A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Definitely the light comfort read I was looking for, and like the first in its series it has just enough moments of emotional tension and and philosophical debate to never get twee or boring. But more than its predecessor, the world this is set in is the most convincing, appealing hopepunk I have yet to read. It's clear that it had gone through some very hard times in the past, but the equilibrium that the books are set in feels plausible and inviting. I can think of many other books whose worlds I'd like to visit, but these are among the few I wish I could move to.

Similar to the first book, things happen without much tension. Which is a fascinating feeling! But this book doesn't push as hard on the introspection side -- or maybe I missed it? Felt much less quirky and unexpected compared to the first.

Continuing the quiet meditation on humanity, like a walk through the woods with a friend

i liked how the storytelling shifted and adapted with the story change that we have between the two groups. the discovery of the different human settlements and their societies is fascinating, thought-provoking and poetic all at once. i loved the ending, even if i had to read it multiple times to be sure. i will miss Dex and Mosscap. :(((

Continues where the first one left off

I started this right after I finished the first one. It deals with Mosscap's tour of Panga to learn what humans need. It gets a lot of different answers. We get to experience the different areas of the world and the different ways people choose to live there in a sustainable fashion. No spoilers but Mosscap is presented with an ineresting philosophical question and it turns out Dex still hasn't really found what they're looking for. The ending is quite open and I'm looking forward to find out where the two are heading next.

A must-read if you read the first book. Really good.

This is the perfect time for me to be reading these.

Probably even lower on dramatic tension than the first book, but that's just fine -- that's not what's needed here. Instead we have a gentle journey between various human settlements as the background to Dex and Mosscrops' developing relationship and their respective struggles with making sense of life.

I felt the first book was too short, but this one with the characters already presented, could dig into the deeper discussions of life and our place in it. It was also hilariously funny at times!

Maybe you sometimes need a friendly robot to make you understand the idea of mindfulness. Ironic.

These are lovely little novellas. Easy reads with a philosophical bent.

These are definitely allegories (think Ishmael by Daniel Quinn; Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach), and as such you can see the strings in places. Something in me still sings at the sense of recognition; the struggle of feeling messier than one ought to be, of wanting to fill the world with activity and the diminishing returns that provides, of it being easier sometimes to be vulnerable with people who don't know you very well at all.