A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is a warm snuggle of a book, a lovely cup of tea, sipped while wrapped in a pashmina.

In Panga’s past, robots achieved sentience and retreated to the wilderness. No human has seen one in centuries. After the robots left, humans figured out how to live more in balance with nature and in their lives.

Sibling Dex, a monk of Allalae, feels a lack so decides to learn how to become a tea monk. They travel to different communities, offering people who need it the perfect blend of tea and empathy. And yet, still, Dex feels a restlessness so decides to visit the wilderness, seeking out an abandoned monastery.

On their journey, Dex is met by a robot who asks “What do humans need?”

This book while slight has large ideas. And Becky Chambers delivers with intriguing, well-thought-out, well-crafted world-building. Religion, harmony, ecological responsibility, acceptance of Other even when not understood.

I appreciated that Sibling Dex’s being nonbinary wasn’t delved into or endlessly commented on – it just was. And for those who think the singular use of they/them is confusing, this proves you wrong. Whether Dex was in a group, alone, or with just one other person, I never had trouble following who was meant when only pronouns were used.

Hopepunk, solarpunk, opposite of grimdark, however, you label it, this is fabulous writing, creative world-building, and intriguing ideas. I can’t wait to see where she takes us in the next book!

I only started reading Becky Chambers very recently and yet this felt like coming and the author has quickly become one of my favourites. The easy and casual non-binary rep just makes me so happy as a non-binary gremlin

This novella is so beautiful. It imagines a world where Robots first become self aware and then excuse themselves from human society to live in the wilderness. Since that time humanity has learned to live an existence that is gentler and more in harmony with nature, but for the monk, Sibling Dex something is still missing. They first become a tea monk, and then go on a journey into the wilderness to seek out a hermitage that has been left abandoned to the elements for 200 years. Along the way they become the first human to make contact with a robot, since the robots removed themselves from society.

It's a beautifully written story about what it means to have purpose and to live in the world. I loved the imagining of a world where humanity find a way to live in harmony with nature.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (comes out on July 13) is the first book in Chambers’ new solarpunk “Monk & Robot” series. The premise is that, several hundred years before the book begins, humanity had been a very industrialized society, with robots doing most of the work. Suddenly, and inexplicably, the robots developed sentience. They had no ill-will towards humanity, but neither did they want to keep working for them; they went off into the wilderness, simply wishing to be left alone. In the years since they left, humanity has developed into an enlightened, peaceful society living in harmony with the environment.

The main character, Dex, is a kind of cleric known as a “tea monk.” Dex travels the country in his bicycle-powered camper, going from village to village where he provides people with a sympathetic ear and a nice cuppa. Dex is very good at their job, but finds it more and more unsatisfying. Desperately trying to find some kind of meaning, Dex departs into the wilderness, where they meet a robot - the first robot/human encounter since they departed.

The heart of the Wayfarers series is carried into the Monk & Robot books: taking a look at humanity by having the reader see humanity from an outside perspective. That is exactly what takes place here, as the robot wants Dex to explain humanity to them.

In the past I’ve called Becky Chambers’ books “balm for the soul.” If you’ve read them, you know what I mean by that - her books leave one feeling optimistic in a way nothing else really does. Sure, maybe life is unfair, and bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it, but it’s still worth taking the time to appreciate just how amazing life is. Most people, whatever they look like on the outside, are still just people trying to get by, everyone with their own challenges and struggles. And if we can learn to understand that, to see everyone around us as people, then maybe life will be a little less unfair and the stars will be a little bit brighter. No one in Chambers’ books lives happily ever after; the struggles are still there. The magic of Chambers is in making them just a bit easier to bear.

Oh, how I loved this! How it felt like a wonderful hug, a necessary one right when [this reader, anyway] most needed it. It's deceptive in its simplicity, this set-up of the tea monk who meets a robot after nobody has seen a robot in generations... and it isn't much more than this, to be honest! But there's so much there-there, you know?

I liked this a lot. It was like getting cozy and curling up with the perfect cup of tea in book format.

Hundreds of years ago, robots achieved self-awareness and decided they didn’t want to do work for humans anymore. Humans were fine with this, so the robots left to be by themselves away from humans.

Sibling Dex is a tea monk. From what I could tell, tea monks are like...spiritual therapists who listen to you and blend you a tea just right for your current mood so you can sit and drink it and just be at peace or relax or feel better or whatever for the length of time to drink your tea. Dex spends their life traveling from town to town doing their tea monk thing, until one day they just....don’t want to go to the next scheduled town. They have everything they ever wanted, they’re finally really good at being a tea monk, but something is missing and they don’t know what. So they take a road they’ve never taken before, end up in the woods and meet a robot named Mosscap. Mosscap has volunteered to be the robot emissary to go back among humans to check on them and see how they’ve gotten on without robots over the last few hundred years and see if they have everything they need.

