A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

February 1, 2022

In this second in a new series from Clarke/Locus nominee Chambers, famed Tea Monk Sibling Dex and the robot Mosscap, whose mission is to discover what humanity really needs, have finished up touring the rural areas of the moon where they live and are heading toward habitation. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 4, 2022
Tea monk Sibling Dex and robot Splendid Speckled Mosscap are back for the quietly brilliant second installment in Hugo Award winner Chambers’s Monk and Robot novella series (after A Psalm for the Wild Built). Dex returns from their sojourn into the dangerous wilderness of the Antlers, with Mosscap—the first robot to reach out to humans in the centuries since the Awakening, when robots gained sentience and went off to form their own autonomous societies—in tow. Built in the wild by other robots, Mosscap had never met a human before Dex and is determined to answer the question, “What do humans need?” As Dex and Mosscap navigate their new celebrity status and set out to encounter the full breadth of humanity through Panga’s varied human settlements, the question proves more complicated than either anticipated. The result is a lightly drawn but profound meditation on belief, entropy, and the nature of need and want that once again demonstrates Chambers’s prowess as both a storyteller and a thinker. Quiet and contemplative, empathic and warmhearted, this masterful sequel builds on the themes of the first volume to posit a more sustainable, more caring way of life. It’s both truly comforting and endlessly thought-provoking.

April 22, 2022
When this sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built (2021) starts, Dex, a solitude-loving, tea-serving monk, and Mosscap, a curious robot, are quickly becoming famous. Most of the citizens in Chambers' postapocalyptic, hopepunk world have never seen a robot, and Mosscap wants to meet everyone and see everything as they journey from the far, untamed wilds through the settlements and on to the city. While most are happy to see Mosscap, others question what the return of robots could mean. Both Dex and Mosscap try to find meaning in work and the conversations they have with those they meet along the way. More of this quiet world is revealed on the journey, fleshing out the world building from the previous book in the series. Meeting Dex's complicated and loving family is a highlight of this gentle novella, and the surprise of a pivotal choice makes for a satisfying ending. Recommended for readers of Maja Lunde's The History of Bees (2017) as well as those who want a hopeful glimpse at what our future might look like.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 1, 2022

Tea Monk Sibling Dex wandered into the wilderness to discover something different, and that turned out to be the robot Mosscap, the first to approach humanity since the Awakening, when all robots left. Now everyone wants to meet Mosscap. As the two travel together through Panga's towns, meeting new people and old friends, Dex is by turns frustrated and amazed by Mosscap's wonder for the mundane and incessant questions, while Mosscap learns about community and belonging. Lessons on barter, companionship, family, and presence begin to answer the questions that both Mosscap and Sibling Dex have for themselves and others. Leisurely prose firmly roots setting and characters, with a nonbinary lead and non-traditional family structures, plus finely balanced introspection and interaction. The story is thoughtful, with a gentleness that is as encompassing as any action-filled work. VERDICT Chambers's second "Monk and Robot" novella (following A Psalm for the Wild-Built) continues the quiet, contemplative journey through philosophy, nature, and personal experience.--Kristi Chadwick

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.