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    A Psalm for the Wild-Built
    A Psalm for the Wild-Built
    A Psalm for the Wild-Built
    Audiobook4 hours

    A Psalm for the Wild-Built

    Written by Becky Chambers

    Narrated by Em Grosland

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    "Narrator Emmett Grosland conjures the essence of a troubled soul in search of peace in this gentle audio."—AudioFile Magazine

    In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and Robot series gives us hope for the future.

    It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

    One day, the life of a tea monk 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're going to need to ask it a lot.

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

    A Macmillan Audio production from Tordotcom

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJul 13, 2021
    ISBN9781250807748
    Author

    Becky Chambers

    Becky Chambers is a science fiction author based in Northern California. She is best known for her Hugo Award-winning Wayfarers series, which currently includes The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, A Closed and Common Orbit, and Record of a Spaceborn Few. Her books have also been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Locus Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction, among others. Her most recent work is To Be Taught, If Fortunate, a standalone novella. Becky has a background in performing arts, and grew up in a family heavily involved in space science. She spends her free time playing video and tabletop games, keeping bees, and looking through her telescope. Having hopped around the world a bit, she’s now back in her home state, where she lives with her wife. She hopes to see Earth from orbit one day.  

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    Reviews for A Psalm for the Wild-Built

    4.5/5

    927 ratings31 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A sweet and uplifting story that manages to be very science fiction and also very simple dealing with life and nature at the same time.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This was a beautiful, heart warming book! I found it very difficult to stop listening.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A short book but I loved it. I want to find my very own Mosscap! and I want to follow both of these characters on their travels going forward. Would recommend 100%.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      An atmospheric delightful book where a non-binary monk and a robot meet and explore land together while exploring philosophical topics.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I fell in love with this book in the first chapter and fell even more in love with it as it progressed. The narrator did a fantastic job. I can't wait for any possible sequels that may come next

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This novella is a slow-medium paced exploration of the purpose, self, and an exploration of 'what do people need?' It's a character based book and it asks questions that are worthwhile to contemplate. If you are looking for something that has a similar feel to her Wayfarer series - this will have some tones that are not discordant with the last two in the series but this is not spaceships, tech, and aliens. Now I'm off for a cup of tea.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed the simplicity of the story. I loved that the drama and issues they face are, for the most part, not life threatening and that the story is more about the struggles we face as humans trying to find meaning. This book is like your favourite cup of tea. It’s gentle, warm and comforting. It’s definitely not for everyone as it might come across to some readers as slow, or perhaps a little dull but I would encourage anyone considering this book to give it a chance. It’s a very quick read, with the audiobook only slightly longer than most movies - I think that it may surprise you with how lovely a story it is.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A shining blue heart in the whirring cosmos of Solarpunk fiction, it is not often I read a book with such in-depth and outlandish worldbuilding, and yet so deeply human and compassionate. A post industrial society on a moon orbiting a gas giant is a far cry from the day to day lives we live here on earth, but it feels at once hopeful and very sombre.

      As a background to the very human struggle of finding purpose, and a main cast of two very distinct but wholly memorable characters, this is John Bunyan on steroids, outside of Asimov's wildest fever dreams, and the best thing since the destabilisation of the consumer market for pre sliced bread.

      A must read for anyone who wants a cozy societal collapse, a positive view on the future of AI or maybe just a nice cup of tea.

