This book CHANGED MY WHOLE PERSPECTIVE. I immediately pre-ordered a physical copy which I'll definitely be treasuring forever. This book is lovely, with a comforting story and such an air of peace that I can't even begin to describe. If you want to read a book that feels like a hug, this is the one you want.

I think I'm still taking this book in.

What a fantastic read. Sibling Dex is a Tea Monk, which means they live and travel around in a cart. They set up camp by providing a space for people in the visiting village to come and by cosy on blankets and cushions and they listen to their thoughts/problems and provide a tea blend suited to calm the person. Sibling Dex knows all about plants.

However, it doesn't feel like enough for Sibling Dex so they venture out into the wilderness, where humans no longer live. The wilderness is full of nature and robots. The robots are of the time before, when humans stopped using factories and started to take care of their Earth. The robots were granted freedom and left to learn or do what they will.

When Sibling Dex meets Mosscap they traverse in the wilderness together philosophising about the wonders of the world and what it all means.

I really savoured this book, it was very thought-provoking about the state of the world now with climate change and suggests an alternative way of life that saves the world.

This is another great example from Becky Chambers of hopeful science fiction that leaves the reader feeling joy. Sibling Dex is a great point of view character, encompassing a lot of the existential angst we often feel - how, when we have so much, can we be so unfulfilled? Moscap is a delight and provides a wonderful foil for Dex as it learns about humanity and tries to do good. Overall, this was a delightful hug in a small package and I will be reading the sequel soon.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"A Psalm for the Wild Built" by Becky Chambers is a short and thought-provoking novella that explores themes of environmentalism, individualism, and spirituality. While I appreciated the concept and message of the book, I found the execution to be heavy-handed and preachy at times.

The dialogue, in particular, felt forced and unnatural at times, with characters espousing philosophical and ethical viewpoints in a way that didn't feel organic to the story.

Overall, "A Psalm for the Wild Built" is an interesting and thought-provoking novella that is worth reading for its unique perspective on nature and spirituality. However, the heavy-handed execution may not appeal to all readers, and those looking for a more nuanced exploration of these themes may be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This very much had the same cozy feel of the Wayfarers series. Apparently this is number one in a series, so I really hope this means we'll be getting more Dex and Mosscap.

This was a book for musings. Very low-key. Very cozy. No real struggle or steer involved. Just finding out life and what it is to have purpose. Only 3 stars for now, cause I wanted more development from the characters and their friendship. I wanted more of the world and felt that it was a nice glimpse into the future, but not enough. I’ll read the next one and hopefully figure out more! Thank you to Netgally for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a heartwarming character based book, that somehow captures your heart right from the beginning. Chambers writing is some of my favourite I’ve come across in recent months, it’s comforting and unique in the best way. I love the representation and conversations brought up, in this beautiful slice of life sci-fi dystopia/utopia world. The sci-fi aspects are a interesting contrast to the things that parallel very closely to real life, and are so well done. Chambers is a must read for sci-fi readers and brings something different to the table in a really good way.

I love Becky Chambers' writing style, but I don't appreciate being sold literally the first half of a novel as a full novella.

"Sometimes, a person reaches a point in their life when it becomes absolutely essential to get the fuck out of the city."

While the beginning grabbed me, and how could it not with an opening sentence like that, I will admit to not really loving this until Splendid Speckled Mosscap showed up. And what an entrance it was:

"In that moment, a seven-foot-tall, metal-plated, boxy-headed robot strode briskly out of the woods. “Hello!” the robot said. Dex froze— butt out, hair dripping, heart skipping, whatever thoughts they’d been entertaining vanished forever."

Because Mosscap? Mosscap is absolutely amazing and I love it to pieces. It and Dex's growing friendship was wonderful and sweet and fantastic. Truly, I didn't expect to end up loving this as much as I did, but now I need the next one asap!

The softest cottagecore tale of a monk and a robot. I love them with my whole heart and cannot wait to see the story evolve in the next one!

Mixed feelings. I’m always here for gentle and low-stakes fantasy that meanders into philosophical debates. But I had SO many questions about the Age of Factory/Awakening that were never answered, so it felt like something was missing. Hopefully I’ll get my answers in the sequel!

