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A review by queer_bookwyrm
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
5.0
5 ⭐
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is book one of the Monk and Robot series. This was such a cute novella! Probably the cutest and coziest book I've read in a long time. Becky Chambers is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors.
We follow Sibling Dex, a monk on a futuristic moon who does a lot of gardening. Dex suddenly feels unfulfilled by their vocation and is overwhelmed by the urge to hear cricket song, so they make the change and become a traveling tea monk. Learning this new vocation of providing comfort, tea, and a listening ear to those in need satisfies them for a time, but they still feel bothered by feeling unfulfilled.
Dex decides one day to literally go off the beaten path by going into the wilderness to find an abandoned shrine in a mountain. They encounter a robot named Splendid Spotted Mosscap, Mosscap for short. Humans haven't seen robots since they acquired sentience and decided to leave humanity peacefully hundreds of years ago. Mosscap asks, "What do humans need?" An impossible question. Mosscap accompanies Dex on their journey, and they both learn about each other, while Mosscap imparts some much needed wisdom.
I loved this low stakes story! The relationship between Dex and Mosscap is so cute and effortless. I love that this is a story where sentient robots didn't become evil, and their choice to leave humanity inspired humans to be better. We don't get a lot of hopeful scifi anymore, so this was quite refreshing. I also appreciated the theme about Dex searching for their purpose in their late 20s early 30s. I think this is something a lot of us can relate to.
I will definitely be reading the next book!
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is book one of the Monk and Robot series. This was such a cute novella! Probably the cutest and coziest book I've read in a long time. Becky Chambers is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors.
We follow Sibling Dex, a monk on a futuristic moon who does a lot of gardening. Dex suddenly feels unfulfilled by their vocation and is overwhelmed by the urge to hear cricket song, so they make the change and become a traveling tea monk. Learning this new vocation of providing comfort, tea, and a listening ear to those in need satisfies them for a time, but they still feel bothered by feeling unfulfilled.
Dex decides one day to literally go off the beaten path by going into the wilderness to find an abandoned shrine in a mountain. They encounter a robot named Splendid Spotted Mosscap, Mosscap for short. Humans haven't seen robots since they acquired sentience and decided to leave humanity peacefully hundreds of years ago. Mosscap asks, "What do humans need?" An impossible question. Mosscap accompanies Dex on their journey, and they both learn about each other, while Mosscap imparts some much needed wisdom.
I loved this low stakes story! The relationship between Dex and Mosscap is so cute and effortless. I love that this is a story where sentient robots didn't become evil, and their choice to leave humanity inspired humans to be better. We don't get a lot of hopeful scifi anymore, so this was quite refreshing. I also appreciated the theme about Dex searching for their purpose in their late 20s early 30s. I think this is something a lot of us can relate to.
I will definitely be reading the next book!