characters evolve to fit the new environment of each new planet - and not a story where the planet has to change to accommodate them. To sum it up: Don't read this book if you expect a plot driven story full of adventures. Read it if you want a thoughtful, philosophical Sci-Fi book that feels incredibly hopeful and yet, somehow, still manages to feel realistic.

4.5* Becky Chambers schreibt einfach toll. Obschon To beTaught, If Fortunate nur ca. 150 Seiten hat, schafft die Autorin mehrere interessante Planeten, sympathische Charaktere und eine spannende Geschichte. Ich fand besonders die Art wie die Ethik hinter der Erforschung neuer Planeten erforscht wurde faszinierend. Ich konnte das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen und hätte auch gerne noch mehr über diese Welt und Figuren gelesen.

Offene Enden sind und bleiben fies. Ich möchte eine Fortsetzung. Nicht unbedingt mit der Crew. Wobei das auch okay wäre, aber ich glaube, mehr Bedeutung und Tiefgang hätte es, würde eher jemand in fernerer Zukunft auf die Mission zurückschauen. Ansonsten langsame Hard SciFi, die weniger action- und mehr erkundungsbasiert ist und immer an der Grenze der psychologischen Studie der Charaktere entlang balanciert. Sehr angenehm zu lesen.

This was overwhelming and I loved it. I love/adore Chambers' first two books: they have wonderful characters and relationships, they have fascinating ideas and Sci-Fi concepts, some humor, optimism and a remarkable writing style: they are pretty much perfect books for me. All of this applies to this novella as well, but there is one big difference between her other works and this: they work as comfort reads and this doesn't. But in a wonderful way. It has beautiful moments: the protagonists' great relationships, the exploration, the passion expressed. The first half of the book just makes you happy. I need to warn you, however, that after that, everything will be much more raw. Chambers seems to understand life: everything that makes it worth living - the wonderful moments, your passion, your loved ones etc. - but also that things can go wrong and nothing is simple. Although this book is emotion provoking, it never felt manipulative, every response felt earned. Also, Chambers was incredibly creative with the new worlds that were explored, I would love to see a version of them in a visual medium. This may become one of my favourite books ever and I'm lacking the words to really describe it. A wonderful mixture of humanity and science. Big recommendation. Reread: Still as effective as on first read.