Murderbot, a beloved science fiction series, is now finally available at my local public library. So obviously, I started reading it and yes it makes perfect sense why everyone loves it so much.
Plot: Our hero is a part mechanical, part organic machine owned by a company that leases it out as part of overpriced security packages for corporations interested in planetary surveying activities. They have no name, but have taken on the moniker of Murderbot, at least in their own head (motherboard?). They are presently conducting security over a team of hippie conservationists hoping to take samples for research on some planet or another, but all they want to do is watch TV. Unfortunately, the things they’ve picked up watching somewhere just under 35,000 hours of “media” are going to come in handy. Shenanigans ensue.
This is a wildly efficient science fiction novella. We get a lot of context for how this world operates, with a lot of focus on how the mechanics works. It makes me think a bit of Ann Leckie’s writing, though of course with an irreverent, sarcastic tone. This novella really sets the stage for Murderbot to explore who they are and what they want outside of just watching TV (since that’s a given).
The secondary characters carry the story, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sold on whether it works to have a narrator that is disinterested in the story they’re telling, but there’s definitely enough here for me to pick up a couple more.
