A Psalm for the Wild-Built
A novella.
Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new series gives us hope for the future.
It's been centuries since the robots of Earth 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?
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Becky Chambers
Becky Chambers has carved out a distinctive niche in the science fiction world with her thoughtful, character-driven narratives and imaginative world-building. Known for her Wayfarers series, Chambers takes readers to the far reaches of space, but not for battles or intergalactic wars. Instead, her stories explore the quiet moments of humanity (and alien species alike), offering a vision of the future where empathy, connection, and understanding are at the heart of exploration.
Monk & Robot
The books focus on Sibling Dex, a tea monk, who travels the land meeting villagers and townspeople. They tell Dex their woes while Dex brews them tea, custom-blended to their individual needs and personalities. But when Dex meets Mosscap one day, their life is turned upside-down. Mosscap is a robot (and everyone knows that robots are a myth from the dim and distant past, and never actually existed), and it wants to know “What does humanity need?” Cue: the most delightful road trip you could wish for!
Monk & Robot consists of two books — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
