The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

Abstract

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet follows protagonist Rosemary Harper aboard the ship Wayfarer where she finds a job as a clerk. The novel focuses on a job given to the Wayfarer crew to create a hyperspace tunnelling, which consists of creating a wormhole connecting distant parts of space. During the voyage, Rosemary befriends the crew of the ship, which includes various alien species serving different functions. The Wayfarer has a doctor, a mechanical and a computer technician, and an algaeist, a person responsible for the algae tanks that are used to fuel the ship. Lovey, the Wayfarer’s sentient AI, has developed her own personality and is in a relationship with Jenks, the comp tech. The novel broaches several subjects from interspecies relationships, artificial intelligence, outer space travel, technology and science. One aspect that the novel addresses is Lovey’s nature as an AI and the bond she forms with the rest of the crew, who regard her as almost human; the narrative also emphasizes the possibility of giving Lovey physical form with a body kit, which she initially refuses. At the end of the story, Lovey is damaged beyond repair and the crew must reset her, restoring her to her original Lovelace program, deleting every memory and experience as Lovey. In the end, Lovelace accepts being transferred to a new body and leave the Wayfarer.