A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Monk & Robot, Book 1

By: Becky Chambers

Narrated by: Em Grosland

"Narrator Emmett Grosland conjures the essence of a troubled soul in search of peace in this gentle audio."—AudioFile Magazine

In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and 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?

A Macmillan Audio production from Tordotcom

©2021 Becky Chambers (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

a must read

absolutely beautiful. They have outdone themselves on this one. reaches out and touches the heart of our world lacking direction.

Delightful and fresh

Full of all the charming warmth that is Becky Chambers’ hallmark, but treads new ground from the Wayfarer series. Emmett Grosland’s reading is deft and enjoyable.

A hug for your soul

Coming of age story featuring an enby protagonist that is not centered around tragedy or romantic love! Existential questions and commentary on human abuse of the earth! So so so good.

1st Encounter of Alt Pronouns

The story is sweet and humble and worth persevering to the end, where the philosophical musings begin to emerge. Reads more like an introduction than as a finished story.
This was my 1st encounter with alternate pronouns. I was open to the usage; however, I missed much of the story struggling with the use of "they" as opposed to "we." My mind continually churned with the question of why Dex externallized their sense of self as "they". When I am more than of one mind, perhaps mulling over an indecision, I refer to multiple trains of thought as "we" (internal) or I am of two minds. Referring to Dex's lack of agency as "they" was challenging. My internal editor constantly challenged the writing.

Simple, wonderful, nice surprise.

A wonderful surprise. Simple and heartfelt. I will be recommending this to family and friends.

surrise

very well narrated. it was very hard for me to for the they them format at first. I got used to it. because it just was NOT important to the story.

Beautiful

I had high expectations of this and it really delivered. It's hard to describe, but I'd probably call it a cozy piece of solarpunk focused on friendship, existential topics and mental health. Interesting characters who I am looking forward to seeing more of in future books. Intriguing setting and excellent narration.

Wholesome Immersion In A World Worth Living In!

If you need to get away somewhere good, this is the book to grab.
There are a lot of amazing books out there; I’ve reviewed a bunch. And most of them are written in worlds I absolutely wouldn’t want to live in. Set against that background, reading a story set in a world I would love to inhabit is a real breath of fresh air. Bracing as a good cup of Assam, Chambers’ writing style is down to earth, up front, and even a bit brusque at times. But it holds a grounded authenticity that allows the more lyrical and philosophical elements to take root and blossom. Reading this book feels like taking that hike you’ve been meaning to do. It’s tough in spots, but it’s invigorating, and you feel great afterwards. As a side note, the narrator does a perfect job of underlining the emotional impact of the books with her voice and intonation. You can feel the joy in some scenes, and the frustration in others, with every word she speaks.
Now, a little about the characters. When I read 'Tea Monk', I realized that some culturally conditioned assumptions immediately clicked into place. He’ll be elderly. He’ll be following some version of a Zen or Taoist path. He’ll be unruffled. A font of wisdom. Here to speak to us about how to be more harmonious, as a teacher speaks to novitiates. I expected these things. So I was completely delighted as the author took those assumptions and yanked them out from under me. Sibling Dex, a nonbinary monk, is in their late twenties. They curse. They mess up. They’re sometimes bullheaded, and they often feel lost. They’re right in that stage of young adulthood when a lot of us want to shout ‘what the f*#$)?!’ And I loved them for it. They made all these clumsy, difficult, challenging days where everything looks so right and feels so wrong into a normal thing, including the part where you ask yourself if you’re broken for feeling that way.

And right when they’re in the middle of that mess, they meet Splendid Spotted Mosscap. I really have to give props to Chambers for breaking more stereotypes here, sometimes explicitly. Mosscap is a goofball, a scatterbrain in love with life, and it has trouble calculating and talking at the same time. When asked about it, this is how Mosscap responds:

“Sorry, there’s just so much here to experience, I keep getting distracted.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that robots got distracted.”

“Why not?”

“Well, can’t you … I don’t know, run programs in the background, or something?”

Mosscap’s eyes adjusted their focus. “You understand how resource-heavy consciousness is, yes? No, I can’t do that any more than you can. But we’re getting off track.”

The sheer exuberance of this character is a delight. Its kindness is a balm. And its insights range from the genius, to the kind of comments that make us look at little kids and whisper ‘from the mouths of babes…’

Around them are characters bustling, living, connecting and parting ways in an organic whole that moved and shimmered like deftly woven cloth. Everyone’s a person. Even the robots.

On Panga, the culture has reworked itself into a sustainable fabric of supportive communities, designed to take care of people and the living world instead of economies and GDPs. In this world, half the land is given to human activity, and half the landmass to the natural world. Buildings are made from mycellium masonry, and the city is alive with green walls, gardens, and health. Humans have finally figured out how to give as much as they take. But the wonder of this book is that it is no unattainable Elysium. It’s a living world, with pests getting into the pipes, dogs that eat socks, sore muscles and crappy days. Chambers uses details about organic waste digesters, graphene-based batteries, caring for solar panels and the intricacies of community responsibilities to ground us in this universe and understand it as a real possibility. She uses broken water tanks and fixing broken wheels to get our hands dirty right along with the characters. Reading the pages, you understand that Panga isn’t a utopia; it’s a real world. It’s just organized to maximize thriving, not profit. And that makes it both tangible and approachable for the reader.

One of my favorite elements about this work is the normalization of mental health care. Among the monastic orders of Panga are the Tea Monks. I was attracted by this right off the bat, since I’m a tea addict cough aficionado myself. But then I read what tea monks do. Their work is to travel the human settlements, setting up their mobile shrine in a circuit of townships. Once arrived, they sit with each person, share a cup of tea with them, and listen to their troubles. Sitting with a Tea Monk is as normal as going to a café. Everyone from every walk of life takes part in this little gesture of respite and comfort. Oh, to live in a world where we treated our mental health that way.

A nice, gentle tale

This story is like a warm cup of tea after a hard day. Soothing, restorative, comforting. It’s a fine introduction to the world of Panga, it’s culture and religion and history. And also the beginning of a buddy story. It’s not long, but just long enough to give you time to relax into its gentle rhythm and get caught up in Dex’s small quest for purpose.

It has left me with a warm feeling, and wanting more of Dex and Mosscap!

Amen and hallelu, through and through.

I’ve adored the ingenuity of every series, and this one took my heart too far. Becky’s done it again with a grounded voice for the stories of people that many don’t stop to hear, and a captivating reason to listen.

Psalm kept most of the literally and figuratively scientific world building, and strayed the narrative path a touch more than the others, landing on a poetically healing deep dive on the lone two characters that left me wanting for nothing. A little smaller in scope and pace than hurtling through space, but Psalm finds a corner of the world and makes it a universe.