A Closed and Common Orbit

Becky Chambers has definitely crossed the threshold to new favorite author. I've now read two of her books, and I'm itching to read every single thing she's ever written.

This book switches between two timelines. In the present, Pepper is helping an AI, Sidra, nee Lovelace, adjust to living in a human-like body instead of embodying an entire ship. AIs aren't recognized as people with rights, so they have to hide her true nature, and it becomes an interesting journey of discovery as they have to balance Sidra's individual wants and needs with her safety and the safety of her friends. 

In the past, Pepper is still a young girl named Jane who was born a clone and lived as a slave until she escaped with the help of an unexpected friend. Jane/Pepper slowly comes to realize just how horrific her childhood was and begins to heal from her trauma.

This is really a lovely meditation on what it means to be a person and what it means to be considered illegal. Chambers created a vast universe with endlessly interesting alien species. She has a compassion for her characters that reminds me of Bujold, and I hope she has a long and prolific career. For now I'm just glad that I still have several of her books to read.

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