Mostly Murders

“Nobody should be barred from necessities or comforts just because they don’t have the right number next to their name.”

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy continues where A Psalm for the Wild-Built left off, with Dex, the non-binary tea monk acting as a guide for Mosscap the sentient robot, as the two of them travel Panga and the solarpunk society Becky Chambers has created. Mosscap is still trying to understand what humans want, and as Mosscap and Dez encounter other humans, the two of them are both forced to consider their own wants and needs as well.

Philosophical musings, child-like wonder and an outsider’s perspective on aspects of human existence that most people take for granted, combine to create a story of acceptance, presence and a quiet hope hope for a better future based on humanity, inclusivity and sustainability.

Just like Mosscap, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy asks what humans want from life, and what purpose and meaning Dez and Mosscap have with their existence. The answer isn’t easy or obvious, but the journey of pondering this is perhaps an answer and purpose of its own.

You don’t have to be a non-binary tea monk or robot to wonder what the meaning of life is, and you don’t have to live in a solarpunk world to come to the conclusion that the meaning of life is what you, personally, make of it, and that even if you don’t know, you are still allowed to enjoy your journey of trying to figure it out.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys philosophical, humorous, positive and life-affirming stories that provide questions rather than answers, and suggestions rather than solutions.

Solarpunk – Science fiction