Novella – BG's Reads

A Prayer For The Crown Shy, is the second book from author Becky Chambers, telling the story of monk, Sibling Dex, and his robot companion, Mosscap. The first book was A Psalm For The Wild Built. As I explained in my May 2022 post, these novellas are in the sci-fi subgenre of solarpunk, environmentally-focused and optimistic, nature and technology grow in harmony. A Prayer For The Crown Shy continues Dex’s and Mosscap’s journey as they leave the forest and venture into the villages.

The story takes place on Panga, a moon with one continent which is half wilderness and half human inhabited. It’s a utopian world, where humans live in harmony with nature and everyone’s feelings and needs are considered. Sibling Dex, seeking personal fulfilment, travels to the forest and meets one of a population of robots, named Mosscap, separated from humans long ago. Mosscap and Dex decide to travel together and help one another – Mosscap in particular is on a scouting journey for the robot population, wanting to know how humans are coping without them.

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Two Old Women, first published in 1993 and again in 2013, is a story first told to the author, Velma Walis, by her mother, while sleeping under the stars, collecting fire wood for the winter. The story is legend, handed down from generation to generation, person to person. This tale impressed on me that a person’s worth or abilities should not be set by age or gender. You may not know what you are capable of unless challenged and given the opportunity to let your talents and skills come forward and if given that opportunity, a person may have value in their community. Also, the art of storytelling is an important thing among us. It’s an expression of our dreams, our fears, our hopes and so much more, whether it’s spoken, written or delivered in some other medium. The author expresses what storytelling means to her and her people in this novella.

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Tag: Novella

A Prayer For The Crown Shy

Two Old Women by Velma Walis