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Library's review
I have never read a book that so clearly desires to be made into a Miyazaki movie as this one. It's beautifully peaceful, a wonderful escape for 150 pages. I love both Sibling Dex and Splendid Speckled Mosscap.
Series
Publication
New York : Tordotcom, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2021.
Description
"In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk & Robot series gives us hope for the future. 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?"--… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Media reviews
A Psalm for the Wild-Built begins a series that looks optimistic and hopeful, pursuing stories that arise from abundance instead of scarcity, kindness instead of cruelty.
User reviews
LibraryThing member adzebill
Science fiction is about the present not the future, as others have wisely observed. I just wish this book, set on a verdant moon in the far future with a 20-hour day, was a not quite so MUCH a product of 2022. At least it doesn't mention a global pandemic. But otherwise it's just so twee, with a
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nonbinary American-sounding hipster living in a solar-powered tinyhouse and making satisfying tea blends for strangers and growing houseplants and checking their social media and trading for fruit cordials and beutifully-packaged speckled eggs and UGH it's so cloying, like the Twitter feed @apastoraldream. Then a robot emerges from the forest, and they have a nice one-chapter conversation about purpose and fulfillment, and the book ends. It's very short. There is another one. I'm not sure why they could not have been combined. Oh and apparently this is "solarpunk" which is maybe the second most annoying SF genre name after "ribofunk". It's not as bad as I make it sound, it's just nice, very…nice, so wrap yourself in your favourite snuggly blanket and make a hot mug of Fair Trade cocoa with ethical milk and enjoy. Show Less
LibraryThing member dukedom_enough
Once, the humans of the inhabited moon Panga were served by robots that built all the things people needed. Then a couple of centuries ago, the robots suddenly became conscious - woke up, decided to stop working, and went off into wilderness areas. The humans...accepted that, restructuring society
Sibling Dex is a tea monk. Dex travels from village to village, serving cups of tea to all who need it, and providing a sympathetic ear for their guests' concerns. Modern Pangans live harmoniously with nature. The moon has one city, many villages, solar panels for electricity, comfy houses - Dex lives in a lovely, small wagon towed by a solar/human powered bicycle - work for all hands, and free time enough to relax with tea.
Dex becomes dissatisfied with their current situation, though, and after several years at this vocation, decides to explore beyond the human areas - and so meets a seven-foot tall robot named Mosscap. Mosscap is on a mission to recontact Panga's human population. The two begin a friendship, and carry on a discussion of what life - existence - means for thinking creatures of both sorts as the road trip winds onward.
The reader may well reflect on the differences between Panga's story and how involuntary servitude ended in some parts of Earth, or wonder how a moneyless economy of small workshops can produce all those solar panels and other comforts. Chambers provides no answers. Lacking any real conflict, Psalm is a warm, purring kitten of a novella. I liked it well enough, but don't really see why it was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards this year. Maybe we all need something soothing. Think I'll go have some tea.
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so that all necessary tasks might be done by the humans themselves.Sibling Dex is a tea monk. Dex travels from village to village, serving cups of tea to all who need it, and providing a sympathetic ear for their guests' concerns. Modern Pangans live harmoniously with nature. The moon has one city, many villages, solar panels for electricity, comfy houses - Dex lives in a lovely, small wagon towed by a solar/human powered bicycle - work for all hands, and free time enough to relax with tea.
Dex becomes dissatisfied with their current situation, though, and after several years at this vocation, decides to explore beyond the human areas - and so meets a seven-foot tall robot named Mosscap. Mosscap is on a mission to recontact Panga's human population. The two begin a friendship, and carry on a discussion of what life - existence - means for thinking creatures of both sorts as the road trip winds onward.
The reader may well reflect on the differences between Panga's story and how involuntary servitude ended in some parts of Earth, or wonder how a moneyless economy of small workshops can produce all those solar panels and other comforts. Chambers provides no answers. Lacking any real conflict, Psalm is a warm, purring kitten of a novella. I liked it well enough, but don't really see why it was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards this year. Maybe we all need something soothing. Think I'll go have some tea.
