I can only hope that the future humanity builds out of the rubble resembles the world in A Psalm for the Wild-Built ... A cozy novella ... The inherent reliability of this novella in its voice, structure, and narrative choices will make it a standard in the idealized futurism of hopepunk stories.

A quiet, gentle book made up of episodic conversations about robot and human societies, about history and ecology, and about philosophy, desire and purpose ... There are moments jarring in their familiarity, where the thing depicted is so fundamentally at odds with the society Dex seems to inhabit that I felt dislocated by the reading ... 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.

... the perfect length. If it were shorter, it would be unsatisfying. But if it were longer, its meditative tenor might have become unsustainable, even with Chambers’ sense of whimsy shining through as frequently and naturally as it does. Introspection and humor are perfectly balanced, to the point that these two tones literally bracket the novella ... duality is characteristic of Chambers’ work, and A Psalm for the Wild-Built admirably demonstrates how it can translate beautifully into shorter formats ... a worthy addition to Becky Chambers’ already burgeoning oeuvre. It distills her established interest in moving the grand conflicts of genre fiction to the background, in favor of more inspiring personal stories infused with beauty and optimism.

... an epic premise explored intimately, making for one of the most hopeful post-apocalyptic imaginings. This is a strikingly smart use of genre, an exciting beginning to a series that already has delivered on its promise of nuanced, satisfying warmth ... In another context, the sentiments explored between Dex and Mosscap could come across as saccharine or too trite to take entirely seriously. But in Chambers’ accessible, cleanly wrought narrative, we arrive at them in such a way that they feel simply, searingly true. A Psalm for the Wild-Built is genuinely comforting and optimistic. It is a meditative, queer, tender exploration of the rituals and practices of being human and what it is to have faith in oneself and each other. Deeply kind and a necessary balm, it serves as a reminder of how compassionate fiction can be. It reads like a walk in the woods on a warm day, sun-dappled and rich with promise.

Chambers has long proven herself a master in writing these kinds of relationships, and Psalm is yet another piece of proof of this ... Chambers’ story is not any kind of dramatic adventure, but rather a picaresque account of two very different forms of life finding connections and similarities to one another in the observations they make about life. Mosscap is fascinated by every aspect of the natural world, and in travelling together they and Dex reveal the deep complexities of their mutual existences, including a fundamental disagreement over the value of a discernible purpose in life ... Quietly, deftly, Chambers weaves in Psalm a story of friendship and discovery, an exploration of the true value of lived experience. Psalm is an optimistic and thoughtful story that we can desperately use in these pessimistic and all-too-often-thoughtless times; it’s a restful spot in the forest where we as readers can take time to just be, to contemplate our beautiful world and understand that we, too, are wonderful, no matter what. It’s a book that is not only lovely, not only sweet, but supremely necessary.

Hugo Award winner Becky Chambers launches the Monk and Robot series with this contemplative, bite-size novel ... 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.

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 ... While the plot is light, the character development, a hallmark of Chambers’ earlier works, is strong and engaging.