Waiting On Wednesday: A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers 2) by Becky Chambers

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine where you showcase which books you’re looking forward to being released.

This week I’m waiting on the second instalment of the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, A Closed and Common Orbit.

UK Release Date: 20th October 2016

I reviewed the first Wayfarers novel a little while ago, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which you can find here. I loved the cover to that novel and I think the cover for A Closed and Common Orbit might be even prettier. But, covers aside, the first novel was a fun read, the characters likeable, although the book read like a series of short stories or episodes rather than having one main plot.

I’m hoping the second book will feel a little more cohesive, but not skimp out on the humour and world-building that made the first book so enjoyable.

A word of warning, the synopsis I’m about to post does contain spoilers, so don’t read on if you haven’t read the first novel. If you want to know what the first book was like, check out the link to my spoiler-free review above!

However, this blurb does sound a bit like we might not be seeing much of the original cast, which is a real shame! I became somewhat attached to those characters, so I’ll be annoyed if they aren’t the protagonists anymore. It’s described on Amazon as a ‘stand-alone sequel’ which really does sound like it’s moved away from the original characters. Fingers crossed it actually includes them, but I’m a little doubtful.

Synopsis for A Closed and Common Orbit: 

Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has to start over in a synthetic body, in a world where her kind are illegal. She’s never felt so alone.

But she’s not alone, not really. Pepper, one of the engineers who risked life and limb to reinstall Lovelace, is determined to help her adjust to her new world. Because Pepper knows a thing or two about starting over.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that, huge as the galaxy may be, it’s anything but empty.

Did you read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet? Did you enjoy it? What do you think of the synopsis for the sequel? Happy or sad that it sounds like it won’t be including all of the cast from the first novel? Let me know in the comments below!