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LibraryThing member lisapeet
Some books are put on this earth to make us feel better about being here too, and I mean that with zero disrespect. This is one of those, which I also say with no faint praise intended. It's a lovely tale of person meeting robot in a future where justice and eco-awareness have won out, yet the
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human condition of discontent, self-doubt, and questioning the value of one’s existence has—unsurprisingly, if you think about it—persisted. The book’s two sole characters are engaging, and there’s some lovely world-building here. Plus enough casual profanity to remind the reader that, no matter how sweet it is, this is a book for grownups and teens (OK, maybe middle schoolers… I certainly swore plenty back then). Also, even though I was reading an ebook, I went to the publisher’s site and looked at the cover a few times just to hold it in my head, because it’s very nice. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookappeal
Not my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
Sometime in the future, somewhere among the stars, humanity almost managed to pull its usual trick and destroy an environment. But the robots disagreed and walked out, some treaties got signed, humanity got restricted to part of the planet and things went into a somewhat different direction than
Then a monk, whose job is to listen to people and make tea (mostly that anyway) and who is not really great at that (for various reasons) despite believing it to be their destiny, meets a robot and they go on an adventure together and while they deal with the hard path, they talk - sharing each other's view of the world (and of everything in it).
It is a nice story but it felt a bit overwritten. It is a happy, feel good story (even when it veers into hard topics) but it feels like an over-sweetened cup of tea - by the end it tastes so sweet that it crosses into bitter.
I plan to read the next stories in this series - despite my misgivings, it is a nice story and the genre does not get many of these but I hope that this aftertaste is handled a bit better in the next books.
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one might have expected. 200 years later, almost noone had met a robot - or remembers the past that well. Then a monk, whose job is to listen to people and make tea (mostly that anyway) and who is not really great at that (for various reasons) despite believing it to be their destiny, meets a robot and they go on an adventure together and while they deal with the hard path, they talk - sharing each other's view of the world (and of everything in it).
It is a nice story but it felt a bit overwritten. It is a happy, feel good story (even when it veers into hard topics) but it feels like an over-sweetened cup of tea - by the end it tastes so sweet that it crosses into bitter.
I plan to read the next stories in this series - despite my misgivings, it is a nice story and the genre does not get many of these but I hope that this aftertaste is handled a bit better in the next books.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Sibling Dex has a good life in their city monastery, but they find themself craving the wilderness. They decide to become a tea monk, traveling from village to village to offer tea and a listening ear. When even that life fails to scratch the itch, they venture even further into the wilderness,
I very much enjoyed this contemplative novella. Chambers has crafted a fully realized setting, complete with religious system and social structure, explained organically as the story moves along. I'd like to be a tea monk now.
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where they meet a robot -- the first robot to approach and converse with a human since the robots attained sentience and left for the wild. The robots have decided it's time to check in on humanity and see how things are going. In their ensuing conversations, can Sibling Dex figure out what they are truly searching for?I very much enjoyed this contemplative novella. Chambers has crafted a fully realized setting, complete with religious system and social structure, explained organically as the story moves along. I'd like to be a tea monk now.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
I have a deep and abiding fondness for cozy dreams of a better world, even when the book is quiet and not a great deal happens. I like even more that the malaise of humanity persists even in a utopian setting and that Splendid Speckled Mosscap calls Dex on their crap. And unlike some of the other
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reviewers, I welcome with excitement the prospect of tea in a book. But mostly, I really adore the type of speculative fiction that centers imagining a world where people and planet and other intelligences are valued -- it's why I love Bannerless. It's why I love In the Hands of the Emperor. It's why I delight in the Tea Dragon books. And it's why I love Becky Chambers' work. Ancillary Justice and Murderbot are on this list, too, but part of the beauty of this book is that it's more about personal demons than anything else, and it includes both herbs and a tiny house. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shrike58
In a word, "charming" is how I responded to this novella about the conflict between being for its own sake and whether one can live a life without a sense of meaningful purpose. If you've read and enjoyed Chambers' previous work you'll enjoy this. If you have not read Chambers before, this could
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well be a good place to start, as this story illustrates what she really does well; tell a good slice-of-life story which usually manages to work in the bigger implications. Show Less
LibraryThing member clrichm
This was way better than I expected! I think I read “tea monk” in the blurb and visualized something very different. This struck just the right balance between compelling narrative and non-preachy messaging. I want a Mosscap in my life, not gonna lie.
