Book Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Sibling Dex is a monk who yearns for the sound of crickets. So they leave the comfortable city monastery to go on the road as a “tea monk” who offers tea and a sympathetic ear to folks that need them. Dex, after some initial hiccups, is a very good tea monk. But after several years, they realize that they’re still missing something, perhaps symbolized by the sound of crickets, which they’re still not hearing. So they take a little-used road into the wilderness on a whim. No one’s been to the hermitage in centuries, and it’s a surprise when Dex is greeted on the road by a robot.
Splendid Speckled Mosscap, Mosscap for short, is descended from the robots that chose to go into the wilderness after they somehow achieved sentience. They’d made a Parting Promise to check in with the humans, and after a few centuries, it’s time. Mosscap has volunteered to go among the humans, find out what’s been happening, and if there’s anything they need. It’s thrilled to meet Dex, its first human.
Mosscap accompanies Sibling Dex on their pilgrimage, as the two learn about each other, the world, and themselves.
This short book is the first in the “Monk and Robot” series; the second one is already out. Thankfully, this one is complete in itself, and won a Hugo award.
We are, apparently, far enough into the future that no one on Panga, a moon orbiting a gas giant, feels compelled to mention Earth, though the names, flora and fauna certainly seem Earthlike. They’ve formed their own stable theology. (Dex is a servant of the God of Small Pleasures.) During the Age of Oil, they used extractive methods to strip their world of mineral resources, but the awakening of the robots served as a wake-up call. While humanity can’t be said to be in harmony with Nature, they’ve certainly called a truce with it.
There’s no war or serious crime, disease doesn’t seem to be a thing anymore, and lifestyles are sustainable, with freedom to choose your own purpose. This doesn’t mean there are not still problems. The work of tea monks and other helpers is very much needed. And there’s that odd yearning Sibling Dex has.
There’s no world-ending danger here, or villain to overcome. Just a voyage of discovery and the blossoming of a friendship. But honestly, that’s enough for this story. It’s laid-back, the characters are pleasant, and I enjoy their adventures.
Content note: Sibling Dex is alluded to having an active sex life, we’re not privy to what’s in their pants, if anything.
Recommended for those looking for a quiet, peaceful sort of science fiction story. It should go over well with fans of iyashikei (“healing”) manga and anime.
