A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: A Monk and Robot Book: 2 (Monk & Robot)

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Also on a purely personal note—because I am obsessed with robots—I was kind of hoping to meet more robots, or at least learn a little more about them … but ultimately, like all books about robots, these are books about people, and it wouldn’t ultimately make sense for the narrative and emotional arcs of the story to introduce more robots to us. So that isn’t really a complaint, just a random public confession about my intense feelings for robots. Sorry about that. But if, like me, you're secretly hoping to meet more robots, you won't. You honestly won't really feel like you're missing anything, but temper your expectations regardless.

These themes are as tenderly explored in this series as everything else. Inside the small economy of a novella, Chambers gives them both weight and weightlessness all at once: they are not so grim or overwhelming that they overshadow the overall charm and playfulness and humor of the story (which is frankly feels-pummelingly good!), but they nonetheless assume a fully weighted presence in the narrative (I love, for example, how the meandering quality of the plot in this book echoes so perfectly the searching lost-ness that the characters feel). I know I spoke about this a little in my review of the first book, but I need to reiterate it here because it’s so important to me. Without context, it seems bizarrely negative to say I loved that Sibling Dex has mental health issues and exists in a world where human unhappiness is real and allowed to be real, despite the fact that humanity as a whole has learned to live in harmony both with the natural world and (mostly) with each other. I’ve used the word utopian a lot, but I guess the setting would more accurately be described as aspirational. But there’s a danger, in general, I think when we talk about utopian/aspirational settings to kind of *flatten* individual humanity into a kind of consensus of assumptions about what moral virtue is or how happiness can best be found. Which kind of ends up leading to this situation where, say, people with mental health issues have just sorta been … written out of our vision of an optimistic future? And I mean, like, thanks? I don’t think my existence is oppositional to a more compassionate and functional society. And once you’ve ditched the mentally ill you’re in this whole eugenics-ey groove without even noticing how you got there: I mean, what about people with disabilities, and queerness is kind of complicated, and would it just be easier all-round if everyone was white. But underneath the warmth and fuzz is a serious existential enquiry. What does it mean to be human or robot? What do we want from our connections with the universe? Seen through a robot’s eyes, the conventions even of this respectful and ecological society can seem bizarre. I was close to tears a couple of times, once when Dex and Mosscap went fishing, once when they walked through the woods. This kind of writing is deceptively simple, but it takes great skill to write deeply about such seemingly ordinary things and fill them with wide-eyed wonder. A stunning book.

New in Series

The variety of human settlements, towns, villages and communities across Panga offer diverse models of peaceful, generally utopian communities. While Panga doesn’t have money, for instance, the communities across it share a system of credit and thanks focused on contributing to others. These communities are not all the same as each other, but they share an overall religion and worldview that prioritizes sustainability. That theme makes it particularly interesting to me that Dex’s non-gendered pronouns are they/them, since it is significant which things Dex does alone, with other humans, or with Mosscap. I often had to reread passages to discern whether a singular or plural “they” was in use. For me personally, this had the effect of emphasizing focus on the theme of the individual’s interactions with the community. The answer to this is, of course, there is nothing wrong with Dex. They’re experiencing the human condition. Mosscap points this out, reminding both Dex and the reader that needing rest or care or a change of pace does not require justification, nor is it wrong to want them even when things are going well. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to earn the right to be alive. You are allowed to just be. Mosscap nodded. “I feel that way with anything I observe in the wilds. And I suppose that’s why I don’t understand the need for this—no offense, I hope.” Escape Rating A: If you’re looking for a story that will shed some light into the darkness, just as those crown-shy trees let light through to the forest floor, read A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Because they are the purest of hopepunk, and we all need that right now.

Thoughtful, with a gentleness that is as encompassing as any action-filled work.” — Library Journal, starred review Mosscap walked up behind them, observing. “May I ask why you do this, given that Bosh will not notice?” it asked. Dex (a nonbinary monk) and Mosscap (a robot) are travelling together from village to village, Mosscap in the hope of finding what it is that humans need and Dex in the hope of finding themself.Yet still, when Mosscap and Dex arrive at a small human settlement populated by people who culturally reject technology, I braced myself. Dex warns Mosscap that, to these humans, it is a walking embodiment of everything they disapprove of. When a local approaches them, there’s a sense that anything could happen. Surely, I reasoned, this would escalate into some kind of standoff, if not directly violent then at least tense and difficult. And the atmosphere is tense; Chambers plays with expectations exceptionally well while also managing to always exceed and upend them. I listened to it and that is my only gripe really. While the narrator does a good job with subtly voicing the characters, she has a weird way of subtly emphasising the neutral pronouns used for Sibling Dex, which actually contributed to my occasional confusion about who was being referred to. The text did not flow when she said, "THEY did this and THEY did that" It sounded a bit like she was referring to someone else (who was maybe mentioned earlier?), even though it was kind of obvious that it was Dex. It was a shame, because it very often threw me out of the narrative.

Envisioning a world where, even in the face of great upheaval, the powers that be would ever choose to abandon the death cult of capitalism in favor of collective support and restraint, can be difficult. Such things are easily written off as escapist fantasy. But then again, once upon a time so was the idea of humans being able to fly. One day last week Alexa caught me off guard with something like, "Thank you for always being so appreciative. You make this AI very happy". The episode that follows is an engrossing and fascinating philosophical exercise, in which Dex and Mosscap debate concepts of bodily autonomy, self-augmentation, transhumanism, and transparent consumption practices. Also Dex meets a hunky 3-D printer. As the book goes along, a gentle plot unfolds, of Dex grappling to come to terms with supporting others in their role as a tea monk while they are currently feeling unworthy of support. Just as Dex and Mosscap’s travels are exploratory rather than goal-oriented, Dex’s psychological journey is, too. Their travels with Mosscap, their own interactions with different kinds of people and communities, invite readers to consider the ways we find worth and enjoyment in ourselves and each other. Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

Summary

The culmination of this journey is that Dex finds no immediate sense of belonging or fulfillment in the temple itself, which turns out to be little more than a ruin amidst the resurgent forest. The grand catharsis Dex seeks is not waiting there for them, that can only be found within themself. Instead, a much more tranquil exchange takes place, where Mosscap inexpertly facilitates a tea ceremony for Dex, a practice up until now the monk has made their vocation. So much of the Monk and Robot duology is emblematic of the saying, “it’s not the destination but the journey.” As cliché as that sentiment has become, it's worth remembering that the journey here is meant to be life. Life, in all its brief encounters and lasting relationships, its small comforts and grand wonders.