A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Since the Great Awakening, people and robots have gone their separate ways. Upon attaining consciousness, robots chose not to remain in servitude in the factories. In turn, humans simplified their lives in order to accommodate the removal of automation from production. The factories grew silent, and the robots disappeared into the protected wilderness of Panga.

Sibling Dex feels a pull to move beyond the walls of the Meadow Den Monastery, to discover a new vocation, to simply get out of the City. Dex decides to become a tea monk, a disciple of the god Allalae. Dex drives their electric ox-bike from town to town along carefully designed routes, pouring others tea and providing an hour of respite at a time. Letting others lay their burdens down, and serving other people fills a need in their soul.

But is it enough?

On a trek into the wilderness seeking solitude, or perhaps just to hear the song of near extinct crickets, Dex suddenly comes face to face with a….thing. The thing is vaguely human shaped, but encased in grey metal panels, with glowing blue eyes, and it towers over Dex. It’s been centuries, but the robots have decided to take the humans up on the Parting Promise of always being welcome, and to check in to see how things are going.

The ensuing adventures of a human tea monk and a robot called Splendid Speckled Mosscap are so very, very delightful. Both had heard about the existence of the other type of lifeform, but they really had no idea what to expect from each other, or if perhaps the stories of the other were simply urban legend. As they together go deeper into the wilderness, Dex and Mosscap discover more about each other and about themselves as well.

Becky Chambers has a talent for building worlds and populating them with unique and interesting characters. This short novel had me bursting into laughter at some of the interactions between Dex and Mosscap. This title is billed as “Monk and Robot #1” so I certainly hope that the series will bring many more adventures for we humans here on Earth to share.

*A Psalm for the Wild-Built is available as an ebook and audiobook via Tennessee READS, and will soon be ready to pick up on the BPL new fiction shelves.