It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need? " is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it *a lot. * Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