LibraryThing member kevn57
4.5 stars Great novella, I'll be really interested to see where the universe goes from here. In some respects it reminds me of Walter Miller's "A Canticle for Leibowitz", both being aabout a monk wandering a a post-apocalyptic landscape. This book is more meditative then Millers and the one I'm
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sure that Ill reread again soon. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Monk & Robot series. I borrowed an ebook of this from the library.
Thoughts: I really loved the last Chambers’ novella, “To Be Taught, If Fortunate”, so I was super excited to pick up this book. I absolutely loved this book as well. The story
In the Wilds Dex runs into one of the Wild Robots, who went into the wilds when they were released from their servitude to humanity. This brings up a lot of questions as Dex and the robot travel together through the Wilds and each try to find their purpose.
There is some great world-building here and the writing is very entertaining. However, at its core this book is more philosophical in nature. Dex is constantly seeking something new, something that will leave them feeling accomplished and fulfilled. Dex’s conversations with the wild robot make them reconsider both their purpose in life and their role as an entity in the world in general. It is a very thought-provoking book while, at the same time, being immensely entertaining.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. It is a book that packs a lot of great content into a small space. There is excellent world-building here, great characters, thought-provoking topics and it is truly entertaining. I am excited to read the next book in the Monk & Robot series. I also plan on starting Chambers’ Wayfarer series soon. I would definitely recommend this if you are at all interested in sci-fi reads that discuss not only AI, but one's purpose in the world.
Thoughts: I really loved the last Chambers’ novella, “To Be Taught, If Fortunate”, so I was super excited to pick up this book. I absolutely loved this book as well. The story
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is relatively simple. In a world where AI is no longer in use, Dex is a monk who wants a change in their life. So, Dex decides to become a tea monk; however, they are still restless and eventually decide to venture into the Wilds.In the Wilds Dex runs into one of the Wild Robots, who went into the wilds when they were released from their servitude to humanity. This brings up a lot of questions as Dex and the robot travel together through the Wilds and each try to find their purpose.
There is some great world-building here and the writing is very entertaining. However, at its core this book is more philosophical in nature. Dex is constantly seeking something new, something that will leave them feeling accomplished and fulfilled. Dex’s conversations with the wild robot make them reconsider both their purpose in life and their role as an entity in the world in general. It is a very thought-provoking book while, at the same time, being immensely entertaining.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. It is a book that packs a lot of great content into a small space. There is excellent world-building here, great characters, thought-provoking topics and it is truly entertaining. I am excited to read the next book in the Monk & Robot series. I also plan on starting Chambers’ Wayfarer series soon. I would definitely recommend this if you are at all interested in sci-fi reads that discuss not only AI, but one's purpose in the world.
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LibraryThing member KittyCunningham
The protagonist is a NB monk who has decided to leave the cloister to become a traveling tea monk. Along the way, they encounter a robot and the 2 decide to travel together learning what it is be embodied..
I look forward to more of the series.
I look forward to more of the series.
LibraryThing member sashame
this one is difficult for me to rate. it tackles all of my favorite obsessions--alternative agro-economic ways of social organization, monastic life, tea, consciousness, purpose, and the interconnections of nature
it has an amazing sense of imagination
but i feel it kinda oversimplifies and reduces
it has an amazing sense of imagination
but i feel it kinda oversimplifies and reduces
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all of those things, and never interrogates its arch-colonial world/setting. mb some of that will b tackled or handled better in the next book in the series Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This is a really kind story about figuring things out, with a neat sort of post-apocalyptic utopia and an interesting religion. And there are robots! And a lot of non-binary people! And tea!
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is one of those books that manages to do philosophy (eg what is my purpose) without all the preachiness. Its a rare accomplishment.
Sibling Dex is a tea monk, who is not quite satisfied with his life. As he goes further out into the wilderness he meets a sentient robot, who Dex always thought
But, where the book shines is the story, the plot is simple but it will stick with you. This a world where humans have found balance with the inhabitants in it. But where it really shines is how the story is written. Its simple, but complex. And it will stick long after you've read it.
Sibling Dex is a tea monk, who is not quite satisfied with his life. As he goes further out into the wilderness he meets a sentient robot, who Dex always thought
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was a myth. The two go on an adventure, and Dex learns a few things.But, where the book shines is the story, the plot is simple but it will stick with you. This a world where humans have found balance with the inhabitants in it. But where it really shines is how the story is written. Its simple, but complex. And it will stick long after you've read it.
