A seven-book series that trades world-building bloat for sharp humor and surprisingly relevant questions about AI.

Breaking the reread cycle

Most of what I read, or listen to, is fantasy and historical fiction. Recently I’ve been rereading the same books over and over. Shogun, Noble House, King Rat, the Gentleman Bastard series for probably the fourth time. They’re comfort reads. I know what I’m getting.

After a while I needed something different. My brother had recommended the Murderbot TV show ages ago. I never watched it, but I found the book series on Spotify and figured I’d give it a shot.

It is phenomenal.

Why most sci-fi loses me

One flaw in a lot of sci-fi, and epic fantasy for that matter, is the front-loaded complexity. What year is it? What technologies exist? Who are all these factions? If it’s a space opera like Dune, there’s usually interplanetary politics to track. You need to build a mental compass before you can navigate the story.

This is why sci-fi and fantasy can feel dry. There’s too much context to absorb before you get to the actual narrative. Thrillers don’t have this problem.

What Murderbot gets right

All Systems Red, the first book, gives you context only for the main character and the life they live. In this case, a robot with sophisticated AI that calls itself Murderbot. The name plays into the story in ways I won’t spoil.

The series is intentionally humorous. It offers interesting philosophical questions without the weight of a 900 page book. What does it mean to be alive? What influence do political and economic systems have on ethics? What’s allowed, what isn’t, what should be done but isn’t?

Why it feels relevant now

AI is in everyone’s mind. Whether you’re in tech and work with it directly, or you’re having it shoved at you, it’s unavoidable. Stories about AGI, job displacement, and ethics are everywhere. Meta pirating thousands of books to train Llama because it was path of least resistance. Companies with poor track records making consequential decisions about this technology.

Murderbot offers a way to sit with these questions in a more digestible format. The interactions between the main character, other robots, humans, and even rationalized alien life give you plenty to think about.

The ratings breakdown

The series is a solid 7.5 out of 10 for me. All Systems Red gets an 8.5. Two books didn’t land.

Exit Strategy was profoundly mediocre. There’s a whininess that became central to the book and I couldn’t shake it. System Collapse might have suffered from overindulgence on my part. Seven books in a row is a lot.

The bottom line

If you want sci-fi that doesn’t require homework, this is it. Short books, sharp writing, and questions worth sitting with.