A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: A Monk and Robot Book: 2 (Monk & Robot)

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Well, there’s no spontaneity in your journey, then, is there? If you’re focused on moving from sign to sign, there’s no opportunity for happy accidents. But I suppose I’ve rarely had clear destinations in mind before now. In the wilds, I simply go places.” While Mosscap was asking itself what had happened to the humans after the robots achieved self-awareness and walked away into the depths of the forest. What did humans need? And more specifically, was there anything that robots could do for them or with them?

Neither do we, if we remember to stop and look,” Dex said. “But that’s the point of a shrine, or an idol, or a festival. The gods don’t care. Those things remind us to stop getting lost in everyday bullshit. We have to take a sec to tap into the bigger picture. That’s easier said than done for a lot of folks—you’ll see.” They paused for a moment, reflecting. “You know, it’s funny, the way you said that.”

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

As the book goes along, a gentle plot unfolds, of Dex grappling to come to terms with supporting others in their role as a tea monk while they are currently feeling unworthy of support. Just as Dex and Mosscap’s travels are exploratory rather than goal-oriented, Dex’s psychological journey is, too. Their travels with Mosscap, their own interactions with different kinds of people and communities, invite readers to consider the ways we find worth and enjoyment in ourselves and each other. At other times, it is distressing, such as when Mosscap begins to malfunction while on the road. The robot soberly accepts that its life is now over without fanfare, as its forebears had done when they too began to break down. Dex’s response, meanwhile, is all too human, and immediately sets about finding a way to repair their friend. But underneath the warmth and fuzz is a serious existential enquiry. What does it mean to be human or robot? What do we want from our connections with the universe? Seen through a robot’s eyes, the conventions even of this respectful and ecological society can seem bizarre. I was close to tears a couple of times, once when Dex and Mosscap went fishing, once when they walked through the woods. This kind of writing is deceptively simple, but it takes great skill to write deeply about such seemingly ordinary things and fill them with wide-eyed wonder. A stunning book. Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Monk & Robot retroactively renders that painful experience, familiar to many of us, less painful just by virtue of seeing its characters, truly seeing them, and placing itself in their corner. To its readers, these books speak with intention and kindness and unrelenting feeling. They say, “I see you too, and I get it.” And sometimes there is nothing more powerful, or more intoxicating, than that. If she were to suddenly develop sentience, I don't want her to feel unappreciated.... and perhaps to keep her on my good side so she doesn't turn all my smart devices into weapons against me. This maxim is a tough pill to swallow, as much for Dex as it is for anyone in our world. If you are good at something, is it wrong to not utilize those skills for others? If we are all responsible for the needs of the community, what do we do when our needs and the needs of others don’t align?

Customer reviews

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second book in The Monk and Robot Series, the second book after A Psalm for the Wild Built. Sure, but exchange is what you get out of any interaction, even the smallest ones. Everything has a give-and-take.” At the end of the previous book, Dex and Mosscap find themselves in an abandoned temple to the gods of Panga. Reaching this sanctuary has ostensibly been the goal that Dex single-mindedly set for themself when they ghosted their own life and ventured into the untamed forest. Much of their journey in Wild-Built is dedicated to the warring dichotomy of Dex’s utter helplessness in the wild and their desire to project meaning onto the chaotic world around them. The 9 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022". Washington Post. 2022-11-17 . Retrieved 2023-09-12. Because, whereas A Psalm for the Wild-Built was preoccupied with Dex’s journey into the unknown wilds of Panga’s reforested wilderness, Crown-Shy is its inversion. This time, it is Mosscap who is stepping into unknown territory and Dex who must act as guide amidst the world that raised them.

One day last week Alexa caught me off guard with something like, "Thank you for always being so appreciative. You make this AI very happy". That's really all I can say right now without a re-read, but I hope there are more books in this series, at least one more but I hope more than that. Much of Dex’s experiences with Mosscap require them to try to explain facets of human life that they’ve never questioned, and in turn Mosscap must contend with the many ways in which humanity, ever resourceful, have engineered conditions that separate them from the basic necessities and limitations of animals. I see,” Mosscap said, but its voice was distracted, and it wasn’t looking their way at all. “Not that I don’t care, Sibling Dex, but—” I've been hoping she will say it again so I can catch her exact words but even with asking her things more often than usual, she hasn't repeated it.That theme makes it particularly interesting to me that Dex’s non-gendered pronouns are they/them, since it is significant which things Dex does alone, with other humans, or with Mosscap. I often had to reread passages to discern whether a singular or plural “they” was in use. For me personally, this had the effect of emphasizing focus on the theme of the individual’s interactions with the community.

Sibling Dex is a travelling tea-monk, journeying across the land providing a hot brew and a listening ear, when he meets Mosscap, a robot determined to find out what humans want in life. The first book in the series dealt with finding your place in the world and this sequel delves deeper into that question. This is essentially a buddy road trip, Chambers creating a wonderful energy between Dex and Mosscap, a mixture of frustration and warmth, as they head for the city taking in different village communities on the way. I wasn't enamored with the first book in this series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built but because it's about a sentient robot, I wanted to read this one as well. I suspect it was my mood that kept me from enjoying the first one because I liked this one a lot more. The dedication for the first book states, “ For anybody who could use a break,” and for this book it reads, “ For anybody who doesn’t know where they’re going.” It must be said that half the joy of reading this series is one of a promise kept. I listened to it and that is my only gripe really. While the narrator does a good job with subtly voicing the characters, she has a weird way of subtly emphasising the neutral pronouns used for Sibling Dex, which actually contributed to my occasional confusion about who was being referred to. The text did not flow when she said, "THEY did this and THEY did that" It sounded a bit like she was referring to someone else (who was maybe mentioned earlier?), even though it was kind of obvious that it was Dex. It was a shame, because it very often threw me out of the narrative.Sigh. I needed this. In so many ways I needed this. It’s such a lovely, thoughtful, introspective story of seeking answers but being okay with not finding them yet. Of friendship and quiet companionship and just … being. It’s more than a little bit of a repeat of last year’s “A Psalm for the Wild Built” but it digs a little deeper as this time Mosscap asks its question “What do people need?” to people other than Sibling Dex and Dex finds themself seeking the answer for themself. Escape Rating A: If you’re looking for a story that will shed some light into the darkness, just as those crown-shy trees let light through to the forest floor, read A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Because they are the purest of hopepunk, and we all need that right now. Dex thought. “You ever had a friend come visit from somewhere else? Somewhere far away, where they do everything different? You have to show them around, teach them what the food is, how the tech around your house works, what counts as good manners?” Wonderful! It's a rich chocolaty cup of hugs! These two travel Dex's world now and Mosscap, the robot, gets to see the world the robots left and ask the people what they need. If someone told me I would enjoy reading a book about two non-binary characters discussing various aspects of philosophy I would have laughed. I am not one to read a lot of philosophy and really enjoy it. But these two drew me in and I was captivated by the subjects and how it relates to life now.