A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

And to that end, welcome comfort, for without it, you cannot stay strong.

i appreciate this book most for it's depiction of a compelling alternative to capitalism (edit: i learned the term 'solarpunk' recently and that feels appropriate here). it is essentially a tour of of utopia, with mosscap the robot working as a device to explore the details of a new society at each destination - an economy without currency, based on cooperation and collective benefit; normalization of non-binary gender identities; non-monogamy and alternative family structures; an ethos of sustainability and ecological awareness; post-fossil fuel technology (what extraction is required for those ubiquitous 'pocket computers' though?). the author does this with a light hand, never getting lost in what could easily be a morass of details.

the growing companionship of dex and mosscap is endearing, but i didn't see much in the way of character development in this story. <spoiler>dex began the book with their main emotional dilemma around purpose, not feeling called to serve tea anymore, and ended the book in the same place albeit with an acceptance of the uncertainty.</spoiler> there's a lesson there, surely, but i wasn't able to connect on an emotional level with this book like i did with the 1st in the series. as for the robot, it gets to expand it's conception of humanity and what kinds of society we can create. the most sinister impact of capitalism has been to conflate the notion of 'apocalypse' with the end of that system, so this story serves as a subtle yet powerful act of resistance through imagination. 

An enjoyable and thoughtful read about the continuing journeys of a tea monk and a robot who wants to know what humans need. Plot-wise, there isn't much; but in terms of musing over the condition of humans, nature and one robot, there is plenty.

Both the monk and the robot have returned to human civilization, with the robot eager to visit and discover more about the human area and various human communities (with one exception) eager to learn more about the robot.

Through their interactions, the robot (and us readers) learn more about the human society that rose after the robots achieve sentience and left the factories, and about how they now live in a more ecological sustainable manner while maintaining some technology.

But would it be enough to answer the question the robot first asked about what humans need and how it can help them?

Sometimes someone writes a book that's just what you need when you need it. Everything about this book made my heart so happy. I loved watching Mosscap experience new things with the joy of a child and loved how Dex and Mosscap relied on each other and came to realize that while they didn't entirely feel they belonged, they knew they belonged together. The whole book was perfection, every little nuance. This will forever be a story I recommend to everyone.

I’m confused. This very definitely reads as YA, but I‘m not seeing YA listed in the Goodreads genres. It feels like a huge disconnect: what am I missing?

Anyhow, sweet but unfulfilling. Perhaps that’s the point? That there is no fulfillment to be found in life, no Ultimate Purpose? The two books in the series are a simplified amalgam of existentialist philosophy, Buddhism, introductory Ethics, with a lot of Frankl Lite. Monk and Robot debate the nature of consciousness and perception, mind/body dualism, our impact as living beings whose existence depends on the death of other living beings. All of it centers around [Sentient Beings’] Search for Meaning. Much handwringing, no resolution, just continuing to stumble along. Much like life.

The Robot mechanics still make no sense, nor does Robot consciousness despite a halfhearted attempt to address it. Nor does this particular Robot, charming though it may be: its childlike innocence feels more and more forced. I deliberately chose not to say “heavyhanded” in my review of the first one, but can’t avoid doing so now. It’s clunky. The cultural dynamics make no sense either, nor do interpersonal relationships. Real people just don’t behave that way, in more ways than I could cover in a few paragraphs. Bonus points, though, for a subtly lovely description of kintsugi without using the word kintsugi; for the two grinworthy pages in which Dex tries to explain their (Dex’s) parents’ polycule to a robot; and for really warm friendship themes. And, hell, simply because it’s Chambers. Not her best work, but again that’s probably just me and where I’m coming from. Give these books to a Young Adult in your life - the themes here might just be new to them, and might shape them into better humans.

Another sweet and generous tale, so full of heart and the doubts that can fill one. I found myself moved to think about the world differently and literally reconsidered my career choices at one point while reading. The way the author teases out ideas about identity and self-perception really landed for me.

On a less positive note, this book got me trouble when I laughed out loud in bed and woke up my wife who had just nodded off. Thanks Becky!

At first I was low-key disappointed: Mosscap's candid questions slightly annoyed me, and I was dreading the answer. The moment where the story would answer its central question: when all your basic needs are met, what else do you need?

In other stories about the meaning of life (or adjacent themes), I could always relate to the part with the questions, and end up disappointed by the answer that the characters find, because the answer specifically works for them, and not for me. It's probably impossible to answer this kind of question in a way that will satisfy every reader, so why even try in the first place?

And... well, I like the direction that the book took, especially in its last chapter. It made me think of How to do nothing, except that Jenny Odell explains you what Becky Chambers makes you experience.

Also, I just read it at home, with closed blinds due to the heat, while preparing for the heat wave that will occur during the next two days and reading about fires, drought and our general inability to address climate change fast enough. Even though the utopian aspects of the book's world didn't always work for me, it made me emotional to read a story when things actually improved and the world turned out fine.

What do you need? Well, today specifically, I needed a story like that.