The book I read just before this left me feeling rather … not good. Part of what helped me push through was the knowledge that this novella (and thank you to Tor for the ARC) was next in the queue. (Aside: thanks to the rest of the /r/Fantasy mods for both A) understanding exactly what I meant when I said “I need a mug of cocoa and Becky Chambers” and B) sending me pictures of all their cats. Y’all are awesome.)
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.