but noted that self-publication would be a fallback option. At the end of February 2013, she announced the book's completion, and acquired a literary agent; the book was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2015. Reception The book was shortlisted for the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and earned Chambers a nomination for the British Fantasy Awards' 2016 "Sydney James Bounds Award for Best Newcomer". It was the first self-published novel to be shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle for Best Debut Novel. The Guardian called it "a quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism". Io9 considered it to be "exciting, adventurous, and ... cozy", and comparable to "the best space opera universes". Adam Roberts felt that it was "a huge amount of space-opera-y fun, with some interestingly nuanced perspectives on gender woven into the whole", while James Nicoll observed that although the setting was evocative of the Traveller roleplaying game, he was "more strongly reminded of James Tiptree, Jr.'s short story "And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side" … that is, if James Tiptree, Jr. instead of being relentlessly, inexorably depressing, had been a cheerful optimist." Strange Horizons Linda Wilson commended Chambers for portraying naturalistic conversation and exposition, and for the relationships between characters. At the Financial Times, James Lovegrove described it as "SF for the Tumblr generation, a feel-good tale of non-conformity, gender fluidity, multiculturalism and unorthodox sexual relationships", and "perfectly pleasant", but faulted it for "somewhat lacking ... dramatic tension". Similarly, Locuss Adrienne Martini stated that although the novel's opening was "catnip for space opera fans", and although she felt that readers will "love these characters and the exquisitely developed universe they inhabit", ultimately "nothing much happens" until the last 40 pages; Martini emphasized, however, that the novel is worth reading because of its characters and worldbuilding. At Tor.com, Niall Alexander noted that although it is not a "balls-to-the-wall blockbuster", and although it has a "simplistic plot (that) can't compete with either the depth and complexity of Chambers' cast of characters or the sense of wonder suggested by her stellar setting," it is nonetheless a "delight" and a "genuine joy"; ultimately, Alexander concluded, the novel "isn't really about the eponymous angry planet—it's about the long way there." References Wayfarers series 2014 American novels 2014 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Space opera novels