Imagine. You wake up one morning after a long sleep. Birdsong fills the morning air, and the sun warms your skin through the windows just right. After getting ready, you sit down with a nice cup of tea and breathe in the aroma. Everything seems how it should be, so you think, "Dammit all! I just want to hear some fucking crickets! Is that too much to ask?"

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is about a monk, Sibling Dex, who leaves their current assignment because they damn well felt like it. They had a nagging thought in the back of their mind that wouldn't go away. Crickets. Were there any crickets left in this future where the wild and civilization seemingly intertwine? Of course, seemingly is the operative word here. Dex decides they want to hear crickets, which can't happen in the City. How about the rural areas? Perhaps. They settle on becoming a tea monk. Can't be hard, listening to other people talk and making them a cup of tea.

Providing a comforting, cozy environment and understanding people's needs....well, it's not easy.

Dex is an incredibly diligent worker but is always on the move, never relaxing. Not really. Their worldview shatters when they meet Mosscap, a robot who appears straight out of the wild. The real wild. Not that manicured, carefully cultivated place. Mosscap accompanies Dex because it's curious about humans and wants to learn more about them. It appears quite charming and novel at first but quickly becomes a bit of a nuisance. Its questions seem pointless. Of course we don't eat the skin of an onion. Would you stop asking so many questions? But then you realize that Mosscap's questions are only annoying because they make you think and consider things you didn't want to think and consider.

Oh sorry, we were talking about Dex. Yes, they just want to hear crickets and then....I don't know. The burning question looming behind this book is "What's the purpose?" Dex is constantly searching for a purpose for everything. Everything has a purpose. So what's their purpose? This book is short and starts off a bit on the slow side, but it asks a lot of questions and makes quite an impact. It's a cup of tea you need at the moment, even if you don't realize it yet yourself.

This is the story of Sibling Dex, who lives in the only city on Panga, which is a rather lush moon. They are a monk of one of the many gods that are worshipped on Panga, and decide one day that they are not fulfilled by being just a monk but would like to be a tea-monk, who travels around Panga giving advice and serving tea from their traveling wagon. One day on their travels, Dex meets Mosscap, a robot. Probably the first robot that any human has seen for over two hundred years, since the robots all attained consciousness and then moved into the wilds. Mosscap asks, ‘what do people need?’ and our adventure is had while trying to answer that question.

I loved this one. I didn’t realize until I was nearly halfway through it in not a great amount of time that this is a novella, but, that said, I think that it is perfectly as long as it needs to be. The writing is fantastic, per usual from Becky Chambers, and the book is paced really well.

Dex is a great character to root for. They are… so relatable to me. So, so much. A bit foul mouthed, and tries their best even when they’re not sure what they want to do with their life. Mosscap and its relationship with Dex by the end of this book was fantastically done and it left me wanting more without leaving this story in a place that didn’t feel complete.

I can’t wait to read more Monk and Robot adventures. I’d like to travel this interesting world with Dex and Mosscap in however many stories there are to be of it. So much fun.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say a lot of people need this novella in their lives, especially with where we are as society.
A PSALM FOR THE WILD BUILT is a story about a nonbinary monk who upends their life to be a tea monk, traveling the world to bring people tea and listen to their problems. Their normal routine is broken by a sudden drive in their heart to visit an abandoned place and even further broken by a robot joining them. Robots haven’t been seen in years and this one has a very specific purpose in coming back to humanity. What follows is a wonderful journey.
Solarpunk is just such a nice genre. It’s just so nice to be able to see a world where humans sort their shit out and can living in a sustainable way.
Dex, the tea monk, was such a wonderful main character. They were just super relatable in their journey and also nice? You might think with a profession of “monk” they’d be stuck up, but that’s definitely not the case. They panic and handle things poorly and swear. A very good main character to drive the message across overall.
The robot was both parts knowledgeable and fun. It’s ignorant about a lot of human things and that ignorance was the right amount of fun, but not too heavy handed to be annoying.
These two go on such a great journey. It felt a little like those Greek philospher’s dialogues where two characters talk to reveal the author’s message. The monk and robot do more than just drive the author’s message across, but that aspect was there and it wasn’t unwanted. And like I said, the message is super important considering what humanity has gone through in the past year and is still going through.
I rated this novella 4 stars and will definitely be continuing in the series!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go open my window and listen for crickets.

“Sometimes, a person reaches a point in their life where it becomes absolutely essential to get the fuck out of the city”

With lines like this, I was always gonna like this book.

This is almost a short story honestly, with some utterly beautiful passages about life, meaning and fulfillment, and I only wish it had been a bit longer and more developed as the idea and the world here are great!

This is a slightly dystopian world where everyone strives to live in balance with nature and monks go around with tea carts making people custom blends..... but sometimes you need to leave it all behind to observe “that which has no design - the untouched wilderness”.

