Record of a Spaceborn Few
Date
2018
Authors
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Publisher
Hodder & Stoughton
Abstract
Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third instalment in the Wayfarer series. It takes place in the Exodus Fleet, the largest Human community outside the Sol system, and follows five characters with different functions within the fleet. The prologue gives an account of the Oxomoco disaster, when a shuttle crashed against the Oxomoco homesteader, a city-sized spaceship, killing more than forty thousand people due to the decompression that occurred because of weakened bulkheads. The novel deals with the immediate and long-term effects of this accident, with the caretakers, who are funerary workers, having to decide what to do with the bodies of the victims, not being able to dispose of them in the standard way. Ultimately, they decide to launch them towards the Fleet’s sun, and the remains of the Oxomoco are towed away. The rest of the storyline takes place four years after the disaster, following various characters who are still dealing with the consequences of the Oxomoco. Sawyer is an immigrant who is trying to find his footing in the Fleet; when he is given a shady job opportunity with a scavenger crew, he finds himself in the ruins of the Oxomoco, where he dies after opening a sealed door that caused explosive decompression. The rest of the story is centered around Sawyer’s funerary rites and the impact of the Oxomoco disaster in the community. Record of a Spaceborn Few also addresses humanity’s exodus from Earth, having settled in Mars and taking the Exodus Fleet to orbit another sun. The novel mentions the history of humanity in space, from establishing first contact with other alien species to becoming members of the Galactic Commons (GC), making the Exodus Fleet a relic that is on the verge of extinction as more humans decide to leave the community. The third novel in the Wayfarer series also details the inner workings of the ships that are home to thousands of people, explaining the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects that structure the compounds in which this community lives. The Fleet is composed of thirty-two homesteaders, several satellites, and smaller shuttles and makes use of artigrav technology, developed by the Aeluon species to regulate gravity.
Description
Keywords
space , fleet , spaceship , alien , first contact , technology
Citation
Chambers, Becky. Record of a Spaceborn Few. Hodder & Stoughton, 2019.