Sequel to A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but only insofar as one of the characters is reused, and the other characters are briefly referenced. A cascading failure of orbiting satellites leaves a motley group of characters stranded at a remote waypoint, in the care of a solicitous host and her moody teen. This is purely a character study; there are no bad guys, and no conflict save the fact that they are all on their own schedules and have their own reasons to get off-planet as quickly as possible. Gradually, their backgrounds and conflicts are revealed; equally gradually, a companionable friendship grows between them. Chambers dresses old conflicts up as alien cultures, and then finds a way for her characters to come together anyway. It’s like a warm sci-fi hug.