A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Title: A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Series: Monk & Robot #1
Author: Becky Chambers
Source/Format: Tor ebook club; ebook
More Details: Speculative fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: TorDotCom; July 13, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend. Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story 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 will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

It’s been years since I’ve read one of Becky Chambers’ stories. A while ago, Tor.com ebook club had a free copy of A Psalm for the Wild-Built included in a bundle, and I thought I would give it a try.

This one was just fine for me. It’s a really slow and contemplative tale about a tea monk, Sibling Dex, who eventually crosses paths with a robot. The synopsis is true to form, and much of what happens is about questions and answers. It’s basically like one long conversation once the two characters get through their introduction to each other.

Even though A Psalm for the Wild-Built had all the hallmarks of the kinds of books I’ve been into lately, I never clicked with the story as much as I thought I would (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is one of my favorite books). I did like the commentary about environmental issues, as well as the robot and the part of the plot specific to the history of Panga.

Music Monday (202): The Weeknd, Jody Watley

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Lately, I've been listening to a lot of The Weeknd's recent music. Dawn FM is pure excellence, and it was hard to choose just one song for Music Monday. But, for the sake of keeping this post at a reasonable length, my pick is Is There Someone Else?

Adri: This week I am listening to Photographs and Clouds by Jody Watley. I had to bring her up again because found out she released a house album rightfully titled Midnight Lounge. I love it. 

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (217) & Book Beginnings: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...                                                                                                                                            Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend. Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story 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 will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Beginning: "If you ask six different monks the question of which godly domain robot consciousness belongs to, you'll get seven different answers."

56: "Every two hundred days. That's it."

Comments: I finally read A Psalm for the Wild-Built. The story was fine. What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (201): Harry Styles, Jody Watley

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I'm currently listening to Harry Styles' latest release: Harry's House. I rarely stay up for an album, but I couldn't wait till the morning to listen to it. I love it a lot (more about that on a different post later this month). For today, I wanted to mention two of my favorite songs. The first is Satellite.

 

My second pick is the last song on the album. It's called Love Of My Life. 

Adri: I've been listening to a lot of old school artist lately, and my pick is Dance To The Music by Jody Watley.

What are you listening to this week?

I Played Horizon: Forbidden West

Title: Horizon: Forbidden West
Developer/Publisher: Guerrilla Games; Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: February 18 2022
Platform: PS4 / PS5
Source/ format: Purchased, Disc
Other: Played on PS4

What I Thought:

I tried my best to keep this review vague, but there may be minor spoilers since I talk about specific parts of gameplay. 

I played Horizon: Forbidden West. Some of  what I said and felt in my review for Zero Dawn applies here, but it's done even better. All of this culminated to an enjoyable and dynamic playing experience.

The main plot was a wild ride with many expected and some unexpected twists. Needless to say, I’m glad that it didn’t hesitate to go in a more fantastical direction. Plot aside, like Zero Dawn, the side missions colored and expanded on the world, environments, and the plethora of characters both new and old. Each character felt super individualistic in their personality and in the way they spoke, moved, etc. Besides Aloy's interactions with different characters, it was nice being able to hear more of her personal feelings via periodically examining objects. Also nice was seeing more self realization developments for Aloy, especially by the end. The environments were straight up gorgeous, colorful, and felt broader. Finally, I have to mention Cauldrons. I enjoyed playing through them since, in a way, they seemed darker and more menacing. It's the same ambience I loved from the Frozen Wilds DLC.

To list my favorite new additions: the weapons (especially Spike Throwers),  different ways to get collectables, the ability to climb in countless areas, face paints, and armor dyes. Then there were others like a board game (Strike), racing, Melee Pits, additional mounts, and swimming. Swimming, sadly, ended up being frustrating during one of my favorite main missions. It felt a little awkward at times, even later when it was a lot easier. I enjoyed the added complexity to some of the puzzles like the Relic Ruins that used multiple Datapoints. Or how Tallnecks take additional and varied steps before being able to override them. The custom difficulty –where players can adjust a handful of options like the damage Aloy deals to or is dealt to for a truly customized experience. Last but not least, my absolute favorite and most important on my list –that I didn’t know I wanted –is none other than the Infinite Stash! With the Workbench based crafting system, it worked out great. Though, I definitely had to get in the habit of stopping by a bench to find out what was required for said upgrades.

My less enjoyed parts were mainly the later Melee Pits and combo chaining. The earlier ones, as well as the Pit Master and Enduring, were fine. But the instructions for the advanced combos weren’t as clear. After figuring those out, I then had to face the timing.  With that being said, I appreciated the combos in that they added more variety rather than a plain heavy or light attack.

Well, I loved how vibrant it got at times. And something I forgot to mention was, after going back to Zero Dawn, the controls felt smoother. Honestly, I want to see more. Overall, I had a swell time playing.

Thanks for reading.