A Psalm for the Wild-Built

An uplifting read, reminiscent of the alchemist. Filled to the brim with solarpunk optimism. You'll enjoy reading this one.

In reading more about this book after I finished it, which is a hint to it's unexpectedness, I learned the author is known for a genre called "Hopeful Science Fiction." The setup, roughly speaking, is that humanity has succeeded in it's transformation rather than entering a dystopian/post-apocalyptic phase.

That mindset makes this book a joy to read. It offers up a very rich and peaceful world to explore, with introspective characters who encourage reflection on the human condition.

as per title. more stories without the usual american conflicts and cartoony villains. more utopias and less dystopias. more writing that challenges our belief and makes us think, even if shortly, about the possibility of a different world. the relationship between the two characters is beautifully narrated.

I read the Monk and Robot series over a couple of days last year when I was feeling stressed and a little burned out, and they were exactly what I needed.

sweet, beautiful, simple and short. this story came to me on the heels of a hard year, which itself was following a couple more hard years. sibling dex and mosscap were precisely the guides i needed to recenter at the end of this year and think about how to bring a little bit of tea monk energy into the next chapters of my life. i'll be rereading this one.

It's easy to find dystopian science fiction. It's harder to find science fiction that provides a positive image of the future. It's not a blueprint, but you get the sense of a robust society that has overcome its most self-destructive tendencies. Very on-brand (in a good way!) for the author; if you've enjoyed her other books you will enjoy this one as well.

Becky Chamber's works are rare among science fiction stories because instead of action-adventure plots they're about people talking about what it means to be alive.

The first couple of chapters felt like the plot was jumping around a hell of a lot, because they're really just backstory/preamble for the actual story

It's good that there will be a sequel because I do want to know what both Mosscap and Dex will do next

Well-written. Funny. Cute, even. The characters are wonderful, and I am looking forward to their continuing adventures.

A gorgeous poke at a plausible, palpable, provocative world. Also: a timely addition to the "sad-happy speculative fiction" corpus.