Sunday Times bestselling author Becky Chambers returns to the Galactic Commons in the final installment in her award-winning and critically acclaimed Wayfarers series. With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected.
If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop. One of the many establishments present is the Five-Hop One-Stop, a place where long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and pick up fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her occasionally helpful child, who both work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through. When a freak technological failure halts traffic to and from Gora, three strangers are thrown together at the Five-Hop.
Grounded, and with nothing to do but wait, the trio - an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes - are compelled to confront where they've been, where they might go, and what they might be to each other. PRAISE FOR THE WAYFARERS 'Becky Chambers is a wonder, and I feel better for having her books in my life' JOHN CONNOLLY'In a word, brilliant' ANDREW CALDECOTT'A quietly profound, humane tour de force' GUARDIAN'Chambers is simply an exceptional talent' TOR.COM'Becky Chambers takes space opera in a whole new and unexpected direction' BEN AARONOVITCH