A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - (Monk & Robot) by Becky Chambers (Hardcover)

About the Book

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home. They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe."--

Book Synopsis

A USA Today Bestseller!

"Tender and healing... I'm prescribing a preorder to anyone who has ever felt lost. Stunning, kind, necessary." --Sarah Gailey on book 1: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

Review Quotes

Praise for A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

A USA Today and Indie Bestseller!

Winner of the Locus Award!

A Goodreads Most Anticipated Summer Read!

A Top Ten LibraryReads Selection!

A Washington Post Best Novel of 2022

"[A] lightly drawn but profound meditation on belief, entropy, and the nature of need and want that once again demonstrates Chambers's prowess as both a storyteller and a thinker. Quiet and contemplative, empathic and warmhearted, this masterful sequel builds on the themes of the first volume to posit a more sustainable, more caring way of life. It's both truly comforting and endlessly thought-provoking. " --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Thoughtful, with a gentleness that is as encompassing as any action-filled work." --Library Journal, starred review

"[A] hopeful glimpse at what our future might look like." --Booklist

"As charming and heartwarming as the first." --Buzzfeed

Praise for Book 1: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A USA Today Bestseller!

"A 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, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here." --NPR

"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

"Hugo Award-winning author Becky Chambers begins a new series with this delightful and quietly philosophical novella that presents a hopeful glimpse into a future where humanity actually does the right thing." --BuzzFeed

"Chambers' writing is always tender and healing, but this book has something else braided into it -- something more... This is a book that, for one night, made me stop asking 'what am I even for?' I'm prescribing a preorder to anyone who has ever felt lost. Stunning, kind, necessary." --Sarah Gailey

"This was an optimistic vision of a lush, beautiful world that came back from the brink of disaster. Exploring it with the two main characters was a fun and fascinating experience." --Martha Wells

"I'm the world's biggest fan of odd couple buddy road trips in science fiction, and this odd couple buddy road trip is a delight: funny, thoughtful, touching, sweet, and one of the most humane books I've read in a long time. We could all use a read like this right now." --Sarah Pinsker

"I read this book in one sitting when I was having a really wretched day, and it helped. It felt like a warm cup of tea made by someone who loves me. It's a soft hug of a book, and it says 'It's okay if you're not okay right now.' It made me cry the good sort of tears--the sort when someone is unexpectedly kind to you at the moment you need it most." --Alexandra Rowland

"A joyful experience and, as with all of Chambers's books, I was left with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside." --New Scientist

"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... Recommended for fans of Chambers' Wayfarers series and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune." --Booklist, 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

"I'm so pleased that this is the first of a series, and that there will be more of this world, because, wow, do I want more of it. This book is the type of reading experience I'd recommend to anyone having a hard time, which might be a lot of people at this point... it's a comforting story about comfort and care, as soothing to read as it is to think about, and so full of hope and wonder and potential discovery. I hope you'll try it." --Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

About the Author

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.