Rating: 4/5
* I was gifted a physical ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Summary from Amazon:
"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."
As this book was short and sweet, so too will my review be. This is the kind of book that you read when you're sick of the dramatics common in most sci-fi and fantasy. It's really just quaint and wholesome. The purpose of this book isn't to stress you out, but to give you a break. There is no inclement worry, no anxiety, and no stakes, the story just exists to almost settle you down. Now, that isn't me saying that the book is pointless; there is definitely a point. A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a book about personal fulfillment: what it takes to be fulfilled and what that really means. It looks at what it means to be human and how we go about defining ourselves through our experiences. The writing was simple, but very effectual. It was rife with description of the environment and there was even a fair amount of world-building considering that the book was only 147 pages long. This was a totally new planet with its' own rich history that certainly has some parallels with our own world, but is certainly an improvement on what we're currently working with. The tone of the story itself was laid back with some humor and character interaction to keep things going, but it wasn't all positive emotions. Much of the focus on personal fulfillment evolved around burnout and the negative feelings associated with not understanding your purpose as an individual; as such, there was a fair amount of self-reflection and thought. Wholesome is just the best way to describe this book. You sit down with a cup of tea ( ;) ) and you read the whole thing in one sitting. Then maybe you sit and ponder on what it means to be fulfilled or on what purpose means to you.
The only reason I rated this four stars instead of five was purely for personal reasons. I personally prefer books with very high stakes, the anxiety is what keeps me reading. I don't often read books to be calmed, but rather to be excited (which has to show through my love of horror and high fantasy). So it might not appeal to you if you are the same way. But I still respect this book for what it was, a quaint, simple read that doesn't take anything out of you. If anything it makes you feel happier than you did before without the drain of a very high-stakes read. Plus if you don't read sci-fi often (which I don't; I'm working on it), this is very gentle sci-fi. I think it could really serve to ease you into the genre as the sci-fi aspect isn't overstated. But if you want a quick, wholesome read that will give you some faith in humanity and allow you room for thought on personal growth (without being preachy), then I would recommend this one. Sometimes everyone needs a book that can calm them down and make them feel hopeful instead of guilty or anxious.
Thank you so much to Tordotcom for the review copy of this book! If you're interested in reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built yourself, it is currently available everywhere books are sold as of today (7/13/21)!