When Sibling Dex decides to go "off the rails" following his own intrinsic ick to leave the well paved roads, they do not know what meets them within the first hours in the wilds. Mosscap bursts into their life with the question "what do you need?" The two of them set onto a journey, whose outcome is nestled between the tea wagon, an ever so curious robot and the big question of what "need" really encompasses. "Monk and Robot" takes the reader by the hand and nudges him friendliy but unforgivingly in the direction of taking a new perspective on life. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially for drowsy winter evenings with a cup of tea at hand and an open mind for things to come.

Sci-Fi dieser Art habe ich wirklich noch nie gelesen. Wir befinden uns in einer unbestimmten Zukunft, in der die Menschen ihre Bedürfnisse zurückgeschraubt haben und nun 50% ihres Planeten der Wildnis überlassen. In der Wildnis leben Roboter, die vor vielen Jahrhunderten ein Bewusstsein erlangt haben und sich von den Menschen trennen wollten. Vor diesem wunderschönen Hintergrund spielt sich der erste Kontakt zwischen Mensch und Roboter ab. Die Freundschaftsgeschichte zwischen Dex & Helmling (engl.: Mosscap) ist nicht nur unendlich schön zu lesen, sondern befasst sich auch mit tiefgründigen Fragen wie „Was brauchen Menschen?“ oder „Braucht meine Existenz einen Zweck?“ Mir persönlich hat der erste Band etwas besser gefallen und ich kann nur empfehlen, die englische Version zu lesen (ist als Doppelband auch schonender für den Geldbeutel).

It starts out with Sibling Dex, a tea monk, who travels into the wilderness after they became overwhelmed with their work. There they meet Mosscap, a robot. Robots have lived seperate from humans for many many years and Mosscap has ventured closer to human settlements in order to ask the following question:"What do humans need?" Along with Dex as it's guide they travel through the wilderness for a while and eventually Mosscap gets to meet the humans. This was a truly delightful story about one's purpose in life. Whether we as humans even need one or whether it's totally fine to just be and enjoy the little things. I loved their deeper conversation and it was lovely to watch their friendship blossom. The way they found comfort in each other made me find my own and seeing Mosscap getting giddy and excited about such a simple thing as flowers on the side of the road made me want to appreciate the little things one sees day to day. This book means a lot to me. It felt like a comforting hug after you've just had a rough day and it will definitely stick with me for many years to come. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for their purpose in life or to anyone who simply needs to feel like being wrapped up in a comfortable blanket with a cup of tea to keep you warm.