The clean water stung as it hit scrapes still healing, and soothed the constellations of insect bites Dex had been scratching despite their best efforts. 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, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. Frequently they don’t even get a proper goodbye, and it presumably happens offscreen between the chapters. The water pressure was nothing more than decent, and the temperature was only as hot as the wagon’s solar coating could coax from deep-forest sunlight, but even so, it felt to Dex like the finest luxury in the world. Also like Psalm, the book has a light, picaresque quality that makes it a swift, accessible read—though that accessibility should not be taken for simplicity because Prayer builds upon, and is still wrangling with, the same philosophical and existential ideas that gave Psalm such depth and resonance.

There is a discussion of their transaction system (which is not money, according to Dex) and meetings with people show what mores prevail.Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful. Hugo Award-winning author Becky Chambers begins a new series with this delightful and quietly philosophical novella that presents a hopeful glimpse into a future where humanity actually does the right thing. I used this series to get me out of a reading slump as they’re the perfect length and such a beautiful and hopeful read.

We have ruins, and things like this”—they nodded at the stump—“but you’re the furthest thing from a stone shrine. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. By which I mean, this is a gentle, healing, beautiful book that also doesn’t shy away from the reality of sadness and lostness, or the general complexity of humans and human relations. Which kind of ends up leading to this situation where, say, people with mental health issues have just sorta been … written out of our vision of an optimistic future? This has led them to reach the brink of exhaustion and it resonated with me on a personal level, as I am sure it will for most of us.A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second book in The Monk and Robot Series, the second book after A Psalm for the Wild Built. The defining characteristic of Panga is the optimism of Chambers’ humanity: these are folks who are kind, helpful, unselfish, and largely want for nothing. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain. It’s not like I ever doubted the Awakening happened, but meeting you made it real in a way no museum ever could.

I absolutely love this series, such a refreshing take on the “robots gaining autonomy and awareness” trope. As Mosscap fussed with connecting the biogas tank to the fire drum, Dex pulled out their pocket computer and opened their mailbox.

I can’t explain but the exploration of the relationships in this beautiful book just help me to know it’s ok to slow down and look listen and feel. Small ribbons had been tied to it by countless passersby, their colors faded and fraying in the open air.