Hardcover, 160 pages
Published July 13, 2021 by Tordotcom.
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.
Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.
Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
Simply lovely and delightful. It’s somehow as if Wendell Berry started writing sci-fi short stories. I will be coming back to this one for sure.
First a disclaimer: at this point I think a Becky Chambers book would have to be pretty terrible to get a bad review from me.
This is very clearly a novella, and continues Chamber's trend away from plot driven fiction as seen in the later Wayfarer books. So, not much happens, but deep themes are explored.
The solarpunk aspect has been remarked elsewhere, but I didn't expect was how much it seemed like a reflection on the (privileged) human condition. As a fellow privileged human, I recognized some of Sibling Dex's disquiet.
First a disclaimer: at this point I think a Becky Chambers book would have to be pretty terrible to get a bad review from me.
This is very clearly a novella, and continues Chamber's trend away from plot driven fiction as seen in the later Wayfarer books. So, not much happens, but deep themes are explored.
The solarpunk aspect has been remarked elsewhere, but I didn't expect was how much it seemed like a reflection on the (privileged) human condition. As a fellow privileged human, I recognized some of Sibling Dex's disquiet.
My god, this was a delightful book. The only bad thing about this book is that now I really want to be a tea monk who travels around on a tiny home ebike. Everything else was splendid and fantastic.
This book found me at just the right time and I loved it and really want more
Becky Chamber's works are rare among science fiction stories because instead of action-adventure plots they're about people talking about what it means to be alive.
The first couple of chapters felt like the plot was jumping around a hell of a lot, because they're really just backstory/preamble for the actual story
It's good that there will be a sequel because I do want to know what both Mosscap and Dex will do next
Becky Chamber's works are rare among science fiction stories because instead of action-adventure plots they're about people talking about what it means to be alive.
The first couple of chapters felt like the plot was jumping around a hell of a lot, because they're really just backstory/preamble for the actual story
It's good that there will be a sequel because I do want to know what both Mosscap and Dex will do next
Well-written. Funny. Cute, even. The characters are wonderful, and I am looking forward to their continuing adventures.
A gorgeous poke at a plausible, palpable, provocative world. Also: a timely addition to the "sad-happy speculative fiction" corpus.
A gorgeous poke at a plausible, palpable, provocative world. Also: a timely addition to the "sad-happy speculative fiction" corpus.
Read this in Teixcalaan recovery mode and loved it. I think I was supposed to find it optimistic and cozy etc etc and I did. But I also found deep sorrows hiding in its slant looks at how we live now. So: it's about stopping to rest but it's also about getting the purpose to do better.
Read this in Teixcalaan recovery mode and loved it. I think I was supposed to find it optimistic and cozy etc etc and I did. But I also found deep sorrows hiding in its slant looks at how we live now. So: it's about stopping to rest but it's also about getting the purpose to do better.
A short work delivered with wit, insight, and a hopeful vision of the future. Sibling Dex and Mosscap are characters that bounce off each other wonderfully, as the book peddles along at an easy clip.
If ever a work felt like a breath of fresh air, this is it.
Wow! Now I want to be a tea monk, biking thru villages, bringing tea and succor to upset villagers. This book was a very charming, comforting read (as Becky Chambers's stories so often are!). This might be one of my favourite new reads of the year.
I look forward to Book 2!
Wow! Now I want to be a tea monk, biking thru villages, bringing tea and succor to upset villagers. This book was a very charming, comforting read (as Becky Chambers's stories so often are!). This might be one of my favourite new reads of the year.
I look forward to Book 2!
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https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/210110608/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built/becky-chambers/.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://bookshop.org/a/102303/9781250236210.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built.aspx.https://bookshop.org/a/102303/9781250236210.