A Closed and Common OrbitA Closed and Common Orbit
Score Modern
What it's about
Lovelace was once a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes in a new, synthetic body with no memory of what came before, she has to learn to live as a person, with help from Pepper, an engineer with a past of her own. Their stories, in the present and in Pepper's childhood, run side by side.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo Award finalist. Becky Chambers writes warm, hopeful science fiction about kindness and belonging.
You'll love it if you liked
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Memory Called Empire
The House in the Cerulean SeaGood to know
It's a loose sequel to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and works on its own. It's gentle, not action-driven.
By the numbers
- Readers93 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller33 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz5 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #52 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #291 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #580 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic
More by Becky Chambers
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
Record of a Spaceborn FewThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Psalm for the Wild-BuiltIf you like this, read next
A Game of Thrones
The Fifth Season
Dungeon Crawler Carl
The Martian
Gideon the Ninth
Red RisingExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Closed and Common Orbit worth reading?
Yes. It was a Hugo Award finalist. It ranks #580 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Closed and Common Orbit about?
Lovelace was once a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes in a new, synthetic body with no memory of what came before, she has to learn to live as a person, with help from Pepper, an engineer with a past of her own. Their stories, in the present and in Pepper's childhood, run side by side.
How long does it take to read A Closed and Common Orbit?
About 10 hours (384 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Closed and Common Orbit?
If you liked it, try The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine or The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.