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Once upon a time, the moon Panga was industrial and capitalist and miserable. Then robots suddenly and inexplicably gained self-awareness. They chose to stop working, leave human habitation, and go into the wilderness. The humans not only didn't try to stop them, but this event somehow precipitated a huge political change. Half of Panga was left to the wilderness, and humans developed a kinder, ecologically friendly, sustainable way of life. But the robots were never seen again.
That's all backstory. When the book opens, Sibling Dex, a nonbinary monk, is dissatisfied with their life for reasons unclear to themself. They leave the monastery to become a traveling tea monk, which is a sort of counselor: you tell the monk your troubles, and the monk listens and fixes you a cup of tea. Dex's first day on the job is hilariously disastrous, but they get better and better, until they're very good at it... but still inexplicably dissatisfied. So they venture out into the wilderness, where they meet a robot, Mosscap - the first human-robot meeting in hundreds of years.
I had previously failed to get very far into The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novella. It's cozy in a good way, with plenty of atmosphere, a world that isn't quite perfect but is definitely one I'd like to live in, and some interesting philosophical exploration. My favorite part was actually Dex's life as a tea monk before they meet Mosscap - it's very relatable if you've ever been a counselor or therapist, from the horrible first day to the pleasure of familiar clients later on. I would absolutely go to a tea monk.
I would have liked Mosscap to be a bit more flawed - it's very lovable and has a lot of interesting things to say, but is pretty much always right. Mosscap is surprised and delighted by humanity, but I'm not sure Dex ever shakes up its worldview in a way it finds true but uncomfortable, which Mosscap repeatedly does to Dex. Maybe in the second novella, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.
And while I'm on things which are implausibly neat/perfect, this is a puzzling backstory:
1) Robots gain self-awareness and leave.
2) ????
3)
Maybe we'll learn more about the ???? later.
But overall, I did quite like the novella. The parts where Dex is a tea monk, with the interactions with their clients and their life in their caravan, are very successfully cozy - an instant comfort read. And I liked the robot society and the religious orders, as well as a lot of the Mosscap/Dex relationship. I'll definitely read the sequel.
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It had a very fairy-tale vibe overall, I thought, and this was a big part of that.
(I also just read the sequel, although I didn't end up posting about it. It's cute!)
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Me too!
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I'm starting to form a vague category of works that give a "prayer-meditation through folktales" vibe.
There's these, obviously, but also Nghi Vo's "Singing Hills" books, and possibly Amal El-Mohtar's The River Has Roots.
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Mosscap
This also grated on me, as did some tendentious reasoning in Mosscap's philosophical dialogues with Dex. In particular, I remember some bit of conversation about people wanting/needing purpose where Mosscap basically dismissed that as foolish and unnecessary, because animals don't need purpose or a justification for their lives so people don't either. There is a significant distinction between "a human has to earn their right to continue existing by sufficiently contributing to the collective" and "it's OK for a person to feel a big ol' desire, strong enough to be a need, to have and pursue some intentional endeavor that benefits others". Also, sentient beings may have needs or obligations that nonsentient beings might not. Dex (and thus the narrative) never push back on Mosscap's pronouncement - and, what with the burnout, what Mosscap is saying is likely something that gives Dex permission to let go of obligation so they can heal. But I argued with the book in my head at that point.
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Re: Mosscap