A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Hardcover, 160 pages

English language

Published July 11, 2022 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.

ISBN:
978-1-250-23623-4
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4 stars (9 reviews)

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

3 editions

Another refreshing slice of life story about Dex and Mosscap's travels

4 stars

Becky Chambers has a way of bringing the text down to the little details, reminding the reader to slow down and look at the flowers for a while. There are so many good lines in here that talk about self love and the importance of rest and community.

I adored getting to see more of the setting that Dex and Mosscap travel through. Seeing the different ways of life and philosophies surrounding survival (or in this utopian world, comfort) called me to reflect on how I live, and brought my understanding of myself into better focus.

4/5 for being another beautiful book. I truly believe that everyone will be able to get something positive out of reading this duology.

An enjoyable and thoughtful read as we discover, along with the robot, what humans may need.

4 stars

An enjoyable and thoughtful read about the continuing journeys of a tea monk and a robot who wants to know what humans need. Plot-wise, there isn't much; but in terms of musing over the condition of humans, nature and one robot, there is plenty.

Both the monk and the robot have returned to human civilization, with the robot eager to visit and discover more about the human area and various human communities (with one exception) eager to learn more about the robot.

Through their interactions, the robot (and us readers) learn more about the human society that rose after the robots achieve sentience and left the factories, and about how they now live in a more ecological sustainable manner while maintaining some technology.

But would it be enough to answer the question the robot first asked about what humans need and how it can help them?

🙏

5 stars

At first I was low-key disappointed: Mosscap's candid questions slightly annoyed me, and I was dreading the answer. The moment where the story would answer its central question: when all your basic needs are met, what else do you need?

In other stories about the meaning of life (or adjacent themes), I could always relate to the part with the questions, and end up disappointed by the answer that the characters find, because the answer specifically works for them, and not for me. It's probably impossible to answer this kind of question in a way that will satisfy every reader, so why even try in the first place?

And... well, I like the direction that the book took, especially in its last chapter. It made me think of How to do nothing, except that Jenny Odell explains you what Becky Chambers makes you experience.

Also, I just …

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5 stars