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Antolius

Antolius@bookwyrm.social

Joined 2 years, 3 months ago

I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy in all shapes and sizes; paper, e-books and audiobooks.

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Antolius's books

Currently Reading

2025 Reading Goal

28% complete! Antolius has read 7 of 25 books.

Becky Chambers: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Hardcover, 2022, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) …

A worthy sequel, in its own way

This novella picks up directly where A Psalm for the Wind-Built ends, but continues in a more spaced out pace. We follow Dex and Mosscap through a series of vignettes as they tour the human side of Panga, which gives Becky Chambers the opportunity to showcase more of her exquisite world building. While in the first book we learned about the history and glimpsed at a slice of human life, in this one we meet more varied communities, each with their unique spin on the prevailing hope punk aesthetic.

Unlike the first story, which relied heavily on interactions between just Dex and Mosscap, here we see them engage with different characters on their journey. In a way this dilutes the narrative; the numerous side characters are not as deeply developed, the exchanges with them not so philosophically intricate. At first I resented this difference in treatment, but by the end …

Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Hardcover, 2021, Tordotcom)

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; …

Beautifully true

Thoroughly delightful respite from gloomy books I've been reading lately.

I've enjoyed Becky Chambers' work for years, and I feel she distilled it to perfection in this novella. Length-wise it is just enough to paint a picture of a beautiful solarpunk world, and to give us characterization of Dex, the main protagonist. There is nothing superfluous to it, and there is no rush either; the pace is contemplative and purposeful.

I loved the world building; the slow paced, hopeful world of Panga feels like a perfect place for me. On the other hand, it is a clever backdrop for Dex's angst and struggle to find their own purpose in life. Chambers pulls off a great feat with portrayal of Dex; they feel rich, complex and fully realized human being. Clever too is the contrast of the titular robot to Dex's monk, and the cute, often philosophical exchanges between them.

I …

replied to Ian's status

Content warning Mild spoilers about some topics covered by the book