A review by nocto
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a gorgeous little book and you should go and read it right now!

It's only short but longer than a short story and plenty long enough to let the characters develop.  The characters are Dex, who is a tea monk, and Mosscap, who is a robot. We're in the, I think, far future, and I'm not quite sure where we are, it might be earth and I might have missed more clues about that. And monks are definitely a thing, and so are robots. And I don't want to give the story away too much. It's absolutely delightful, and also makes you think. I really wasn't sure whether it was going to be my kind of thing when I started reading, but I'm so glad I did pick the book up. And there's a sequel to it which I'm hoping to get to soon as well. It's just fabulous. 

I have a bit of an odd relationship with science fiction, too many of the books I've tried in the past have been about how great machines are and not enough about how humans are probably still much the same as ever. And I get worried about not knowing where to start. But I'm getting better at it, and getting better at finding things I enjoy.  And this is both about humans being themselves still, and about machines being great as well.