"All you can do, Rosemary - all any of us can do - is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It's up to you to decide what part you will play" 
 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' is a delightfully diverse, wildly imaginative and surprisingly heartfelt space-opera set aboard an interstellar wormhole tunnelling ship crewed by a fascinating and eclectic ensemble of characters. There is something quiet and humble about this story, with the slow paced, episodic narrative weaving together the lives of the crew as they embark on a long-haul mission, building an interplanetary hyperspace lane to a hostile and distant section of space. It is fun and adventurous and meticulously thought-out, a love letter to the majesty of the universe and and all of its inhabitants as well as the pull of the wild and distant unknown. 
 But at its core this is really a character driven story, a book that is really about ideas. It is a story about cultural identity and interplanetary politics, about acceptance and tolerance, about embracing - and celebrating - our differences. It is, ultimately, a book about family and belonging, about what it means to be human. And it is ambitious and risky, writing a story where the heart and soul of the narrative lies almost exclusively within the characterisation and relationships, rather than the more traditional high octane action of space warfare or epic interstellar conflict typical of the space opera subgenre. But it absolutely works and it is glorious and delightful, written with care and respect and such detailed authenticity that this world and these characters just shine. 
 The characters and their relationship dynamics are nuanced and honest, beautifully three-dimensional and brilliantly diverse. The representation throughout this story is absolutely fantastic and at all times utterly sensitive and respectful, taking particular care with use of gender pronouns and the exploration of cross-cultural differences. The main cast includes two neurodiverse characters, a character with dwarfism, a multiracial character, an omnisexual (or possibly pansexual) character and multiple interspecies romantic couples including a delightful F/F relationship. Told from alternating perspectives these diverse characters provide fantastic insights into gender, sentience, sexual intimacy, love, relationships, culture and identity, thoughtfully asking the reader to view the universe outside of our human lens - to avoid centralising ourselves in the narrative - and to accept that our knowledge of the complexities of the universe is incomplete. 
 The world-building is stunningly detailed and expansive, a meandering and heart-warming exploration of different species, customs and worlds within which the story unfolds, rather than simply the backdrop. 
 In short, I kind of adored it. 
 Beautiful, diverse and heart-warming. A tale of wanderlust and culture, space pirates and kinship, finding family and what it means to come home. A story that is about the journey - and the people we meet and the marks those relationships leave, the ways in which they change and shape us - far more than the destination.