A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

This still had the same brand of fun and introspection that I enjoyed in the first book, but personally I felt like the first book hit harder with the insights.In this one, Sibling Dex and Mosscap begin to make a tour of the human cities left in Panga, introducing Mosscap as the first robot to make contact with humanity since the crisis event long ago in their history. In each city, we meet different people and situations that have Dex and Mosscap questioning the way they view life and the world around them.In the previous book, we had seen Dex and Mosscap meet and then travel together in the wilderness to a hermitage. That leaves a lot of room for conversation. Because it was also their first time meeting each other, there's also a lot more exchange of ideas and mindsets between them, a sort of catching-up between robots and a humanity that has largely thought them only the stuff of legends. Because this book focuses more on Mosscap's interaction with other humans and how Dex facilitates that, I feel like there's a bit more plot and a bit less time to reflect.We are also introduced to a semblance of a currency system in Panga, where pebs are exchanged. This are basically pebbles that are given to someone who renders you a service in order to show your gratitude for receiving their aid, and which you aim to then pay it forward by rendering a service to someone else and possibly getting pebs in return. Ultimately - this seems a lot like regular money but with an element of gratitude and a big dose of an honour system since nothing is actually priced. I found this ambitious and perhaps unrealistically utopian, although I could somewhat excuse it in this book. Panga is itself unrealistically utopian - to even think humanity could learn a lesson and try to avoid mistreating technology and robots after a crisis event! I just didn't think that, if a peb system existed in the real world, we could find any community that was devoid of some people who would abuse it.On a little side note, Mosscap reads a book in Ch 3 called “I, Myself” and that would be an amazing reference to [b:I, Robot 41804 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) Isaac Asimov https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609035271l/41804.SY75.jpg 1796026] if that had been intended.Overall, a great continuation to [b:A Psalm for the Wild-Built 40864002 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) Becky Chambers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600789291l/40864002.SY75.jpg 63655961] and a cozy enough read, but not ultimately essential reading either.

oh boy what an amazing read. I was hooked from the very beginning. Like the first book, this gave such a calming feeling. There were a few moments where I couldn't stop smiling (if you know you know) and there were other moments that made me feel sad... no reflective is a better word for it. It made me think about consciousness and my own purpose in life, something I don't often like to dwell on. But this was in a good way.

I found myself even more in love with Dex and their robot companion, Mosscap. Oh how I wish there was more because I could never get bored of these two. It was an honour to watch them both grow as people (or as an object in Mosscap's case). This is a world that we should strive to be like in the future, because it truly does feel like everyone belongs and is exactly who they need to be. The world survives through altruism, not selfishness, something we should all aim to emobdy one day

I loved this continuation of the story. In the first as well as in the second book I loved how it was about the people much more than it was about the story. It didn't really matter what happened or whether they reached their destination. It was about their thoughts and feelings. 

I think this story, counting the first book as well, has really changed my way of looking at life and the world and all that. I am very thankful for it. 

Probably more of a 3.5.

The first book was an absolute favorite of mine because it came at a time in my life when I was very depressed and I felt that it really spoke to me. While this sequel did continue in the same vein, it kinda failed at evoking similar emotions in me. While it's still a chill and soothing ride with Brother Dex and Mooscap - I adored Mosscap and it's interactions with humans and animals; the kind of questions it asked them; and how all these interactions turned into contemplation about it's own purpose as a robot. It was enjoyable and I liked listening to the audiobook, but I guess I just don't have more to say about it. But if the series continues, there's no doubt I will surely read the next.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but not a tremendous amount, it was fine, but seemed a little unexpected and disjointed. Well, all that was worth it to get to this second part of the series. I liked this one way more. It helps knowing the characters from before, but even then, it had been a while so I felt like I forgot a lot of the details, but coming back into this book felt comfortable and I really liked reading about the adventures of Mosscap and Dex.

I personally preferred the first book in the series ([b:A Psalm for the Wild-Built 40864002 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) Becky Chambers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600789291l/40864002.SY75.jpg 63655961]), but I still found myself practically incapable of putting this book down.It is so in keeping with [a:Becky Chambers 17650479 Becky Chambers https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]' style of cosy Sci-Fi throughout the Wayfarers Series which I was also hooked on and am quietly disappointed I only have one novella left to read ([b:A Good Heretic 57148248 A Good Heretic (Wayfarers, #0.5) Becky Chambers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619786634l/57148248.SY75.jpg 89442522]).

A heartwarming continuation of the adventures of our beloved robot and human companions, Mosscap and Dex. Much like the first novella, I so enjoyed the time spent in this world and with its inhabitants. The shared bond between this unlikely pair is wonderful, as is the throughline exploring the nature of humanity. I hope this is not the end of their travels, because Becky Chambers has created a winning formula here – further cementing herself as a beacon for hopepunk storytelling.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

I won't do a full review of this book, I think my review for book 1 covers this just as well. In my mind, this is just part 2 of a novel called Monk & Robot. In Part 1 we escape to the forests and have tea among the trees, this book is about the return to civilization.