Basically, Becky Chambers writes for my reading niche almost so perfectly I can't quite handle it, and almost every book of hers literally feels like something I've been waiting for for years.

Becky Chambers has designed this beautiful combination of comfort/cozy environments and science fiction, allowing readers to completely escape their own world for a while, all while discussing the deepest topics of what it means to be human.

A tea monk (a tea maker mixed with a therapist) is unsure of their true purpose. They have been successful in a few ventures they have attempted in their life, but have become complacent and seeks a new purpose. Going beyond the areas people now populate, this tea monk meets a robot who seeks to learn about the current humans, and they begin to learn from each other, expand their experiences and push each other to relate in new ways.

This is a novella that you want to spend some time in. Chambers constructs a beautiful and poignant sentence which really brings you into the world she has imagined.

I received this as an early review copy from NetGalley and Tor.com. All opinions are my own.

I was immediately intrigued by Becky Chambers' dedication at the start of this book, which reads "For anybody who could use a break." And what a wonderful break it was! Chambers masterfully fits a wonderfully warm story with charming characters into just 160 pages. Sibling Dex leaves their post as a garden monk in the city to head out for a fresh start as a traveling tea monk. They master the art of tea making and use it to provide a healing space for the people they meet during their travels. But the joy and rewarding feeling of a new job eventually begins to fade. Sibling Dex once again finds themself looking for something different and fulfilling out of life when they meet Mosscap, a robot on a mission. As the two spend time together, Chambers has the reader questioning the very human, constant pursuit of finding greater meaning in life. This book is fun and gentle, and will leave you wanting to take your own refreshing break from the business of everyday life, just like Sibling Dex.

I don't really know how to describe this little book, except to say that it was soothing. The solarpunk setting is very hopeful, and yet the monk is still believably dissatisfied with their options in life. The robot is such a fun character, too. Their curiosity is a really good contrast to the monk's ennui and their interactions stir up a lot of interesting ideas. It's definitely a book full of little snacks for thought. The gentleness of A Psalm for the Wild-Built is such a needed respite from the seriously complicated problems of the world right now.

Becky Chambers is, without question, one of the most talented SF writers working today. A must-buy for all collections where SF is popular.

This is a story that could only come from a time of turmoil and fatigue. I did feel like it was just for me, as a mental health worker feeling burned out from the pandemic. I loved the idea of it. A priest searching for something that may not exist anymore and a new quest they get to explore. Honestly it also read to me like a philosophy text within a text if that makes sense. Like Symposium is initially about friends at a dinner party this too is a story about a person doing tea service. Through conversations with another it becomes something else entirely. I’m going to give this story to friends who are tired. And weary. And ready for something to change.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a short novella that was fast paced and a great read. This was a different kind of book then the usual books that I read and I loved every moment of it. I am excited to read other things from this author.

I'm a new and recent convert to the works of Becky Chambers thanks to one of my team members' suggestions, so I'm thrilled that this book is just as amazing and important as her earlier titles.

Chambers excels at writing stories with protagonists who illuminate the best aspects of beingness in individuals with vast differences depicted with an unusual kindness. In this delightful book a biological being and a machine being become travel companions and discover aspects of themselves through their relationship. This short book is somewhat like a TARDIS, much larger on the inside that it appears before one enters.

What a sweet book about discovering your own humanity, from a robot no less! The story follows Dex (they/them), a monk who has had enough of the city and longs for nature. The world they inhabit was once populated by robots, but robots retreated to the wilderness and have not been made human contact in recent memory. Dex decides to go to a rural area and take up a job as a tea monk, listening to people's problems as they serve them tea. The job has great meaning, but Dex still feels like they have not fulfilled their true purpose and are unsure of what that purpose is. On a pilgrimage to an abandoned temple in the wilds, Dex meets Mosscap, the first robot to make human contact. Mosscap tells Dex of its mission: to help humanity. Mosscap's way of being is a lot like Taoism. Mosscap and the other robots live in harmony with nature and do not strive for a "purpose." They just live in the moment and enjoy nature. Dex has taken on so much of other people's problems. It is refreshing for them to finally be able to unload to someone else. Mosscap becomes Dex's "tea monk." It is a beautiful book and a worthy read.

4.5 stars

A tea monk encounters a robot. The first robot checking in with humans in generations, ever since the robots gained consciousness and freedom.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a lovely, lush, hopeful piece of science fiction set in a world that is maintained sustainably in ways our own is not. It's deeply philosophical about the meaning of life, purpose, and death.

It's inclusive in a way that is built easily into the world. Our tea monk is non-binary and thus referred to as "sibling" rather than brother or sister. And the job of a tea monk? To listen to people who are hurting or anxious and offer them the perfect cup of tea in a safe space. It's a lovely, soft, thought-provoking little novella and I'm looking forward to book 2 already. I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.