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LibraryThing member quondame
In a future that probably isn't ours, robots have gained sentience and have formally separated from humans to vanish into the wilderness. Our monk, searching for fulfilling meaning in their life and crickets, encounters a robot who has volunteered to learn what humanity needs centuries into the
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separation. The search for crickets seems mislaid, which was a discordant note in a set of explorations and interactions I found otherwise delightful. Show Less
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Blah blah what am I doing with my life blah blah what is the meaning of life blah blah oh woe blah blah
I'm not much into such blather, but Becky Chambers makes it so darn pleasant to eavesdrop on the dialogue between the monk and the robot that I didn't mind that nothing really happens.
I also like
I'm not much into such blather, but Becky Chambers makes it so darn pleasant to eavesdrop on the dialogue between the monk and the robot that I didn't mind that nothing really happens.
I also like
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that this is the first book I've read using third person narrative that featured a non-binary main character; the constant use of they/them pronouns was a good challenge to help me undo my old habituated ways of thinking. Show Less
LibraryThing member niaomiya
I loved this little book.
Sibling Dex has remade himself into a tea monk, traveling the world and finding his purpose in bringing comfort to other humans through his tea. One day Dex decides to change his purpose and take a completely different route in his search for the meaning of life. But then
This lovely book was like the warm cups of tea that Dex doles out -- so comforting and hopeful and beautiful. As Mosscap accompanies Dex on his meaning-of-life journey, the two learn about each other - robots and humans - although, admittedly, Dex has more to learn about robots than the other way around because he didn't pay too much attention in school when they were teaching about the history of the robots' awakening. The conversations that Dex and Mosscap have are insightful, thought-provoking, and yet simple in their concepts. Toward the end I actually teared up at the beauty of what was happening.
I don't read much science fiction because it tends to be dark and fatalistic. This little gem, however, was the opposite - uplifting and hopeful. And I absolutely loved it.
Sibling Dex has remade himself into a tea monk, traveling the world and finding his purpose in bringing comfort to other humans through his tea. One day Dex decides to change his purpose and take a completely different route in his search for the meaning of life. But then
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a robot named Mosscap arrives. Dex has never seen a robot before, because it has been generations since the robots of Panga had become self-aware and had left for the wilderness. The robot asks Dex a single two-part question: "What do you need, and how might I help?"This lovely book was like the warm cups of tea that Dex doles out -- so comforting and hopeful and beautiful. As Mosscap accompanies Dex on his meaning-of-life journey, the two learn about each other - robots and humans - although, admittedly, Dex has more to learn about robots than the other way around because he didn't pay too much attention in school when they were teaching about the history of the robots' awakening. The conversations that Dex and Mosscap have are insightful, thought-provoking, and yet simple in their concepts. Toward the end I actually teared up at the beauty of what was happening.
I don't read much science fiction because it tends to be dark and fatalistic. This little gem, however, was the opposite - uplifting and hopeful. And I absolutely loved it.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Dex is restless, and they're not really sure why, but after becoming a very successful tea monk, they strike out for the wilderness with no real idea what they want to do. Out there, however, Dex encounters a robot named Mosscap who's returned to civilization after two hundred years to ask the
A slight little novella that was on okay read much of the time, even making me laugh in parts. I was ultimately dissatisfied by the answers our protagonists discover for themselves, but your mileage may vary.
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question, "What do humans need?" But what is Dex to answer when they don't even know what they want themself?A slight little novella that was on okay read much of the time, even making me laugh in parts. I was ultimately dissatisfied by the answers our protagonists discover for themselves, but your mileage may vary.
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LibraryThing member bookwren
I love this book and can't wait for sequels! In three words, it is honest, thoughtful, egalitarian. I love the new human culture that is socially and environmentally responsible and compassionate. Fifty percent of the world is for humans and fifty percent for all other life and the robots. So much
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of the factories and industry have been overrun with plants. And no oil-based vehicles are allowed. People ride bikes, horses or walk. The Awakened robots have an equally fascinated culture. They choose their names for the first thing they see when they Awaken. Thus, Splendid Speckled Mosscap saw mushrooms first. And they all do their own thing, though a few will travel together occasionally. One has been watching stalactites and stalagmites growing in a cave for 35 years and is completely happy. They use caches (somewhat like geocaches) in the wilderness that they can electronically sense to communicate with each other by notes. Most wonderful is to see the growing relationship between the tea monk, Sibling Dex, and the robot, Mosscap. Highly recommended! Show Less
LibraryThing member LisCarey
On the world of Panga (apparently a moon orbiting a gas giant), it's been centuries since robots awoke to full consciousness and sapience, laid down their tools, and, after negotiating an agreement with the humans, walked off into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
Now, Sibling Dex, a monk who
Mosscap has a mission of its own--to find out what humans want.
