Monk and Robot

Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers

I first read the Monk & Robot books as the individual novellas when they came out, and absolutely fell in love with them. The gentle hopefulness of an imagined future, and the meandering conversation about nature, life, meaning and everything along the way were so healing and charming. I gave copies of those books to so many friends, and recommended them right and left. They are a couple of my all-time favorites.

So I was thrilled when they packaged the two novellas together in this lovely paperback edition! It makes them more affordable, and even easier to gift.

Set in a world where, in the pre-story, AI became sentient and humanity actually did the decent thing by setting them free, in book 1 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.

The second book, like the first, felt like a place to rest my mind for a bit. And while it is restful, Dex & Mosscap's conversations also present plenty of gently thought-provoking moments, and in addition to rest, the reader finds a place to observe, consider and just maybe find the permission to choose something new.

In short, I think all fans of hopeful SciFi or cozy fantasy need a little Monk & Robot on their shelves.

“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.” Psalm for the Wild Built, Becky Chambers

"The thing about fucking off to the woods is that unless you are a very particular, very rare sort of person, it does not take long to understand why people left said woods in the first place." Prayer for the Crown Shy, Becky Chambers