All the charm and coziness of the first book is in here, but I think this entry is more about discovery or rather, re-discovery. The majority of this book is about Mosscap's interactions with the larger population of humans, the players of the first entry have traded places. Dex shepherds Mosscap across the countryside in the same way that Mosscap leads Dex through the forest. I already loved Mosscap as a character and this book is all the better because of the pointed focus on it. It's not only lovable, it's a fantastic lens through which to examine humanity. There are some amazing thoughts and observations on the everyday lives of human beings in this book; common behaviors and interactions are all parsed by Mosscap as it seeks to learn what it is that humans need.

I appreciated the balance between philosophy and narrative that Chambers strikes here, and they haven't lost the thread they were onto between books. There is a fantastic contrast struck through the setting despite the continued naturalist focus, it really crystalized for me as I read through the titular passage (and that gets an A+ from me). I expect we might see a third and possibly final installment of this series and I hope that it ties in just as well as this one did.

TL;DR: Out of the forest and into the woods. Second verse same as the first.

A rarity! A second book in a series that's not a ‘dud' but just as good as the first book, and possibly better. Thankfully the same two primary characters I enjoyed in the first book. This time there's alot of philosophy, I think is the right term, in this book.

Alot of what's going on in their own thoughts but not so much that it bogs down the movement of the story. Thankfully the end of the book doesn't end on a final note, giving the impression their story will continue.

I'm confused. This very definitely reads as YA, but I‘m not seeing YA listed in the Goodreads genres. It feels like a huge disconnect: what am I missing?

Anyhow, sweet but unfulfilling. Perhaps that's the point? That there is no fulfillment to be found in life, no Ultimate Purpose? The two books in the series are a simplified amalgam of existentialist philosophy, Buddhism, introductory Ethics, with a lot of Frankl Lite. Monk and Robot debate the nature of consciousness and perception, mind/body dualism, our impact as living beings whose existence depends on the death of other living beings. All of it centers around [Sentient Beings'] Search for Meaning. Much handwringing, no resolution, just continuing to stumble along. Much like life.

The Robot mechanics still make no sense, nor does Robot consciousness despite a halfhearted attempt to address it. Nor does this particular Robot, charming though it may be: its childlike innocence feels more and more forced. I deliberately chose not to say “heavyhanded” in my review of the first one, but can't avoid doing so now. It's clunky. The cultural dynamics make no sense either, nor do interpersonal relationships. Real people just don't behave that way, in more ways than I could cover in a few paragraphs. Bonus points, though, for a subtly lovely description of kintsugi without using the word kintsugi; for the two grinworthy pages in which Dex tries to explain their (Dex's) parents' polycule to a robot; and for really warm friendship themes. And, hell, simply because it's Chambers. Not her best work, but again that's probably just me and where I'm coming from. Give these books to a Young Adult in your life - the themes here might just be new to them, and might shape them into better humans.

This book continues the story of Moscap and Dex meandering through the world in a very similar vein to the last one: gentle descriptions of one person's vision of a semi-utopian world focused on permanent sustainability and harmony with nature interspersed with mildly philosophical dialogues. There are some interesting ideas for how humans might come to live peacefully in perpetual stability with eachother and the world around them, but none are explored satisfactorily in depth, giving the impression on the whole of a relatively superficial and not entirely consistent vision - or am I missing the point? It's hard to tell whether details like the half-thought-out new economic system are serious or fun asides, or if the reader's actually supposed to pay attention to them given how naive the design is. At times I found myself wondering about what sort of audience this book is intended for.

That's the main issue with this mini-series: it straddles the line between young adult and full adult book, at times veering back and forth between these two. The characters are sometimes childish and polite to a fault, excessively sensitive and gentle in a way unrelatable to anyone over the age of 8, yet sometimes cuss out in frustration at odd moments; interactions between characters are sometimes banal and nauseatingly congenial, yet sometimes there's casual sex and polyamory. Given the utopian setting, there's essentially zero conflict of any sort throughout the story, which allows the plot to focus entirely on internal struggles or philosophical discussions like body vs mind, the origins of consciousness, similarities and differences between conscious creatures, the degree to which one should be accepting of death's inevitability, etc. - yet none of these are given the thorough treatment they deserve, and so leave the book feeling a little lacking of actual substance.

All in all, this kind of story could be quite interesting, but was too short and too superficial to make much impact. It would benefit from a more rigorous world building mindset and longer passages in many cases, as opposed to bringing up interesting points only to brush them aside moments later.