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by Becky Chambers
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?
1000 Books February 2026 Read: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The modern sci-fi reads that I might equate to the classics are St John Mandel's Station 11 and Asimov's Foundation series. I agree that the modern sci-fi space operas are definitely lighter, less intellectual reads as well as the books by Scalzi, Chambers, Robinette Kowal, Neuvel, Weir, Wells, a...
-Gabi_J
Did you read any books in 2025 that are widely considered classics? If so, which ones and why?
Wow!!! Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed response. I will definitely check out books from the authors you have listed. Jules Verne's and Ray Bradbury's books have been on my TBR forever. Time to read them! Have you read Becky Chamber's Monk and Robot series? I thought it was a de...
-Gabi_J
What's your favorite book series?
I have quite a few favorite series, Below are a few top of mind. Many are historical mystery series —-these are not romance. Also, the sci-fi series tend to be positive versus dystopian, gloom and doom. Faha "series" / two books only (Niall Williams, literary fiction) Thursday Murder Club (Richar...
-Gabi_J
If you could suggest one book for The Busybody Book Club to read, what would it be and why?
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. While the genre, sci-fi, would get each of them out of their comfort zone - a good thing! (except for perhaps Ash who has some exposure to the genre), it is a novel I have found that appeals to a very diverse audience, including previous sci-fi dodgers. It is a fee...
-Gabi_J
What are you reading this week (1/2/2025)?
@Regina_Garay I picked up All Systems Red out of curiosity after seeing your comment. What a fun book! I am going to read more of the series, too! Another fun series of short books with a robot is Becky Chamber's "Monk and Robot" series…this series is kind of a "cozy sci-fi" series. It isn't dark...
-Gabi_J
What are you reading this week? (11/14/2024)
I loved Project Hail Mary as well as Weir's The Martian. I particularly enjoyed the audiobook format for both. I am not much of a sci-fi reader but this year stumbled onto Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series and Wayfarer series. Both series are what I would consider "light" sci-fi, not the gloo...
-Gabi_J
"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)
"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
This information about Monk and Robot was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.
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