A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT
A Monk and Robot Book
Becky Chambers
Summary
Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.
Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story 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 will need to ask it a lot. Chambers’ series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
Review
A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT has been on my TBR for a while, and I’ve finally read it. I read it through an audio version.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic, Speculative Fiction, Queer, Philosophical
Format: Novella
Language: Some swearing
Spice Level: Sex mentioned but nothing on the page
Representation: The main character is non-binary
It took me a bit to get into the novella. My interest was engaged when the sibling monk, Dex, meets the robot. Until then, Dex is somewhat floating through existence and feeling dissatisfied. Once Dex takes action (really the second point of action since the monk turned to being a tea monk first) I was fully engaged. I particularly liked the robot.
The book reminds me of existential literature with a twist.
I’d be interested to hear what other people thought of this tale.
Happy reading!
– Michelle
Tales Untangled 
This is definitely not something I would have picked up on my own, but you have me curious!
I saw people talking about it on TikTok and put it on my list. It’s very curious. And it won a Hugo Award.