hardcover, 160 pages
English language
Published July 12, 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?
A kind of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" for the solar-punk/robot-loving/tea-ceremony crowd.
A kind of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" for the solar-punk/robot-loving/tea-ceremony crowd.
I did like this story, but it felt a bit underdeveloped? The interaction between the monk and the robot was charming, and I liked the metaphorical roles of healer and healed, of nature and the created.
I'm not really sure why I did not like it as much as Chambers' longer stories.
One interesting thing was how I tried to figure out the "fact" beyond the gender neutral presentation of the monk. Apparently my mind of so very primed on the woman/man identities when I have to construct an imago in my head of what I read, and then I'm not a very visual reader at all. Intriguing.
I did like this story, but it felt a bit underdeveloped? The interaction between the monk and the robot was charming, and I liked the metaphorical roles of healer and healed, of nature and the created.
I'm not really sure why I did not like it as much as Chambers' longer stories.
One interesting thing was how I tried to figure out the "fact" beyond the gender neutral presentation of the monk. Apparently my mind of so very primed on the woman/man identities when I have to construct an imago in my head of what I read, and then I'm not a very visual reader at all. Intriguing.
Wonderful writing. An inventive way to explore the concepts of humanity, consciousness, what it means to be alive. Will be looking for a sequel.
Wonderful writing. An inventive way to explore the concepts of humanity, consciousness, what it means to be alive. Will be looking for a sequel.
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.
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
Purchasable
https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/210110608/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built/becky-chambers/.