Monk and Robot - (Monk & Robot) by Becky Chambers (Paperback)

About the Book

"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 inches 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"--

Book Synopsis

Becky Chambers' two award-winning, bestselling, beloved, and uplifting Monk and Robot stories, A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, together in trade paperback for the first time!

Becky Chambers' delightful, post-Utopian, Hugo Award-winning 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' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

This book includes both A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy in paperback for the first time!

Review Quotes

Praise for A Psalm for the Wild-Built:

A USA Today and MPIBA Bestseller!
A Locus Award Finalist!

"A Psalm for the Wild-Built begins a series that looks optimistic and hopeful, pursuing stories that arise from abundance instead of scarcity, kindness instead of cruelty, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here." --NPR

"The gentle touch with which Chambers handles her material makes the book's loftiest philosophical aims feel grounded. With a pervading sense of optimism and warmth, A Psalm for the Wild-Built inaugurates an exciting series from one of science fiction's brightest stars." --Shelf Awareness starred review

"Hugo Award-winning author Becky Chambers begins a new series with this delightful and quietly philosophical novella that presents a hopeful glimpse into a future where humanity actually does the right thing." --Buzzfeed

"Chambers' writing is always tender and healing, but this book has something else braided into it -- something more... This is a book that, for one night, made me stop asking 'what am I even for?' I'm prescribing a preorder to anyone who has ever felt lost. Stunning, kind, necessary." --Sarah Gailey

"This was an optimistic vision of a lush, beautiful world that came back from the brink of disaster. Exploring it with the two main characters was a fun and fascinating experience." --Martha Wells

"I'm the world's biggest fan of odd couple buddy road trips in science fiction, and this odd couple buddy road trip is a delight: funny, thoughtful, touching, sweet, and one of the most humane books I've read in a long time. We could all use a read like this right now." --Sarah Pinsker

"The first book in Chambers' new series feels like a moment to breathe, a novel that exists to give readers a place to rest and think... Recommended for fans of Chambers' Wayfarers series and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune." --Booklist, starred review

"I read this book in one sitting when I was having a really wretched day, and it helped. It felt like a warm cup of tea made by someone who loves me. It's a soft hug of a book, and it says 'It's okay if you're not okay right now.' It made me cry the good sort of tears--the sort when someone is unexpectedly kind to you at the moment you need it most." --Alexandra Rowland

"A joyful experience and, as with all of Chambers's books, I was left with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside." --New Scientist

"Written with all of Chambers' characteristic nuance and careful thought, this is a cozy, wholesome meditation on the nature of consciousness and its place in the natural world. Fans of gentle, smart, and hopeful science fiction will delight in this promising series starter." --Publishers Weekly

"Throw out that depresso for this cozy cup of tea." --BuzzFeed

Praise for A Prayer for the Crown-Shy:

A USA Today and Indie Bestseller!
Winner of the Hugo and Locus Awards!
A Washington Post Best Novel of 2022!

"[A] lightly drawn but profound meditation on belief, entropy, and the nature of need and want that once again demonstrates Chambers's prowess as both a storyteller and a thinker. Quiet and contemplative, empathic and warmhearted, this masterful sequel builds on the themes of the first volume to posit a more sustainable, more caring way of life. It's both truly comforting and endlessly thought-provoking." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Thoughtful, with a gentleness that is as encompassing as any action-filled work." --Library Journal, starred review

"[A] hopeful glimpse at what our future might look like." --Booklist

"As charming and heartwarming as the first." --Buzzfeed

About the Author

Becky Chambers is a science fiction author based in Northern California. She is best known for her Hugo Award-winning Wayfarers series. Her books have also been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Locus Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction, among others.

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.