Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : Tordotcom, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2022.
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: A USA Today Bestseller! "Tender and healing... I'm prescribing a preorder to anyone who has ever felt lost. Stunning, kind, necessary." �??Sarah Gailey on book 1: A Psalm for the Wild-Built A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF. After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home. They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe. Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.… (more)
Awards
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novella — 2022)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2023)
Locus Recommended Reading (Novella — 2022)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — July 2022)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022-07-12
ISBN
9781250236234
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisCarey
The tea monk Sibling Dex, and the robot Mosscap, are arriving back in the human-inhabited areas, so that Mosscap can pursue his mission of discovering the answer to a great question. What do humans want?
As they arrive in the first village, the people greet them with enthusiasm, Yet when Mosscap
And then a part breaks in Mosscap, and it can't maintain its balance anymore. Dex changes their travel plans, to get to the nearest village that has a 3D printer and the man who runs it. At no point do they call it a 3D printer; it's just a printer. On the moon-world of Panga, the humans don't normally print books on paper; they read them on computers. It's 3D objects that need to be printed.
Replacing Mosscap's broken part proves much more challenging than expected, but not for technical reasons. The robots of Panga, living in the wilderness, don't attempt major repairs. If they can fix themselves with materials they find in the natural world, they do. If they can't, they accept the gradual decay of their functions, and when they stop working, eventually their still-usable parts are used to build new robots. A real technological repair is an ethically and philosophically challenging for it. It gets even more complicated when Mosscap learns of the range of natural-sourced materials to choose from for its replacement part.
Meanwhile, Dex is experiencing burnout--has been for a while; it's why they took their tea-wagon and went into the wilderness and met Mosscap in the first place. They haven't wanted to do tea-service in a while, even though they have enjoyed it and believe it is very valuable, and they feel guilty about needing a rest. Their message to all the people they have helped with tea-service is that they don't have to be useful and productive to be wonderful and valuable, yet they are struggling to accept that message for themself.
We have two nonbinary characters traveling through small settlements, meeting some very interesting people, and working their way through philosophical questions. And it all feels like a warm, satisfying pot of your favorite tea.
This is not a book of action and adventure. It's a book of good, kind, and interesting people, trying to do the right thing.
I loved it.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
As they arrive in the first village, the people greet them with enthusiasm, Yet when Mosscap
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asks its question, the responses are all very practical--a door needs repair, a bicycle has a flat tire, some more complex machinery needs repair. Dex is worried that Mosscap is being taken advantage of, but Mosscap is happy to help, and feels it is learning something useful about humans. As they travel, Mosscap gets very similar answers everywhere--very practical, immediate needs on the one hand, and on the other, a desire for everyone to have their social and emotional needs met as well as the practical ones.And then a part breaks in Mosscap, and it can't maintain its balance anymore. Dex changes their travel plans, to get to the nearest village that has a 3D printer and the man who runs it. At no point do they call it a 3D printer; it's just a printer. On the moon-world of Panga, the humans don't normally print books on paper; they read them on computers. It's 3D objects that need to be printed.
Replacing Mosscap's broken part proves much more challenging than expected, but not for technical reasons. The robots of Panga, living in the wilderness, don't attempt major repairs. If they can fix themselves with materials they find in the natural world, they do. If they can't, they accept the gradual decay of their functions, and when they stop working, eventually their still-usable parts are used to build new robots. A real technological repair is an ethically and philosophically challenging for it. It gets even more complicated when Mosscap learns of the range of natural-sourced materials to choose from for its replacement part.
Meanwhile, Dex is experiencing burnout--has been for a while; it's why they took their tea-wagon and went into the wilderness and met Mosscap in the first place. They haven't wanted to do tea-service in a while, even though they have enjoyed it and believe it is very valuable, and they feel guilty about needing a rest. Their message to all the people they have helped with tea-service is that they don't have to be useful and productive to be wonderful and valuable, yet they are struggling to accept that message for themself.
We have two nonbinary characters traveling through small settlements, meeting some very interesting people, and working their way through philosophical questions. And it all feels like a warm, satisfying pot of your favorite tea.
This is not a book of action and adventure. It's a book of good, kind, and interesting people, trying to do the right thing.
