A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

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I recently listened to the latest episode of Smart Podcast, Trashy Books where Becky Chambers spoke of wanting to write a book that would be like “sending a hug out into the world.” Chambers definitely delivered that warm hug with A Psalm for the Wild Built. In a world that has turned the corner from near climate devastation, a monk has found themselves wanting to make a vocational change and start a new journey as a tea monk. After a slightly rocky start, Dex becomes one of the most popular tea monks in the area. Helping people talk through their struggles and sadness, finding the perfect cup of tea to meet their needs, and traveling from town to town is both exciting and emotionally draining. When Dex begins to feel overwhelmed, they strike out on a spontaneous journey to find an old hermitage in the mountains. Along the way, they encounter a robot. A real, honest-to-goodness robot named Mosscap who has  just met his first real, honest-to-goodness human. Together, the two begin a journey that will take them into the unknown wilds of Panga, and the unknown territory of a robot and human friendship. 

This is such a lovely story set in an imaginative new world. Panga, the world’s one continent is carefully divided into areas for human living and carefully protected wildlife. Balance between the humans and the living world has been found and the people now treat their world with reverence and respect. Chambers has created a world that understands the need for tech for things like communication and data storage, and strives to learn from the devastation that an oil-fueled civilization had on the planet. 

Dex and Mosscap are wonderful and interesting characters. Together, they explore what it means to be human, what it means to evolve, and what it means to be brave. Mosscap is a gentle and enthusiastic robot who loves to learn about everything. Absolutely everything! Their fascination with Dex’s belongings and confusion about many of their actions played out in a delicate balance between child-like wonder and old-soul wisdom. Dex is an incredibly relatable  person who could be from any planet and from any time. Dex is struggling to find their place in the world, their purpose in life, and unsure of why they never feel fulfilled. 

I loved this little book and can’t wait to see what Chambers comes up with next in the series. Will there be more adventures with Dex and Mosscap? Will we get to meet other robots? Explore more of Panga? I know I’ll be watching for book 2.

If you would like to add this lovely novella to your bookshelf, you can find ordering information here: 

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