Atlantic County Library System

UnCovered Review by Marina Smolens, ACLS Brigantine Branch

Encompassed in just one-hundred and fifty-two pages is the story of Sibling Dex and Mosscap, a monk and a robot in a futuristic land called Panga. In this utopian future, A Prayer For The Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers, robots gained consciousness and decided to peacefully part ways with humanity, retreating to the deep wilderness, rather than destroying or enslaving civilization, as is often imagined in more dystopian tales. Sibling Dex and Mosscap are the first to breach the gap between humans and robots in hu

In Chambers’ book preceding this one, A Psalm For The Wild-Built, Dex explores the wilderness with Mosscap, but in this sequel, it is Mosscap’s turn to explore an unknown terrain: humanity. With it, it brings a question in which it hopes to answer: what do humans need in a world where all their basic needs are met? You do not need to have read A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT In order to enjoy A Prayer For The Crown-Shy. This story is one of friendship, love, and finding meaning. It’s also a refreshingly optimistic science fiction that still challenges the ideas of capitalism and corporate greed that are signature of the genre but in a more gentle and innocent way. It gives the reader hope for a better, kinder future, and allows us to imagine what this may look like, while at the same time, urges us to be more grounded in the present moment, to accept ourselves as we currently are.