- Book written by Becky Chambers
- Published February 2021
- Part 4 of The Wayfarers Series
The Five-Hop One-Stop is a temporary stopover station for traveller’s awaiting their turn for the nearby wormhole. When an accident temporarily suspends all incoming and outgoing traffic, three strangers find themselves stranded with nothing to do but wait. Under the care of Ouloo, the host of the Five-Hop, they will discover many unexpected things about each other, and also about themselves.
Becky Chambers’ books are generally known to focus a lot more on characters and their interactions than on plot, but this book might have hit a new extreme. Seriously: Nothing. Happens. At. All. That sounds exactly like the kind of story I would normally enjoy, and indeed: I (predictably) really liked it.
If you have read any of the other books set in this universe, this story will feel immediately familiar. It has all the hallmarks of a Becky Chambers novel: a diverse set of characters of different alien species, navigating their differences while being generally very wholesome and lovely. This book in particular puts a lot of emphasis on prejudice, bodily difference and privilege, but overall its message is one of hope.
While the four books set in this universe could be read in any order, I think you will enjoy this one more if you have read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet first, because it gives a bit of context to some of the elements in this book. If you did not enjoy the first book, then I do not think this one will be more to your liking.