I loved it.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member FirstReader
No review can possibly do this book justice. It is exceptionally well written, the character are fully realized, and their discussions are subtle and will have you engaged and make you think. You’ll be disappointed when it ends. What more can a reader want from a book?
Sibling Dex, a wandering Tea
This book draws readers in slowly but surely. Readers will come to admire Dex and Mosscap. Chambers has developed both characters so the reader is able to relate to both. Readers will smile along with Dex when Mosscap’s innate child-like enthusiasm for new things, like the leaves on a tree new to it, slows their travels to a crawl.
The most impressive thing about this book is Chambers’ ability to have Dex and Mosscap discuss so many complex subjects in such a short book without sounding preachy. When readers read the last page, they will be surprised that the book is over because they will be disappointed that the book has ended.
You need not have read the first book in this series to enjoy this book. The author introduces a new reader to her characters in such a way as to not bore the reader already familiar with Dex and Mossback while making sure the new reader understands who each character is as well as their relationship to one another.
If you like books that are classified as science fiction, but turn out to be so much more, then this book is for you. If you don’t like science fiction, set that aside and read this book because it nothing like any science fiction book you’ve ever attempted to read.
My thanks to Tor and Edelweiss for an eARC.
Sibling Dex, a wandering Tea
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Monk, has agreed to accompany Mosscap, a robot, on his quest to travel across Dex’s home world to find out what humans need. Robots have not been seen in generations, and, initially, it seems that the pair are ill suited for such a quest. However, as they spend months together going from one sector of Panga to another, they realize, as they near the end of Mosscap’s quest, that they really care for one another.This book draws readers in slowly but surely. Readers will come to admire Dex and Mosscap. Chambers has developed both characters so the reader is able to relate to both. Readers will smile along with Dex when Mosscap’s innate child-like enthusiasm for new things, like the leaves on a tree new to it, slows their travels to a crawl.
The most impressive thing about this book is Chambers’ ability to have Dex and Mosscap discuss so many complex subjects in such a short book without sounding preachy. When readers read the last page, they will be surprised that the book is over because they will be disappointed that the book has ended.
You need not have read the first book in this series to enjoy this book. The author introduces a new reader to her characters in such a way as to not bore the reader already familiar with Dex and Mossback while making sure the new reader understands who each character is as well as their relationship to one another.
If you like books that are classified as science fiction, but turn out to be so much more, then this book is for you. If you don’t like science fiction, set that aside and read this book because it nothing like any science fiction book you’ve ever attempted to read.
My thanks to Tor and Edelweiss for an eARC.
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LibraryThing member tardis
This is the second novella in Chambers' Monk & Robot series. Sibling Dex (a tea monk) and Mosscap (a robot) are travelling around Panga, meeting people and allowing Mosscap to ask its question to determine what humans need. It's gentle and thoughtful and there are no simple answers. Well, maybe
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there are SOME simple answers (sometimes you just really need a squeaky door fixed), but mostly they're not at all simple or clear. In a way, it reminds me of those dire management parable books like Who Moved My Cheese (I guess this would be a philosophy parable) but it doesn't have the forced feeling that they do. I loved this. Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
I think what I love about Becky Chamber's work is that she manages to distil the noise of our everyday life down into essential questions (the essential question) and then present it in a setting where we can see it from a different angle. Our entire world is coming out from a time of trauma and
Advanced Reader's Copy Provided by Edelweiss
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moving into a cataclysmic shift and this question -- what do you need? -- is the one we will all have to answer. It's a basic quest of human life. But it's a genuine pleasure to approach it so gently, in the conversations of Monk and Robot, and in the context of the audience being able to share Sibling Dex's journey and being able to give Sibling Dex grace in a way that we will hopefully be able to accept ourselves. Advanced Reader's Copy Provided by Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Monk & Robot series. I borrowed an ebook of this from my library.
Thoughts: I loved this installment of Monk and Robot just as much as the first book in this series. These are quick reads that seem simple on the surface but really delve deeply into
We are back in the same post-apocalyptic Earth setting but this time instead of Mosscap helping Dex explore the wilds, Dex is bringing Mosscap to human cities.
This is a fascinating story. It was fun and intriguing to watch Mosscap be introduced to humanity as a whole. The analysis of Mosscap’s question to the human “What does a human need?” was likewise thought-provoking. Time was also spent on questions of whether or not it is okay to just exist or should we always be striving for some goal. Of course, it is always fun to watch Mosscap’s simple and joyful reaction to things and to watch Dex try to patiently indulge these diversions.
