A Lazy Reader's Review of "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers

Synopsis

    Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

    Now the life of the tea monk who tells his story 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 will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Review

    So, right off the bat this book leaks solar punk. And I vibe with it so hard. 

    Now, I'll be honest, I originally thought that this book was going to be a sort of collection of shorts where the monk and robot travel together through Panga and ask people they meet what they need and each person will give an insight into the many whims, wants, and needs that plague mankind. This didn't happen. Nevertheless, I went with it.

    This book offers a lot of good things. It's super easy to read and it's under 200 pages so you could read it in one sitting if you really lock in. The solar punk aesthetic is one that I'm not too familiar with and I think this book is a great introduction to the sub-culture. The imagery is very light and cozy and the author had some pretty good prose. 

    However, I think it's length is also it's downfall. Because it's such a short book so much has to happen in so little time. I found it kind of weird that Dex was just so quick to trust the robot. Seeing as though robots had not been seen in such a long time by humans and it also seemed like there was tension between humans and robots. So, it really through me for a loop when Dex spilled his entire life dilemma to the robot. But I suppose it needed to happen since the book is only about 150 pages. 

    I also felt like the quasi-profound message about a person's role in life was just a tad bit forced. Don't get me wrong the message is important and needs to be discussed. We live in a world where, if you're not an ultra productive member of society, don't have you shit together, and haven 't figured out what you want from life all at once, you're seen as weird to keep in kind. So I really do think that the message this book pushes is important, but I feel like it would've gone down so much smoother if the length was just 100-pages longer.

    Overall, I did enjoy this book but the issues I had with it are too big to overlook. I don't know if I'll pick up the second book (which in my opinion should really have been combined with this one but, that's neither here nor there).

Nov. 13, 2024 – Nov. 14, 2024

★★☆☆☆

Favorite Quote: "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."