A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
Ratings432
Average rating4.3
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy takes everything that’s great about its predecessor and elevates it. Curiosity grows, relationships grow, and so does the world surrounding our monk and robot duo.
I was surprised to learn at the end that the first book was written pre-pandemic and that the second was written during its earliest stages. I would have sworn they were a reaction to it. Tonally it feels that way to me.
A superb duology. I’d recommend it to any open-minded someone looking for a quick, optimistic, and thought-provoking read.
A fleeting glimpse of possibilities that doesn't overstay its welcome. Chambers paints worlds of what hope could create and then fills them with characters who love like us, who wonder like we do, who find themselves wrestling with our same big questions. Journeying with the characters is a salve, a mug of hot tea, a hug that goes on longer than you thought you needed.
A surprisingly hopeful and reflective book that is a good reminder to appreciate small moments and life for what it is. I'll definitely re-read.
4.5 stars. I liked this book quite a bit more than the first. The message of both is extremely heavy handed, but it's a really great reflection of humanity. Both your own and as a whole.
There's no central conflict and no traditional arc. I found myself worrying when something would happen that would traditionally lead to something to be overcome. It was refreshing to have a drama-free story.
It was a reminder to be present. It shows how simple it is to be inclusive and conscientious and how universal some experiences are. I think the heavy handedness works in this case.
More of an expansion pack than a true sequel, but still really very good.
5/5 • I liked this more than the first one. It's truly a warm hug of a book. Our robot and monk continue on their travels, this time into more human settlements. There's a lot more world-building and characters in this novella. That's a good thing! I loved the first, but I very adore seeing Mosscap's interactions with the human world. We got that in the first book, but this one explored it so much more, but visting various different towns - and so beautifully described.
I am curious for the decision to make this series two novellas, instead of one full book? I can see the divide, but it feels very much like those books that have “part 1” and “part 2” inside. The same themes and meaning is embedded in both, and this is a direct continuation of the first novella. You know, I would have loved to have gotten a special full combined hardback edition with spray-painted edges, instead of these two separate novellas. Regardless, loved both very much, such a cozy read. ☕️
This is book #2 of Chambers' Monk and Robot books. I was so impressed with #1 that I got into this the next day. It doesn't have the consistency of #1 as it tends to drag a little at about the 75% mark. However is finishes well and the ending explains a bit of those slower parts.
Tea Monk Dex and Robot Mosscap met in the wilderness as Dex was in a time of crisis. Mosscap proved to have greater understanding of Dex than Dex did. In this book they continue as travel companions, now out of the wilderness and visiting villages along the road. Mosscap's goal is to find out how the humans are doing with the question, "What do you need?" As they travel the two companions go more deeply into their own responses to that question.
Where book #1 dealt with personal identity and meaning, #2 deals with community, family, and friendship. Once again the deeply human is opened up by Chambers to try to understand why these fundamental relationships can be so difficult.
I think these books were the right books for me at the right time. Absolutely heartwarming, philosophical, and filled with hope for the future. Dex's struggles with need and purpose are really resonating with me right now, and these books are both beautiful imaginations of what could be.
Both books in this series are very chill, however I found the first one better constructed. I think this one is missing an overarching plot and feels a bit disjointed.
Just like the first book though, I enjoyed the philosophical conversations between Mosscap and Dex, and Mosscap's takes on humanity.
A sweet companion story to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. They are so short they really feel like a single story. I really loved these little books. Just gentle and kind and warm. Definitely recommend as a title comfort read or a nice gift to go with some tea.
Classic Becky Chambers! Very little plot, just a beautiful character based story making you feel good about yourself and the characters. It's a delightful respite from other books which have intrigue and danger.
Like a breath of fresh air! Thank you Becky.
felt like a sequel just for the sake of having a sequel. i wish there would have been another big jouneey/mission like in the first one.
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.
“What if it's enough to just be us.”
Mosscap and Dex's adventures continue as they travel throughout Pangea and meet other towns & villages. Along the way they discover more about themselves, what makes them...them, and what it means to be connected. This idea of an utopian society powered by mutually benefical connections runs deep in this book (trees are crown-shy, concept of pebs, etc.) and I'd love to be part of this world.
I absolutely adored book 1, and this still was fantastic. A great read, BUT it didn't make me feel the same as the first. I guess the question and message underneath this book wasn't as powerful for me as the first, but still a very comfy read
I absolutely adored book 1, and this still was fantastic. A great read, BUT it didn't make me feel the same as the first. I guess the question and message underneath this book wasn't as powerful for me as the first, but still a very comfy read
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.
“You don't have to have a reason to be tired. You don't have to earn rest or comfort. You're allowed to just be.”
These books are such a delight! They feel just like a strong and warm hug. This one is dedicated to anybody who doesn't know where they're going, and it's just perfect.
There is so much love and joy on this book! We keep following sibling Dex and Mosscap journey, now to find answers to the robot's question: “What do humans need?”
I loved this one more than the first because we have Mosscap from the beginning, and nothing beats his excitement with the world:
”I've never seen a sign this legible before,” it called back. “And it's so glossy.”“A map, a note, and a pocket computer,” Mosscap said reverently. “That's three belongings.” It laughed. “I'll need my own wagon, at this rate.” Mosscap stopped laughing, and looked at Dex with the utmost seriousness. “Could I really?” it said quietly. “Could I have a satchel?”
I love that the story is happening in a post apocalyptic future, where the world and humanity are healed and you feel mostly kindness. I wish we can evolve to be as kind and understanding as everyone in this book.
A new favorite!