As with the first book, this book packs a lot of punch in a very short page space and is one of my favorite kinds of stories; it is entertaining and fun to read while being thought-provoking at the same time.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this second installment in the Monk and Robot series and can't wait to see where this series ends up going. This continues in the same vein as the first book; we wander through an intriguing future world and join Dex and Mosscap on their thoughtful adventures through it. I would definitely recommend both books, it would be best to start with the first book to get the full impact of this story.
Thoughts: I loved this installment of Monk and Robot just as much as the first book in this series. These are quick reads that seem simple on the surface but really delve deeply into
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a lot of philosophical topics. We are back in the same post-apocalyptic Earth setting but this time instead of Mosscap helping Dex explore the wilds, Dex is bringing Mosscap to human cities.
This is a fascinating story. It was fun and intriguing to watch Mosscap be introduced to humanity as a whole. The analysis of Mosscap’s question to the human “What does a human need?” was likewise thought-provoking. Time was also spent on questions of whether or not it is okay to just exist or should we always be striving for some goal. Of course, it is always fun to watch Mosscap’s simple and joyful reaction to things and to watch Dex try to patiently indulge these diversions.
As with the first book, this book packs a lot of punch in a very short page space and is one of my favorite kinds of stories; it is entertaining and fun to read while being thought-provoking at the same time.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this second installment in the Monk and Robot series and can't wait to see where this series ends up going. This continues in the same vein as the first book; we wander through an intriguing future world and join Dex and Mosscap on their thoughtful adventures through it. I would definitely recommend both books, it would be best to start with the first book to get the full impact of this story.
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LibraryThing member quondame
It was fun to spend more time with Sibling Dex and Mosscap, but unlike the previous book, this one isn't about the satisfaction of just being, achieved or sought, so much as it highlights not getting there, wherever there is.
LibraryThing member SamMusher
Lost a star because I hoped this would make more sense of the larger world as Dex and Mosscap traveled to new places. It's cool to see a village 3D print shop, but where are the computer chips being made, and with what components, and how are those made without automation? Human hands aren't small
It was even more clear in this book that it's Chambers' self-soothing project, which I can't be mad at. Still love me some Monk and Robot.
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or precise enough to hand-craft a processor chip for a tablet! I want to believe in the hope, but that fails (for me) when there are big plausibility gaps in the worldbuilding.It was even more clear in this book that it's Chambers' self-soothing project, which I can't be mad at. Still love me some Monk and Robot.
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
Round two in Chambers' tale of meet-cute existentialism, as Moss carries out its mission of meeting the wider community of Dex's people, and more questions are raised than are answered, but the experience remains charming. What the culmination point looks like remains to be seen, though one gets
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some sense of this by the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
A monk and a robot explore their world; the robot is an emissary from robots in general, who left humanity behind after their shared planet almost collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Now things are better and the monk and the robot face the universal human question of what they should be
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doing with their lives. Not much happens, and that is what you are reading for! Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
What a kind, gentle story! I liked getting to see more of the human world and how it works. Mosscap is delightful as always, and Dex's journey to figuring themselves out continues to be compelling. The ending was unexpected, but good.
LibraryThing member reader1009
audio (~4 hours) gentle and heartfelt robot/monk friendship story taking place in a seemingly conflict-free future, #2 in the series
the unusual friends, who have become something of celebrities to the humans who have never seen a wild robot, travel to various towns and cities in this installment,
The audio narration by talented actor and trans advocate Em Grosland is perfect, recreating Mosscap's robot personality with such humor and wonder, and I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing Sibling Dex's (and Mx. Avery's) they/them pronouns used throughout the story, both by the narrative voice and by all the people they meet without fuss, as they should be.
the unusual friends, who have become something of celebrities to the humans who have never seen a wild robot, travel to various towns and cities in this installment,
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providing endless sources of wonder for the curious Mosscap (a satchel!) and many moments of hilarity when it interacts with everyone, including one barking dog. Sibling Dex finds a possible if short-term love interest when they meet a local 3D-printer operator.The audio narration by talented actor and trans advocate Em Grosland is perfect, recreating Mosscap's robot personality with such humor and wonder, and I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing Sibling Dex's (and Mx. Avery's) they/them pronouns used throughout the story, both by the narrative voice and by all the people they meet without fuss, as they should be.
