Name: A Psalm for the Wild-Built
ISBN: 9781250236210

Becky Chambers

Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new 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?

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Marisa S. Pan 

sage

Naomi J.

Mosscap considered. “Because I know that no matter what, I’m wonderful,” it said.

Alli

The place ahead was simply the world, as the world had always been and would always be. Dex was, presumably, a part of it, a product of it, a being inextricably tied to its machinations. And yet, faced with the prospect of entering the world unaided, unaltered, Dex felt helpless. Hopeless.

“That's something I'm doing. Thats not my reason for being. When I am done with this, I will do other things. I do not have a purpose any more than a mouse or a slug…”

You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don't know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.

Clara Schweiger

Sometimes, a person reaches a point in their life when it becomes absolutely essential to get the fuck out of the city. It doesn't matter if you've spent your entire adult life in a city, as was the case for Sibling Dex. It doesn't matter if the city is a good city, as Panga's only City was. It doesn't ter that your friends are there, as well as every building you love, every park whose best hidden corners you know, ev- ery street your feet instinctively follow without needing to check for directions. The City was beautiful, it really was. A towering architectural celebration of curves and polish and colored light, laced with the connective threads of el- evated rail lines and smooth footpaths, Alocked with leaves that spilled lushly from every balcony and center divider, each inhaled breath perfumed with cooking spice, fresh nectar, laundry drying in the pristine air. The City was a healthy place, a thriving place. A never-ending harmony of making, doing, growing, trying, laughing, running, living.

Before long, Dex was no longer nursing something as simple as an odd fancy for a faraway insect. The itch had spread into every aspect of their life. When they looked up at the skyscrapers, they no longer marveled at their height but despaired at their density-endless stacks of humanity, packed in so close that the vines that covered their engi- neered casein framnes could lock tendrils with one another. The intense feeling of containment within the City became intolerable. Dex wanted to inhabit a place that spread not up but out.

They pulled out their pocket computer, as was their habit first thing, dimly aware of the hope that always spurred them to do so-that there might be something good there, something exciting or nourishing, something that would replace the weariness.

I bet you could travel that road for days and never see another person, they thought. The wagon's got all you need.

erin alise 

We all just want to be comfortable, well-fed, and unafraid. 

Amelia

You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don't know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don't need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.

Sorry to everyone on my socials that didn't enjoy this book, but I'm having a great time. This hits me right in my Studio Ghibli solar plexus. 

Catherine

But a Factory Age building, a metal building---that was of no benefit to anything beyond the small creatures that enjoyed some temporary shelter in its remains. It would corrode until it collapsed. That was the most it would achieve. Its only legacy was to persist where it did not belong.

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? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A needed journey around the ways we relate to each other, purpose, and finding our way ‘home’.

geleisa

This book was a breath of fresh air! It was light and creative and philosophical. There was not much to the plot, I never felt stressed, and it was so easy to enjoy. The author created a world I wanted to cuddle up in. I can’t wait to read the next one. 

Angel Hammon

Great book to understand the concept of "purpose" for humans (and robots)!

Hamed Khalidi

I’m usually not one to be drawn to “philosophical fiction” but I thoroughly enjoyed and it was very cute

Anna Oeltjenbruns

This is like a ghibli movie in a book, cosy and warm and like a hug. I wanted to love it a little more but the last chapter dragged a little for me. 

Hannah Bateman

I have wanted to read this book for ages based off a recommendation I can't remember but it was amazing. 

The story is so human, so warm and comforting, so bleak and tempestuous. You get a real sense of the characters struggle, the internal turmoil but overall the book is full of goodness and empathy. Chambers handles all of this with a delicate hand a gentle wit.

This book also provides a vision of, but not a full fledged roadmap to, a different kind of human society. Something more sustainable and more equal. 

Liam Richardson

I have wanted to read this book for ages based off a recommendation I can't remember but it was amazing. 

The story is so human, so warm and comforting, so bleak and tempestuous. You get a real sense of the characters struggle, the internal turmoil but overall the book is full of goodness and empathy. Chambers handles all of this with a delicate hand a gentle wit.

This book also provides a vision of, but not a full fledged roadmap to, a different kind of human society. Something more sustainable and more equal. 

I needed to read this book now, as many of Dex’s questions are my own. A lovely, hopeful, and inspiring little book. Grateful to have found it. 

Sabrina D. 

An absolute breath of fresh air, at a time where I think many people could really use one.

