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A review by bickleyhouse
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The second book in what appears to be at least a trilogy, this book was even more beautiful than the first. As the relationship between Mosscap and Dex develops, they become closer and closer as friends. They are now on a journey from abandoned hermitage, to the villages, where Mosscap (robot) desires to meet humans and interview them, asking them what they need. As they get into that task, Dex finds that they have no desire to make tea, currently, so they basically stop doing that. This makes way for an intensely emotional conversation between Dex and Mosscap toward the end of this short book.
The conversations between Mosscap and Dex are at a level of depth that one does not often find in a work of fiction, at last not in the twenty-first century. Ms. Chambers has crafted a world I find myself wishing were a reality. People are so much kinder in this world, caring about one another at a level that we just don't see in modern society. And everything is used. Houses are built out of scrap material that is pulled out of the sea.
At one point, Dex tells Mosscap, "Most folks don't wander between towns without a concrete reason for doing so." "Why not?" Mosscap asked. Dex had no answer to that question. That says a lot about our current habits, I think.
At another point, Dex and Mosscap are discussing "pebs," the form of currency used in their world. And "currency" isn't even really a proper description. In this system, one can give "pebs" to someone, even when one doesn't have them. And there is no debt. Mosscap, struggling to understand this, says, "And I'm not penalized for the debt I incurred at the start?" "Absolutely not," Dex answers. Then they say this: "Nobody should be barred from necessities or comforts just because they don't have the right number next to their name."
The last quote I want to share comes from a conversation between Mosscap and Dex's father. The father says, "But being a good neighbor is all about making sure that the people you share land and water with don't need anything either."
I found myself almost in tears at the end of this book, as Mosscap and Dex discuss the human need for purpose. The idea is presented that one doesn't need purpose to exist. One should have the freedom to simply be.
Is this fiction or philosophy? That is a very good question. I think that it is both, and it is soul-stirring. I love these books. I can't find any information on whether there will be a third one. I do hope there will be. The way this one ended leaves that question totally up in the air.
The conversations between Mosscap and Dex are at a level of depth that one does not often find in a work of fiction, at last not in the twenty-first century. Ms. Chambers has crafted a world I find myself wishing were a reality. People are so much kinder in this world, caring about one another at a level that we just don't see in modern society. And everything is used. Houses are built out of scrap material that is pulled out of the sea.
At one point, Dex tells Mosscap, "Most folks don't wander between towns without a concrete reason for doing so." "Why not?" Mosscap asked. Dex had no answer to that question. That says a lot about our current habits, I think.
At another point, Dex and Mosscap are discussing "pebs," the form of currency used in their world. And "currency" isn't even really a proper description. In this system, one can give "pebs" to someone, even when one doesn't have them. And there is no debt. Mosscap, struggling to understand this, says, "And I'm not penalized for the debt I incurred at the start?" "Absolutely not," Dex answers. Then they say this: "Nobody should be barred from necessities or comforts just because they don't have the right number next to their name."
The last quote I want to share comes from a conversation between Mosscap and Dex's father. The father says, "But being a good neighbor is all about making sure that the people you share land and water with don't need anything either."
I found myself almost in tears at the end of this book, as Mosscap and Dex discuss the human need for purpose. The idea is presented that one doesn't need purpose to exist. One should have the freedom to simply be.
Is this fiction or philosophy? That is a very good question. I think that it is both, and it is soul-stirring. I love these books. I can't find any information on whether there will be a third one. I do hope there will be. The way this one ended leaves that question totally up in the air.