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LibraryThing member Charon07
Don’t come for the plot. It’s barely there, but I didn’t miss it. Come for the sweet, serene, thoughtful, peaceful, post-industrial eco-utopia and most of all for the sweet, thoughtful, loving characters who still suffer with the existential problems that all sentient beings are heir to.
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There is a scene, when the characters go fishing, that made me sob, and it would probably give away too much to go into detail, but it perfectly encapsulates what is so moving to me about Becky Chambers’ work, particularly the Monk and Robot series. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Was hoping for more on this - it's far from bad, but doesn't quite have the same punch as Psalm which had me close to tears. It's also very short at only just 100 pages, and hence doesn't manage to say very much. It picks up from the end of Psalm, with Dex and the Robot venturing into civilization
Cute but not brimming with the joy her best works have invoked.
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to answer the robots' question - what does humanity need. Obviously there are manyfold answers, but as nearly everyone already has the basic calories and shelter, it's more philosophical.Cute but not brimming with the joy her best works have invoked.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
These are great books. In a world where humanity has come to terms with the land around them after almost destroying the world in a previous era, these book don't have a big message, or about saving the world, Or even have much of a plot. But what they are is easy to read, and say something a
The problems that the Dex and Mosscap have are different, but the same. Dex loves their family, but gets overwhelmed by them. Mosscap is worried that its family (the robot community) won't accept it because it has become too different.
The story is written gracefully, with humility. The author doesn't take her characters for granted. It also helps that there is no grandstanding, no speeches, just a conversation with two friends who are completely different, helping each other overcome problems and accept themselves for who they are.
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person's place in the world and the connections to each other.The problems that the Dex and Mosscap have are different, but the same. Dex loves their family, but gets overwhelmed by them. Mosscap is worried that its family (the robot community) won't accept it because it has become too different.
The story is written gracefully, with humility. The author doesn't take her characters for granted. It also helps that there is no grandstanding, no speeches, just a conversation with two friends who are completely different, helping each other overcome problems and accept themselves for who they are.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
I adored the first Monk & Robot novella when I recently read it as a Nebula novella finalist. To me, it was a strong four-star read. This book? Five stars. Yes, it was even better.
The concept of the series is this: ages before, robots gained sentience and
In this volume, they venture into the human realm, where Mosscap meets more people--and domesticated dogs, and rides in boats, and takes in everything with glee. The book is gentle in the way of many of Becky Chambers' books. There is no big bad guy, no looming, world-ending threat. This is about people being people, even if one of them is not people, and this book in particular is about the importance of community.
Quite honestly, I want to live in this world. It is by no means perfect, but there is a level of consideration and compassion that leaves me with a deep sense of yearning.
I adored the first Monk & Robot novella when I recently read it as a Nebula novella finalist. To me, it was a strong four-star read. This book? Five stars. Yes, it was even better.
The concept of the series is this: ages before, robots gained sentience and
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split off from humanity, retreating into the wilderness. Human civilization continued to grow and blossom nevertheless. Enter Sibling Dex, a humble tea monk who enjoys their work, kinda-sorta, but feels a restless dissatisfaction with life. They get it into their head to travel deep into the wilderness to hear crickets that are extinct everywhere else... and that is where they encounter Mosscap, an excitable child-like robot who wants to learn all about humanity.In this volume, they venture into the human realm, where Mosscap meets more people--and domesticated dogs, and rides in boats, and takes in everything with glee. The book is gentle in the way of many of Becky Chambers' books. There is no big bad guy, no looming, world-ending threat. This is about people being people, even if one of them is not people, and this book in particular is about the importance of community.
Quite honestly, I want to live in this world. It is by no means perfect, but there is a level of consideration and compassion that leaves me with a deep sense of yearning.
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LibraryThing member beserene
In order to make sense of this book, you must read the first, which is A Psalm for the Wild-Built. This novella, like its predecessor, is a warm and gentle embrace of a book which, at one point, I literally had to put down so I could snuggle my dog. Because it really does make you just want to hug
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someone in the best possible way. A little bit science fiction, a little bit environmental fable, and all heart -- I freaking love these books! Show Less
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
A pleasant monk and a pleasant robot have pleasant visits with pleasant people in a pleasant world. It sure doesn't amount to much, but my is it pleasant!