This isn't just an impulsive quest born of curiosity. Not just that. The wild-built robots called a large meeting, discussed the question, and then asked for a volunteer. Mosscap, impulsively, volunteered.
What follows is the heart of this very gentle, humane, and warm novella. Sibling Dex tells Mosscap that they are a terrible choice to be Mosscap's introduction to humans, but Mosscap will not be put off. It bargains native guide services for Dex in exchange for Dex leading it to human settlements and introducing it to more humans. Along the way, they talk, discover their clashing assumptions, beliefs, and practices, and their very different histories.
In the process, we learn more about the history of Panga, and the world Dex and Mosscap live in. I love these characters, and their world is a very enjoyable one to explore and learn about.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Now, Sibling Dex, a monk who
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works as a gardener in their religious house, decides they have had a change of vocation. They now wish to be a tea monk, and travel the towns and villages with a tea wagon, offering tea and comfort to the troubled. This works well for them for a while, till they realize there is still some need unsatisfied. They decide to travel to an old religious house, in what is now the wilderness, long since abandoned. This is more challenging than they anticipated, and this is how they come to meet the robot, Mosscap.Mosscap has a mission of its own--to find out what humans want.
This isn't just an impulsive quest born of curiosity. Not just that. The wild-built robots called a large meeting, discussed the question, and then asked for a volunteer. Mosscap, impulsively, volunteered.
What follows is the heart of this very gentle, humane, and warm novella. Sibling Dex tells Mosscap that they are a terrible choice to be Mosscap's introduction to humans, but Mosscap will not be put off. It bargains native guide services for Dex in exchange for Dex leading it to human settlements and introducing it to more humans. Along the way, they talk, discover their clashing assumptions, beliefs, and practices, and their very different histories.
In the process, we learn more about the history of Panga, and the world Dex and Mosscap live in. I love these characters, and their world is a very enjoyable one to explore and learn about.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member RmCox38111
A story of a tea monk who learns how to bring relief to all they meet outside their wagon and ox-bike. This is a book I will recommend to all the mental health folks I know because it is a celebration of helpers and listeners ... and tea makers. Told from the point of view of characters who see the
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world as wonderous. Spolier: no one gets killed. My heart is full with the experience of this short book. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader1009
audio fiction (4+ hours). On a futuristic planet, a monk called Sibling Dex (they, them) feels like he is missing something in his life, and so moves out of the urbanized part of the world and into the countryside, where he meets a curious, sentient (5th+ generation removed from the original
lovely narration, nice and short. I liked spending time with Mosscap and its childish enthusiasm for every thing that was new to it, and I also liked hearing about Dex's adventures which partly helped get me more used to the singular use of they/them.
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factory robots that became self aware, revolted, and went to live away from humans) robot named Mosscap who wants to answer the question "what do humans need?"lovely narration, nice and short. I liked spending time with Mosscap and its childish enthusiasm for every thing that was new to it, and I also liked hearing about Dex's adventures which partly helped get me more used to the singular use of they/them.
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
What an absolute delight of a wonder of a book! Never twee and always kind and affirming, the story follows Dex, who is attempting to find their purpose in a world that has successfully rebuilt after hinted-at climate destruction *and* the ascendance of robots into sentience. When Dex takes off
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into the wilderness in search of crickets (and understanding), they meet a robot, and the two learn about one another and their respective cultures. Full of tenderness and careful consideration of character, setting, and life. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
It's a pleasant read, but hasn't the impact of the Wayfarer novels.
And I refuse to believe any electric bike can go a hundred miles in one day while hauling a small caravan behind it.
It's a book about seeking for a meaning in life, and a growing friendship between two very different individuals,
And I refuse to believe any electric bike can go a hundred miles in one day while hauling a small caravan behind it.
It's a book about seeking for a meaning in life, and a growing friendship between two very different individuals,
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but that's pretty much all there is to it. Show Less