Winner of the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novella.
In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk & 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?
Staff Choice: Iris
I read this novella halfway through our second year of the pandemic, when I (and a lot of people with me, probably) were in serious need of a warm hug and a strong cup of tea. And great news, because this book pretty much gives you both of those things in a comfortable 150 or so pages.
If, like me, you have come to the conclusion that you will happily read whatever Becky Chambers puts in front of you and love it, this is definitely a book for you. If you're not quite there yet, this book might just be exactly what you need to push you over the edge.
My recommendation: snuggle up in a comfy blanket, make sure you have a pot of tea and some snacks on hand, and just let the story take you.
Staff Choice: Isabelle
Becky Chambers has done it again. So far, I’ve read 6-8 books she’s written, and they never disappoint. This one, however, made me cry, not out of sadness but out of comfort and joy. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a little reminder that productivity isn’t everything. That it’s more than okay and, as this book argues, even necessary to slow down, take a moment for yourself and enjoy the little pleasures in life.
Staff Choice: Tiemen
A short novella about the journey a tea-monk and robot undertake together. Ostensibly solar punk with a feel-good vibe, it has many layers that are also surprisingly confronting. What is our purpose in life? And how do you deal with the realization you might never figure out what you’re actually supposed to do in it?
