This book go t recommended to me by a nice person at the sci-fi and fantasy book store Otherland here in Berlin after asking for something to read as a Becky Chambers fan. They wore a t-shirt with a “The end is near” print and said that they did not like that optimistic stuff, but that they’ve heard that this book, Sea of Tranquility, was similar and much recommended.
I bought it on the spot.
It’s not a long book, and it starts with three, what feels like, short stories with almost no connection. I have trouble getting into a story, let alone three, but the writing was great, and I managed. After 40% of the book, the stories start to merge in a satisfying way.
There was some unexplained stuff in there. Why did Mirella see what she saw as a kid; was this just some massive coincidence? Why did the main character act the way he did at the end; what made him do this after so many years of training? I didn’t understand his motivation enough.
Still, good plot, good writing, good ending. 4/5.
(And funnily enough, the book talks a lot about why we like „the end is near“ stories…maybe the book store person would like it after all.)