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
review to come
The second novella abut a tea monk and a robot is just a much a comfortable read as the first one. Now the rest of the world knows about Mosscap and want to meet him. Sibling Dex is now his guide to all things human and trying to filter out all the messages of everyone wanting to meet
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
The second novella abut a tea monk and a robot is just a much a comfortable read as the first one. Now the rest of the world knows about Mosscap and want to meet him. Sibling Dex is now his guide to all things human and trying to filter out all the messages of everyone wanting to meet
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a robot. There isn’t a set plot more of a series of vignettes as they stop along the way to Dex’s family home and then onto the City. There is a lot to be said for reading a low stakes story. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
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LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
The ultimate feel-good book series.
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
Becky Chambers' writing is so beautiful and moving that a scene in this book in which a fish dies almost brought me to tears. She has a knack for posing thought-provoking questions without giving into the temptation to provide answers. It is beyond my powers to recommend this series highly
[Audiobook note: good reader. I can happily recommend either format. PS: the fish scene still had me misting up.]
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enough.[Audiobook note: good reader. I can happily recommend either format. PS: the fish scene still had me misting up.]
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LibraryThing member KJC__
The book follows Dex and Mosscap as they tour Panga in search for an answer to the simple question, "what do you want?" A lot of the book is conversation between the duo as they travel to their destination. When they arrive, Mosscap asks the native populace its question. Each chapter features a
In this book we meet more characters than the previous one, which was just a solitary adventure between the duo. Mosscap's obliviousness when it comes to human society is often played off for laughs.
The cover is beautiful, just like the last one.
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different region.In this book we meet more characters than the previous one, which was just a solitary adventure between the duo. Mosscap's obliviousness when it comes to human society is often played off for laughs.
The cover is beautiful, just like the last one.
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LibraryThing member TempleCat
In this concluding second volume of Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series*, a tea monk grows weary of their fulfilling but horizon-limited life and takes the road less travelled (literally) instead of following their routine once again. (Those are the pronouns the author used.)
The monk lives in a
The monk's life takes a new direction when a robot appears in the wilds, says that it sees that society has survived, indeed flourished, and wants to know what people need right now. The pursuit of an answer to that question becomes the force that drives the story's plot to a very uplifting and satisfying conclusion.
*The first volume is A Psalm for the Wild-Built.
The monk lives in a
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time when the people of the story had experienced severe environmental decline ages ago, and, in order to save their dystopian society, had divorced themselves from all their technology and had forsworn further development. That had happened so long ago that stories about their lives and machines had taken on the mustiness of myth.The monk's life takes a new direction when a robot appears in the wilds, says that it sees that society has survived, indeed flourished, and wants to know what people need right now. The pursuit of an answer to that question becomes the force that drives the story's plot to a very uplifting and satisfying conclusion.
*The first volume is A Psalm for the Wild-Built.
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LibraryThing member catseyegreen
A short, sweet book. The monk, Dex, and the robot, Mosscap, continue to develop their relationship while visiting the smaller towns of Panga.
LibraryThing member Guide2
Very nice novella once again with the same two great characters. Some interesting digging into their motivations and life philosophy. Highly recommend.
LibraryThing member caedocyon
Philosophy! Travels! Bromance! I'm literally (literally!) the person who needs to stop every dozen paces and look at a tree or a lichen, and I'm full of random biology facts, and I do feel called out.
Thinking about how monocultural religio-philosophical agreement takes the place of government to
I do want to reread both of these.
Thinking about how monocultural religio-philosophical agreement takes the place of government to
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regulate conflict in this world, which, hm. :/ Like, she does try to complicate this with the coastal community, and that's interesting! But they're working from the same axioms---there's no one who thinks that it should actually be OK to build robots and use fossil fuels, and no indication of how a society like this would deal with that kind of disagreement. Have the ascetics ever tried to convert others to their way of thinking or fight what they see as harm? Also, there's no one who doesn't believe in the same 6-god system, even though there are disagreements between scholars within that system.I do want to reread both of these.
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