A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Almost exactly a year ago I read and reviewed A Psalm forthe Wild-Built, the first in the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers. It was then that I fell in love with the characters Sibling Dex and Splendid Speckled Mosscap, and have been looking forward to the next in series ever since.

I love it when a book remains memorable even after such a time.

Dex and Mosscap—monk and robot—are still travelling and learning more about the societies from which the other came. Mosscap has an insatiable curiosity about the world around it, and enjoys meeting and understanding organic life whether they be human, marblehead turtles, purple crawler worms, or a leaf.

Mosscap is also discovering more ways to learn about the world, soon acquiring a pocket computer, downloadable books, and maps. Everywhere Dex and Mosscap travel, people are anxious to meet them and interact with the robot. Well, almost everywhere. In the Coastlands the roads and trails covering much of Panga cease, and the dwellers there have long chosen to avoid technology or travel outside their immediate area. When Dex and Mosscap approach, they are not sure if they will be welcomed.

The cast of characters in this second volume is diverse, including: members of Dex’s rather large family, Ms. Amelia who has her own collection of paper books to share with Mosscap, Mx. Avery who lives in an isolated village, and Leroy—the printer who creates 3D objects and who also makes Dex’s knees go a little wobbly.

Just like the first in series, this short novel had me bursting out with laughter at some of the dialog and situations in which Dex and Mosscap found themselves. The themes go much deeper than fun and games; deep philosophical musings unfold as the wild-built and the natural born of Pangan society explore their shared world. At a mere 149 pages, I have time for a second pass through before returning the book to the library to share with others.

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.

Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarer Series) by Becky Chambers

Reviewed by Kristin

Humankind left a dying Earth centuries ago on the Exodus Fleet, and now often live and die on alien worlds, as well as the space in between.  Having learned lessons from the greed which desecrated the Earth, the Fleet became a well-balanced community with living space and jobs for anyone who wishes to live and work in harmony with others.  Other species are out there in the Galactic Commons:  Aeluons, Harmigians, Aandrisks, and many more yet unknown.  These more space-experienced species helped the humans by sharing technology and knowledge.

This third entry in the Wayfarers series is all about journeys.  Some are geographical, and some are spiritual.  All demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit as people explore far beyond their home world.  Record of a Spaceborn Few is strongly character driven, and although the characters’ timelines occasionally bump into another, their stories are not necessarily dependent upon each other.

Archivist Isabel helps to maintain the records of the lives of those in the Fleet.  She is a keeper of stories, one who builds a history of those who have gone before.  She has dedicated her life to service in celebrating births, marriages, and deaths.  When she is tasked with hosting Ghuh’loloan Mok Chutp, an alien with an amorphous body, Isabel has to step outside her comfort zone during this cultural exchange.

Eyas is a Caretaker.  In space, all matter must be recycled and reused, and that includes human remains.  Caretakers are revered as they respectfully turn remains into fertile mulch which will continue the circle of life.  But who cares for the caretakers?  If it’s hard for Eyas find the kind of friend willing to drop by a neighborhood bar for a glass of mek, how can she find a partner ready to fill her more, ahem, primal needs?

Sawyer was born on the planet Mushtullo.  With no family ties to his home world, this young man decides to try something new—maybe there is a place for him in the Fleet.  Hired on by a crew of shipwreck scavengers, he might finally find a home, or perhaps more danger than he can handle.

Kip is a sixteen-year-old doing what teenagers do—pushing their limits and trying to find their way in life.  He’s not exactly excited about his internship in salvage, and classes are b-o-r-i-n-g.  When a friend suggests modifying their records (the equivalent of getting a fake ID) and going to a club filled with more adult pleasures, the temptation is more than Kip can resist.

Tessa is the character connecting Record of a Spaceborn Few to the earlier books in the series.  She is sister to Ashby, the Wayfarer captain who is still roaming the stars.  Working in salvage and caring for her family keeps Tessa busy within the Fleet.  Her husband George works far afield, leaving Tessa at home with precocious daughter Aya, toddler son Ky, and an extremely stubborn aging father.

There are just a few of the characters wandering the universe of Becky Chambers’ imagination.  In the Wayfarer series, she has created a universe of new possibilities as humanity continues to expand their presence across the stars.

The review of the first book in the series, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, can be read here.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Reviewed by Kristin

Rosemary is glad to head out into deep space with the crew of the Wayfarer.  While the Wayfarer is not the largest or flashiest of spacefaring ships, its assignment is extraordinary.  Ashby, the Captain, has taken on the task of punching pinholes through subspace in order to create shortcuts for travel through the universe.  Wanting to get out of the solar system, Rosemary jumps at the chance to join the multispecies crew as Ashby’s records clerk.

From grumpy Corbin, the algaeist who takes care of the fuel for the ship, to engineer Jenks who has a special attachment to Lovey, the ship’s Artificial Intelligence program, the crew works together.  Rosemary is fascinated by Sissix, the reptilian feathered Aandrisk who is enthusiastic and much less inhibited than most humans.  Dr. Chef with his multiple arms, well, what is he?  A doctor?  A chef?  Trained to be both?  Rosemary clearly has a lot to learn about the various cultures represented on the Wayfarer.

Not everything goes smoothly, but what kind of boring book would that be if everything did?

This is a fresh new look at the possible ways that humankind might launch out into the universe in future generations.  What if we do overcrowd the planet?  What if we do destroy our atmosphere?  Who knows, maybe there are feathered Aandrisks out there somewhere, already interacting with shimmering Aeluons.  Perhaps extraterrestrials are out there observing—as did the Vulcans in the Star Trek universe—waiting to see when humankind might demonstrate the capability of traveling between the stars.  Or, perhaps not.  But as a science fiction fan, I’d like to think that life exists beyond our visible horizons, out in the unknown.

Chambers’ characters face big moral and ethical questions.  They grapple and fall down, find their footing, make life changing decisions, and go in new directions.  Even though there are inter-species differences and confrontations, the Wayfarer crew members seem to care about each other.  Perhaps they care too much, some to the point of interfering when their efforts might cross boundaries that cannot be reclaimed.

Beyond The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers has also written A Closed and Common Orbit.  Taking a couple of characters from the first book in another direction, the second also could be read as a standalone, but I encourage you to read them in order.

*Recommended for readers who also enjoyed the “space western” television show Firefly.