Jul 23

Jul 23 A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Author: Becky Chambers
Publisher: Tor.com
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk & Robot series gives us hope for the future.

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?

TL;DR Review

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a beautiful, funny, hopeful novella full of heart and what it means to be human. I really, really loved it.

For you if: You’re looking for a hopeful story and like soft sci-fi.

Full Review

“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”

Hey you. Yes, you. Are you looking for a short book (a novella, in fact) that’s emotional, beautiful, and hopeful? Now you are. And wow, do I have the book for you.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is about a young monk named Sibling Dex who’s dissatisfied with their life as-is, so they venture out of the city and into the countryside to find a new calling — and themselves. Seeking solitude, Dex wanders into the protected wildlands, which centuries ago were ceded to robots who chose to live free and unhindered by humanity. There they meet an unlikely friend — and learn both more and less than they'd ever expected.

One of the best parts of fantasy and sci-fi is the way they suspend certain aspects of reality in order to focus on all the things that make us human. You may not expect a book set on another planet with a sentient robot as a main character to teach you about reframing and valuing differences; about gender; about learning to be kind and forgiving to yourself; about feeling content and happy and valuable just as you are. And yet here is Becky Chambers, with Sibling Dex and Mosscap, bringing us this giant hug in 160 pages.

But don’t be misled: It’s not fluffy, and it’s not woo-woo. This story has teeth, and heart, and insight so empathetic that you’ll marvel that you never articulated these ideas on your own. And the audiobook, by the way, was really beautifully performed.

Take a few hours and read this one. You won’t regret it.