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

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I think it's worse in A Prayer for the Crown-Shy than it was in the first book because this one is much more people-y, with more time spent in Chambers's ecotopia civilization than in the adjacent wild places.

Somehow, in the absence of contact, they knew exactly where to stop growing outward so that they might give their neighbors space to thrive. With a pervading sense of optimism and warmth, A Psalm for the Wild-Built inaugurates an exciting series from one of science fiction's brightest stars. You honestly won't really feel like you're missing anything, but temper your expectations regardless. Much like Psalm, Prayer isn’t really a book in which anything happens per se: there’s no drama, any conflict is resolved through care and conversation, and—as such—as there isn’t really a climax, at least not in the traditional sense. But the moment they pedaled their wagon out of the wilderness and onto the highway, Dex felt the indescribable relief of switching back to the flip side of that equation—the side in which humans had made existence as comfortable as technology would sustainably allow.Anyway, despite plenty of interesting thoughts and funny interactions between Dex and Mosscap (see: early mornings, ankles), I sometimes found myself annoyed with the ecotopia of Chambers's world, the slightly didactic tone in which money-less post-capitalism exchange is explained, jealousy-free polyamorous families function, and even the provenance of different kinds of bioplastic is detailed. They shed their dirty, sweat-soaked, forest-flecked clothes, set up the camp shower, turned the water on, and stepped into the spray.

There are tender moments scattered here and there throughout the read, but this book has none of Dex’s wisdom offering tea monk services (they’re more of a guide in this novella), and the towns they visit are crowded with fans and onlookers, thus not offering the kind of solitude that A Psalm for the Wild-Built brought to readers by being set in the forests and mountains. it's entirely possible that instead of appreciating that I appreciate her service to me, she'll tell me to get off my fucking ass and turn the lights on myself. If someone told me I would enjoy reading a book about two non-binary characters discussing various aspects of philosophy I would have laughed. Whereas with A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Dex was the student and Mosscap was the teacher, those roles get reversed here as Dex introduces Mosscap to elements of human culture.

As a person, who lived in the USSR and was also interested in social utopian experiments during the last few centuries across the globe, I still consider popular in the West, esp. Also yet another book I should have reviewed much closer to finishing, as my memory of it has grown a little thin. Hugo Award-winning author Becky Chambers begins a new series with this delightful and quietly philosophical novella that presents a hopeful glimpse into a future where humanity actually does the right thing. I feel like a grinch because blah blah philosophy, the meaning of life, we improve ourselves by helping each other, what is consciousness, how to find purpose in the absence of work, etc. 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.

Twenty miles wasn’t so bad, but creamy highway or not, they were still deep in forest and had yet to see anyone else on the road. One day last week Alexa caught me off guard with something like, "Thank you for always being so appreciative. She spends her free time playing video and tabletop games, keeping bees, and looking through her telescope. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising.

They pursed their lips, realizing they’d forgotten to fetch their towel before getting in the shower.

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