A Psalm for the Wild-Built

by Becky Chambers

On a moon called Panga at some point in the distant future, there is peace and plenty. The people have set aside half of the world to remain in a state of wilderness, nobody is in charge, and everybody gets to do the work they find most fulfilling. Or not, if that’s their choice. And at some point centuries ago, all the robots decided they didn't care for servitude and they left. Nobody has seen one since.

Sibling Dex has decided that the work that will fulfil them is becoming a Tea Monk, so that’s what they set out to do. As Dex gets better and better at their new vocation, they find it less and less fulfilling, and they find themself more and more drawn to the wilderness. And one day, out at the very edges of human habitation, a robot appears. It approaches Sibling Dex with a simple question that’s going to be awfully hard to answer. The question is, “What do people need?”

In an odd way, Psalm for the Wild-Built reminds me of the Murderbot books. This universe is kind of the exact opposite of the Murderbot universe (which is a very good thing for its inhabitants). But both are about what personhood means and what it means to be viewed as a not-a-person. Both are short and sweet. And both will soften your jaded old heart just a little.

This is probably the gentlest, most hopeful story I’ve ever read. It’s deceptively simple, like a raku-ware teacup. It’s just a story about people from two societies that have diverged from each other but aren’t at odds about it, learning about each other.

If you know me well enough to be on my Christmas list, now you know what you’ll be getting this year. If not, what are you waiting for? It’s a super quick read and you won’t be sorry. Five stars.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

by V.E. Schwab

In 1714, in despair at being made to marry and spend the rest of her life in her tiny village in service to a man, Addie Larue makes a deal with… whom?... for more life. And is given just that. Given theoretically endless life, that will go on until she begs to have it taken away again. The catch? She can leave no impression of any kind on the world. Marks she makes vanish without a trace, items she breaks instantly mend themselves, and anybody she meets forgets her completely the moment she’s out of sight.

The only being on Earth who remembers her at all is Luc, the being with whom she made this bargain without understanding what it really entailed. He visits her every so often through the centuries. Each time he’s certain that the horrors she survives, the crushing loneliness she lives with every day, will drive her to beg him for release.

But she doesn’t. Sometimes it’s her ability to remain in awe of the world and all it contains that keeps her going. Sometimes it’s pure, deep-seated spite—she will suffer literally anything rather than let Luc win their battle of wills. And sometimes it’s the simple, biological will to survive.

And so she does. And then in 2014, in a bookshop, she meets a man who remembers her.

Without giving too much away, I can say that I assumed from the start that this was going to be a fairly simple be-careful-what-you-ask-for fable, with lush historical scenery. That would have been enough for me. But it’s not merely that. It’s the tale of the ultimate abusive relationship and a person’s resilience and ability to be true to herself in the face of it. And it’s a celebration of wonder and of what keeps a heart going, year after year after year.