Why did I love this book?
I found this book incredibly touching. It’s science fiction of the “Soft Apocalypse” genre - looking at humanity after environmental ruin, with society rebuilt into a kinder, healthier version of itself.
The main character, a monk named Dex, confronts deep questions about finding meaning in life through their developing relationship with Mosscap, a robot they encounter when they head off into the forest.
Part of the premise of the book is that at some time in the past, robots developed consciousness and chose to separate themselves from humanity and live in the wilderness.
After years of science fiction that deals with malevolent sentient AI, like Terminator and The Matrix, it was refreshing to imagine a benevolent version that is just as interested in meaning and inner life as humanity.
13 authors picked A Psalm for the Wild-Built as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
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 honour 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.