      "I hope you like it"
      ~R
    • 5/5
      I am not a sci-fi person at all, but this one blew me away. The characters are delightful as well as insightful, making this a lovely, tender read.
    • 5/5
      This book was what I never knew I needed. It was perfect for the headspace I was in when I picked it up, and I loved it. It's so sweet and lovely and just felt like a warm hug ... or perhaps a warm mug of tea. I found myself myself smiling throughout most of the book, and I would LOVE to have my own Splendid Speckled Mosscap! They are truly aforable and kind and generous and loving. The perfect friend for Sibling Dex. This book has my whole heart, and I can't wait to read the sequel. Also, the audio narration was stellar and really pulled me into the story. Chef's kiss
    • 5/5
      An audiobook equivalent of a warm hug. This was incredibly charming! Narrator did a very good job to bring characters to life.
    • 5/5
      I loved listening to this. Really great book that touches on many topics that are important today.
    • 5/5
      Simple, wholesome and oh so relatable to our work work work society. Even if you do something you love, the pace, the repetition, even the idea of it can eventually feel like it's draining your soul and you need to run off into the woods and be free.
    • 5/5
      A Psalm for the Wild built feels like a freshly cleaned hoodie, and cozy tiny corner and a soft blanket. The world building is done immaculately considering it’s only 4 hours long. Learning that this book has a second installment filled me with instant giddy. First cozy book I’ve tried and instantly hooked by Chambers’ writing style.
    • 5/5
      Though I'm sure it would be a great read for others too, A Psalm for the Wild-Built was a particular treat for my enneagram 4 soul. Unexpected friendship across all kinds of differences, grown through the experience of exploration and witness of beauty in unknown places of the world and the self, culminating in a rich conversation about purpose and a choice made over a terrible yet wonderful cup of tea. Going on my read-it-again-and-again list.
    • 5/5
      This is a short story about Sibling Dex, a monk, and Mosscap, a robot.

      This was really cute. It had laugh out loud moments but, it also had moments that made me really think about life, a human's "purpose", depression, and religion.

      I was speaking to a friend about this novella and they said it's basically "a hug in a book" and I think that's accurate. I'm definitely going to continue the series.

      I'm giving this novella a 5 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It's a cozy and comforting story. But everytime a futuristic book doesn't have a vegan lifestyle, I get disappointed. It would have been the perfect inclusion in this world. I'll keep looking for a perfect book for me. I'll definitely read more by this author.
    • 4/5
      I loved the world created in this story… an environmentally conscious near-utopia? But that makes it sound rather dull, when it was actually rich and colorful. The story was thoughtful, charming, and entertaining. It read almost like a fable and it definitely had lessons in mind, but I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the teas and cooking, so I didn’t really mind. Some lessons I could stand to learn, maybe.
    • 5/5
      I hope that I love volume 2 just as much.
    • 5/5
      So sweet and heartwarming. So descriptive and everything described makes you feel there and warm and cared for. Highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this story. We all struggle in life, and that is depicted wonderfully. The world is interesting but not the main focus. I definitely recommend to anyone struggling to find purpose or feeling alone.
    • 3/5
      It's clearly just a setup for future works. A bit dissapointing.
    • 5/5
      This is the first time I've read a book that uses the pronoun 'they' that is pertaining to a single person so it was a bit confusing at first but I got used to it. As for the story itself, it was complex and simple at the same time. It touches a relateable feeling that probably most people have felt before. 'What's my purpose in life?'. I have so many musings while listening to its book. I simply love it!
    • 5/5
      A cozy book set in a modern, fun, and hopeful solarpunk-esque future. It was brimming with philosophy set into the mouths of characters in a way that somehow does justice to both the characters and the ideas, ala Daniel Quinn’s Ishamel. Gorgeous and wholesome without approaching twee, this is one of my favorites in a while.
    • 5/5
      I already loved Becky Chambers Wayfarer series. This one is more thoughtful but weaving the same beauty, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, peering into the depths of what makes us human
    • 5/5
      A wonderfully written story that transports you to another world!
    • 5/5
      A fascinating story about a tea monk looking for a purpose and a robot looking for an answer to the age-old question: What Do Humans Want?

      You'll find yourself asking the same questions as the story unfolds, with the book taking a meandering stroll through various deep topics, all while our main characters struggle to figure out themselves.

      If you enjoy Becky Chambers at all, make sure to grab this!
    • 5/5
      how lovely! the becky chambers cozy sci-fi cinematic universe continues.
    • 5/5
      You know when your purpose or spirit is flailing around? Well along came this book and it was just what I needed to hear. It filled up my “cup of tea” with being here and alive!
    • 5/5
      A delightful mix of post AI sentience sci-fi, philosophy, and re-discovering one’s self.
      I’m in love with the nonbinary main character and green reimagined world they live on.
      I was left wanting more of the world and ecstatic to find the sequel ready and waiting.