A Psalm for the Wild-Built

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5 stars (11 reviews)

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?

6 editions

Thought-provoking

4 stars

On a world- or more accurately, a moon - called Panga, humanity managed to approximate an utopia. In it a young tea monk called Dex travels from city to town and back again to serve tea for those who need it.

Which, in my opinion everybody always needs. Every day.

Back to Dex, who serves a vital role in their society. After a while, they grow restless themselves and stray from the beaten path to find an answer for their restlessness. It doesn’t take long before Dex comes across Splendid Speckled Mosscap, or Mosscap, as people like to shorten names. Mosscap is a descendant of the robots that retreated into the wilderness several hundreds of years ago, after they became sentient. Since then robots and humans lived separately without any form of communication, which makes the encounter between Dex and Mosscap a novelty. Together they embark on the road less …

Short cup of tea

5 stars

"It must have been such a relief to be free of predators and eat whatever the hell you wanted. But that was the exact opposite of what the ecosystem needed."

A comfy story of a utopia in which humanity awakened sentient robots and then made some nice decisions. Sad because there's no way we'd make those decisions.

I'd seen some quotes which resonated with me without realising that they came from this book. Bittersweet -it was delightful to discover them, but I felt like I'd cheated myself of the story a bit.

I find it soothing in the modern world to remind ourselves we are just animals. You are allowed to just live. I think if you can suspend cynicism you'll enjoy this glimpse at a possible future. It weaves themes of meaning and awe at the universe in an elegant way.

I'm reminded of an observation by Dawkins in …

reviewed Veisu luonnonkoneille by Becky Chambers (Munkki ja robotti, #1)

Makeaa yrttiteetä vivahduksella hapanta

4 stars

Leppoisaksi tätä kirjaa on kutsuttu, jolloin oli pelkona, että tämä olisikin tylsistyttävän jonninjoutava mukavuudenhaluisessa avaruushippeilyssään. Mutta olihan tässä jotain konfliktia, mutta lähinnä sisäistä, sellaista eksistentiaalista introspektiivistä tuskaa. Kirjan maullinen tasapaino on ainakin kohdallaan, ja kirja tuli luettua sen verta ripeästi, että ehkä luen toistekin ennen toisen osan käännöksen ilmestymistä.

Tästä on vaikea keksiä mitään suoranaisesti moitittavaa, joitakin kyynisiä voi tosin mietityttää miljöön amerikan länsirannikkomainen pehmeys. Toisaalta voidaan tarinassa havaita piikkejä city-vihreille ja heidän ongelmallisesta suhteesta luonnon kanssa, mutta humoristisella ja rakkaudella hahmoja kohtaan. Voidaan kait sanoa, että "ihan kiva" on reilu ja tarkka arvio kirjasta.

reviewed A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #1)

So much beauty and hope in so few pages

5 stars

Becky Chambers makes me cry again, this time in a hope punk novella about existence and purpose. Long ago, humanity's Factory Age ended when robots suddenly gained consciousness and decided to leave. Humanity respected their agency and choice, allowing them to leave into the wilderness and legend while restructuring human civilization into a sustainable, solarpunk society.

Sibling Dex is a tea monk, going from town to town offering people their ear, their counsel and the perfect cup of tea to soothe their worries. But Dex themself feels an emptiness and pain; they feel guilty for not being happy in a life which - on the face of it - gives them everything it should. This inner conflict they keep from those they help really resonated with me from the very start.

Hoping to find an answer in anything but their routine, Dex goes off track into the wilderness. There, they …

reviewed A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #1)

More philosophy than anything

5 stars

In reading more about this book after I finished it, which is a hint to it's unexpectedness, I learned the author is known for a genre called "Hopeful Science Fiction." The setup, roughly speaking, is that humanity has succeeded in it's transformation rather than entering a dystopian/post-apocalyptic phase.

That mindset makes this book a joy to read. It offers up a very rich and peaceful world to explore, with introspective characters who encourage reflection on the human condition.

A hopeful vision of the future

5 stars

It's easy to find dystopian science fiction. It's harder to find science fiction that provides a positive image of the future. It's not a blueprint, but you get the sense of a robust society that has overcome its most self-destructive tendencies. Very on-brand (in a good way!) for the author; if you've enjoyed her other books you will enjoy this one as well.

Subjects

  • American literature
  • Robots
  • Fiction
  • Mythology
  • Self-consciousness (Awareness)
  • Gender-nonconforming people