A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Sci-Fi. Solarpunk
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Long ago, the humans of Panga consumed their planet to the brink of disaster, and the robots gained self-awareness and chose to disappear into the forests. Human society rebuilt itself with sustainability and harmony, and now a Tea Monk named Dex travels to villages offering comfort and ritual by the mugful. Dex enjoys their mission and yet they are not completely fulfilled, and impulsively they leave the known roads in search of long-lost cricket song. Sibling Dex soon encounters a mythical robot named Mosscap, making the first known contact between humans and robots in hundreds of years, and together they embark on a journey to answer the robot’s only question, “What do humans need?” …
My Review: This book feels like a warm hug for anyone who’s been feeling a bit lost or restless. Chambers creates a lush world where everyone has value, and humans have finally learned from their mistakes and figured out how to live comfortably and respectfully with the natural world. The novella reads like a modern parable, clever and comforting as it deals with complicated themes of identity, purpose, ecology, and more. In a utopia, the main conflict is having every need met and still being plagued by the annoying human trait of dissatisfaction, so those looking for action should probably skip. My only complaints are that the character’s religion felt too basic and clumsy for an enlightened society (or maybe just was not explained well), and the format of the story as the first novella in a series of two is frustrating – why not just publish the entire story as a fully-fleshed novel? Overall, this story is a refreshing departure from the usual doom of dystopian fiction, and one I think most anyone will appreciate.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Wholesome, Optimistic, Philosophical
Give This a Try if You Like… The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