Also: the optimistic portrayal of how humans happily supported the freedom of conscious robots and then rebuilt their society with less technology… I don’t know, man. We suck as a species. I know the entire point of this SFF novella is imagining a better society, but I might be too much of a cynic to enjoy this series. Yes, I know I’m the worst but I can’t shut my brain off. 😭

Once again, Becky Chambers made me cry in the best way possible. Anyone who is looking for a little bit of hope should put on their comfiest clothes, curl up in their favorite spot with a snack and a hot beverage of choice, and give Psalm a read.

This was a good and enjoyable book and I really liked the writing style here. This made me want to pick up other books written by Becky Chambers especially because I've heard a lot of good things about them! Overall I liked it but it wasn't favorite.

Everything that Becky Chambers writes is great. I will always buy her books for my library, even if my students don't want to read them, because I feel like they SHOULD read them.

I adored this book. Dec and Mosscap were absolutely splendid. I loved the premise and the world building. The character building was also superb. Really, Becky Chambers is just an author I will continue to read as long as she continues to write these types of amazingly detailed books. I laughed, I cried. I loved the friendship that developed. I honestly cannot wait for the next one to come out!

Here's the best thing I took from this book: Dex the tea monk and Mosscap the robot are talking about Dex's malaise as a person in a caregiving profession. Dex, as a tea monk, holds space for others to express their problems and gives them a place where they can find some respite. However, Dex is feeling burned out and unfulfilled, even though they know that they are making a difference. This hits home for me, and I bet it does for a lot of others who give for a living. Dex wants to know if this is all there is. Isn't there some greater purpose? Mosscap says no. Most animals live their lives and die. They don't wonder if there is more- living is what they are for. And aren't humans animals too?

This is a freeing way of looking at things. I've absorbed enough of the Protestant work ethic that I feel like there's always something I should be feeling guilty about. I should be doing more, making more of a difference, improving the world somehow more effectively. But maybe not? Maybe I can turn myself to the work of living my life without needing it to be more than that? I'm interested in that idea.

And as an aside, Dex worships the god of comfort. Isn't it great that comfort and caring is important enough on their world that people devote themselves to it? Our world could use a bit of elevation of importance in caring and comforting others and ourselves.

I guess it had to happen eventually: a Becky Chambers story that I just didn't enjoy. Don't get me wrong - it's not badly written; I don't hate its politics; its heart is in the right place; it has an adorable robot and a harmonious, ecologically sound future - and yet. For all its plus points and its killer opening line (yes, yes, sometimes you do just need to get out of the city), it made me incandescently angry within a couple of chapters and never recovered my goodwill due to my resulting dislike of the protagonist (Dex).

I'm just not interested in narratives where people have terrible decisions rewarded over and over again. The narrative is a sequence of barely-interrogated selfishness and privilege, in a world that doesn't appear to have any consequences. At any point where Dex's decisions should rebound horribly on them, it just works out (with a bit of help from adorable robot Mosscap).

While Dex does eventually achieve a level of self-awareness - and is arguably the perfect person to ask 'what makes humans happy' (because that's what Dex is trying to figure out too) - the character development shown isn't sufficient to make me want to voluntarily spend any more time in their company. Add in a narrative that is rather less subtle than previous novel(la)s in delivering homilies, and I found myself feeling preached at and irritable. I came to this read needing balm for the soul; I left feeling a good deal grumpier than I arrived.

A sweet, enjoyable novel set in a post-catastrophe utopia, in which an unexpected friendship helps a dissatisfied monk find their footing.

This book is as warming and cozy as enjoying a good cup of tea. I ended up starting to read this one on a rainy day while waiting for someone in a parking lot, and finished it while cozied up in bed that same evening. It was both calming and very thoughtful. A safe place to land and to wonder.

Set in a world where, in the pre-story, AI became sentient and humanity actually did the decent thing by setting them free, we follow a tea monk named Dex as they travel around visiting different communities, until they eventually feel pulled to try something a little different. In learning more about the world, and meeting some new characters along the way, we discover a lush world that feels very real. It's built on mistakes made, lessons learned, and continuing to do better. I found it incredibly hopeful.

This is a book for the tea-lovers and the optimists, for the Sci-Fi kids who love to wonder about what happens when AI becomes sentient (and bonus: this one isn't apocalyptic!), for those who need a dose of hope, or for someone who just enjoys good storytelling.