Matt Soria

I had heard so many good reviews about this book. But in the end, I was disappointed with the final result, it took a long time to get into the story. And once we got to the story, I felt like it was cut short and didn't really give back very much. Everyone said it was a comfy and cozy book. I felt a little bit of that, but mostly I felt like I was just wasting my time. And that the story needed a lot more development and work in order to be something really worthwhile.

BC Hark

This was cozier than I was anticipating and a little more philosophical. I think I’ve determined that I need a balance between plot and character driven to really enjoy a story because I’ve read a few books over the last few years that mainly hinges on these conceptual conversations between the main characters, and each time, I find myself wanting more. Despite the lack of engaging plot, I did really enjoy both of the characters, especially Mosscap. It’s probably the autism, but “fish out of water” trope will always be endearing to me. If you know supernatural, you can compare it to Castiel. Overall, I can see why this is a beloved story, but it didn’t excite me the way I was expecting.

Nik ✨

this was super cozy and cute. i appreciate having two non-binary protagonists who are just so good and lovable. god, i love mosscap so much.  

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

This is a super cozy eco futuristic adventure tale with lovable characters and delightful world building. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and just stopped abruptly.

jamiee

will definitely read this again if i feel lost in life

“You and I -- we're just atoms that arranged themselves the right way, and we can understand that about ourselves. Is that not amazing?”

Did not anticipate crying over the robot monk book, but here we are. 

 did the first time I watched it; which is child-like wonder and an awful lot of yearning. Becky Chambers delivered a perfect hug in book form. 

Thoughts about personhood and human purpose set against the backdrop of an enlightened, wildly empathetic world. For tea lovers, peace seekers, and Roomba sympathizers.  

Added bonus of a non-binary main character.

“You and I -- we're just atoms that arranged themselves the right way, and we can understand that about ourselves. Is that not amazing?”

Did not anticipate crying over the robot monk book, but here we are. 

This gave me the same feeling that Howl's Moving Castle did the first time I watched it; which is child-like wonder and an awful lot of yearning. Becky Chambers delivered a perfect hug in book form. 

Thoughts about personhood and human purpose set against the backdrop of an enlightened, wildly empathetic world. For tea lovers, peace seekers, and Roomba sympathizers.  

Added bonus of a non-binary main character.

This book is something you would not expect. It gives you answers to questions you didn't know you had. It has a familiar feeling that you didn't think anyone in the world could feel but you. It starts out a little slow but give it a chance because it just might be what you are looking for.

Stephanie Boisvert

it was tragic to reach the end and realize that this, in present time and for present me, is a good book, but that if i had read it when i was younger, it would have been great (which is to say, this would’ve been a 5 star read for past me). i still really really enjoyed this book! the characters, the exploration of this cyberpunk world filled with new and old, light and darkness, and the prose were all so lovely. it was such a cozy read that i'm glad i picked up <3

avie

Really loved this solarpunk, utopian adventure. So many moments that had me imagining a better world.

exactly what i needed rn. beautiful, thoughtful, philosophical. 

Ellie Younger

Phenomenal book. Beautiful writing, interesting characters, and the message had me sitting and staring into the sky for hours. Please read this book. It’s one of the first in its genre of solar punk and leaves you feeling hopeful and inspired. 

Vienna Cragin

I was expecting a cozy little story about a monk and a robot going on an adventure so I was pleasantly surprised by how this book made me feel and think. Everyone has times where they feel like they've lost their purpose in life and go into a downward spiral struggling to understand what to do next to give their life meaning. And this book answers that question brilliantly, just be. That's it. Go on one adventure at a time even if it's as simple as learning to make a cup of tea.

Cassidy Webb

ren corr

ephe

Kaylee Ray

i found this book exactly when i needed it and i’m grateful for that

This line perfectly captures the heart of 

. Being in the presence of Mosscap and Sibling Dex feels like coming home; comforting, grounding, and deeply resonant. It’s the kind of story that speaks to the quiet questions we all carry, offering gentle reassurance without ever feeling preachy. If you’ve heard this book recommended with enthusiasm, I’m no exception—it’s a solid 10/10 for me.

🏹

You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.

This line perfectly captures the heart of A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Being in the presence of Mosscap and Sibling Dex feels like coming home; comforting, grounding, and deeply resonant. It’s the kind of story that speaks to the quiet questions we all carry, offering gentle reassurance without ever feeling preachy. If you’ve heard this book recommended with enthusiasm, I’m no exception—it’s a solid 10/10 for me.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

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