Prayer for the Crown-Shy

160 pages

English language

Published Nov. 26, 2022 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.

ISBN:
978-1-250-23624-1
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5 stars (15 reviews)

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

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

8 editions

reviewed A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #2)

The best hopepunk I have read to date

5 stars

Definitely the light comfort read I was looking for, and like the first in its series it has just enough moments of emotional tension and and philosophical debate to never get twee or boring. But more than its predecessor, the world this is set in is the most convincing, appealing hopepunk I have yet to read. It's clear that it had gone through some very hard times in the past, but the equilibrium that the books are set in feels plausible and inviting. I can think of many other books whose worlds I'd like to visit, but these are among the few I wish I could move to.

Quick, gentle, sensorially rich read

4 stars

Content warning Oblique reference to ending

As delightful as cozy Science-Fiction gets

5 stars

Even better than the first book in the series! Funnier, more moving and (even) more thought-provoking at once.

In A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, we spend more time focusing on Mosscap, and how it learns the human way of living. Sibling Dex changes and learns too, watching their friends and self-reflecting a lot on what their life used to be and what it has become. I am amazed how subtly the author depicts the evolution of such profound and complex characters in the span of so few pages. It is delicate, soothing, and overall a wonderful read !

I am so very glad Becky Chambers chose to be an author, we'd have missed something great.

Like a soothing cup of tea

5 stars

Another sweet and generous tale, so full of heart and the doubts that can fill one. I found myself moved to think about the world differently and literally reconsidered my career choices at one point while reading. The way the author teases out ideas about identity and self-perception really landed for me.

On a less positive note, this book got me trouble when I laughed out loud in bed and woke up my wife who had just nodded off. Thanks Becky!

๐Ÿ™

5 stars

At first I was low-key disappointed: Mosscap's candid questions slightly annoyed me, and I was dreading the answer. The moment where the story would answer its central question: when all your basic needs are met, what else do you need?

In other stories about the meaning of life (or adjacent themes), I could always relate to the part with the questions, and end up disappointed by the answer that the characters find, because the answer specifically works for them, and not for me. It's probably impossible to answer this kind of question in a way that will satisfy every reader, so why even try in the first place?

And... well, I like the direction that the book took, especially in its last chapter. It made me think of How to do nothing, except that Jenny Odell explains you what Becky Chambers makes you experience.

Also, I just โ€ฆ

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