SciFi Novella Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

 



A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers


A Psalm for the Wild-Built is the start of a new series of novellas (Monk & Robot) by author Becky Chambers, famous for her Wayfarers series.  Chambers' Wayfarers series was well known for being an example of Hopepunk, or optimistic sci-fi featuring a space opera setting where there aren't really any actual antagonists, but instead just a bunch of people from different cultures and races (and very often queer) trying their best to figure their lives forward in happiness.  It was a series that I loved for the most part, with parts of books 1 and 3 being like comfort food that I can reread whenever to cheer me up, so I was super excited to read her newest series.

And A Psalm for the Wild-Built feels like a natural extension of the Wayfarers series, even if it is a different setting, featuring once again an optimistic worldly setting, no real antagonists, and just people trying to figure it all out.  Except this time it's a monk who believes in the god of comfort struggling with a lack of happiness and a robot who is trying to figure out humans alongside him.  If you liked Wayfarers, you'll like this, which is exactly what I was hoping for.  

Quick Plot Summary:  Centuries ago, the robots of Panga awakened with sentience, quit their jobs in factories, and made a deal that they would leave humanity alone and go their own way.  Since then, Panga has reformed its society into a better place, with people like Sibling Dex, a monk and disciple of Allalae, there to provide comfort through teas and talk to humans with their own troubles.  

But despite Dex making a name for himself as a beloved Tea Monk, they can't seem to find something that satisfies themselves, and so they take a leave of absence and head into the wilderness left for nature and not humanity in search of something that will scratch that itch.  There they meet the impossible, an actual robot (named Mosscap) who has decided to answer the question: "What do people need?"  

Thoughts:  Like the Wayfarer series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a story without really much of a plot.  Dex goes on a journey out of the city at first, and when traveling through the villages doesn't satisfy, into the wilderness towards an abandoned temple where they meet Mosscap, a robot, who helps them with obstacles while talking with Dex to try to get answers of its own until they reach the temple at the end.  There's no antagonist, nor any doubt that Dex and Mosscap will make it to the temple or are in any real danger. 

Instead we have a character story with two characters trying to figure out purpose and need.  For Dex, they have become successful and they help so many others, and they're not suffering from a lack of comfort.....but they feel like they aren't satisfied or are without a purpose that really gives them meaning.  And Mosscap really tries and succeeds in some extent with helping them understand that they don't really need a purpose, or a purpose that stays the same, and there can be happiness despite that. 

This is set to be a philosophical and optimistic series, and I'm probably describing it poorly, but it's still very good, and recommended for all Chambers fans.