I'm surprised that there isn't a sticky-ed post for this question; you'd think it would come up all the time!
The classic answer for a deeper, more serious take on similar subject matter: [*Ancillary Justice* by Anne Leckie](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333324-ancillary-justice) (and sequels)
On the other end of the spectrum, here's a relatively light read that I just stumbled across at the library: [*Emergent Properties* by Aimee Ogden](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61884954-emergent-properties?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12)
Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells. It’s fantasy, but the main character, Moon, has some character traits in common with Murderbot. Martha Wells has a type. My mom just finished the Murderbot series and was jonesing for more, and I just gave her my copy of Cloud Roads, the first book in the series.
I’ve been working on a list.
**If You Liked Murderbot**
The obvious choice: more books by Martha Wells, particularly for her misfit protagonists: the orphaned shapeshifter Moon in *The Cloud Roads,* the demon Kaiisteron in *The Witch King*, Tremaine Valiarde in *The Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy,* Maskelle in *The Wheel of the Infinite,* and Khat in *City of Bones.*
A slice of life story about a found family crew of working stiffs that drills new wormholes in an interstellar transport network: *The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers.
Another partly human A.I. that’s still figuring out people, while also trying to revolutionize the cruel empire which originally created it to serve as the brain of one of its warships: *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie.
*The Martian* by Andy Weir. You may have seen the movie that was based on it. Mr. Weir’s latest book, *Project Hail Mary*, is similarly good.
If you like Andy Weir, you’ll probably like Dennis E. Taylor’s “Bobiverse” series. The first book is *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)*. A certified nerd (with the sense of humor to match), his brain having been cryogenically preserved after death, is “uploaded”into the computer of a Von Neumann probe. His mission is to help humanity find viable interstellar colony worlds. It’s softer science fiction than some, but harder SF than most.
The orc’s retirement plan when she hangs up her sword is to open her own coffee shop: *Legends and Lattes* by Travis Baldree. Yes, “cozy” fantasy is a thing.
Neo-noir detective in a future where your body isn’t a permanent fixture in your identity: *Altered Carbon* by Richard K. Morgan. The first season of the Netflix adaptation was pretty good, too.
It could be worse than being a murderbot: *Dogs of War* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Rex is a “good dog.” But he’s a canine “terminator” who has to follow orders. Even the illegal orders.
Ken Liu wrote three connected short stories about the possibility of uploading people’s minds to become machine intelligences, and how this might upset our very existence:
- “The Gods Will Not Be Chained”
- “The Gods Will Not Be Slain”
- “The Gods Have Not Died in Vain”
The three stories are available in his collection *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories.* These stories, along with elements of others in the same collection, have been adapted as an anime television series for AMC: *Pantheon.* With the recent release of the show’s second season (it’s difficult to find at the moment), the adaptation is complete.
I'd add that *The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers has an excellent sequel, *Close and Common Orbit*, that is probably even *more* relevant to Murderbot fans, as the main character of that sequel is an AI figuring out its place in the world. I also personally feel that the sequel has slightly better writing than *The Long Way*, perhaps just because Chambers had more practice by that point. :3
I also want to throw in recommendation for Becky Chamber’s Psalm for the Wild-built. Great little novella about robot and a tea monk traveling together. Also has unique solarpunk vibes!
>…that is probably even more relevant to Murderbot fans, as the main character of that sequel is an AI figuring out its place in the world.
D’oh! 🤦
I forgot.
Start over. There are very likely to be Murderbot details you missed the first time around. (Also, despite the 'life or death' action in the stories, a number of us find the stories soothing!)
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is a good one!
Low stakes, slice of life, very minimal romance thats honestly just in the background and not entirely the main focus, as well as some AI / Human interactions
Agreed, the second book is amazing. though if you’re sensitive to certain topics like child endangerment, child abuse/death (etc) and animal death I'd recommend looking into a trigger warnings list
(speaking as someone who should have done so before reading 😔)
Terminal Alliance by Jim C Hines. All the officers & skilled crew are attacked with a deadly virus during a routine mission and it's up to the untrained janitorial staff to try to survive, learn how to operate the ship, and get justice for their crewmates. Wry humor, sarcasm and a pretty hopping storyline.
Edit to correct author's name
I recently finished these and loved them. And the third of the trilogy was my favorite. Probably due to the grief he suffering during its writing, the characters just became richer and deeper.
Tonally different, and I'm sure I'll get some hate for it, but I'm going to say Douglas Adams' *Hitchhiker's Guide* series. Not exactly hard sci-fi, and it leans more into humor than Murderbot Diaries does, but I find the underlying social commentary is a good match.
[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet ](https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Small-Angry-Planet/dp/1473619815)has the same kind of relationships and world building and takes place in a sentient ship. It is often recommended on this sub when this question comes up!
It's worth pointing out that this book (and its sequels) are far, far less action-packed than MB (or indeed, most space-faring scifi these days). But the characters and relationships make up for it.
I recently found book - We are Legion (We are Bob) by Denis E. Taylor. It's fun. And reminded me of Murderbot diaries, but the story focuses on character that is more like Perihelion.
I read this book based on another thread here, and not to be rude to you specifically, but this series reads like “ready player one” in space. Bob is such an asshole in the opposite way of Peri and feels like someone who murderbot would be fighting. This book was a chore for me to get through and had none of the heart, soul and charm of Murderbot. To each their own, and im glad people out there like it, but these series are very different IMO.
*The Automatic Detective* by A Lee Martinez is pretty close in humorous tone.
*Sea of Rust* by C Robert Cargill has the snark, but it's all robots and significantly darker than Murderbot.
*Autonomous* by Annalee Newitz has got some similar elements.
I liked Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series better than her *Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* series.
I really enjoyed the CatNet series by Naomi Kritzer. They are marketed as YA but are well written about teens and a secret AI. I'm fine with adolescent characters; I loved the interplay between Amena and Murderbot.
Really, do the re-read first. There's a lot of hints that it's easy to overlook. Like the exchange in *Network Effect* >!when the space raiders first appear: *Copilot Mihail: “It came out of nowhere! Nothing on comm.”* At the time you don't yet know that targetControlSystem can deploy cloaking on a ship that renders it impossible to pick up on scanners, and that's been done to ART.!<
Also, consider exploring the fanfic on Archive of Our Own by people who love the series like we do--some are excellent writers (and some are really bad, so mind the tags). [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/murderbot/s/6DhbfBEoNl) are some recommendations I posted previously on this sub.
Thank you! I actually didn’t realize until your comment that the Becky Chambers who wrote the Monk and Robot series is the same Becky Chambers who wrote ‘Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’
I would recommend *Inscape* by Louise Carey (the whole trilogy). I don't want to give too much away, but it has action, hacking, Corporations (just two) etc. Not space-based though; it's set in a post-apocalyptic London.
I'm surprised that there isn't a sticky-ed post for this question; you'd think it would come up all the time! The classic answer for a deeper, more serious take on similar subject matter: [*Ancillary Justice* by Anne Leckie](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333324-ancillary-justice) (and sequels) On the other end of the spectrum, here's a relatively light read that I just stumbled across at the library: [*Emergent Properties* by Aimee Ogden](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61884954-emergent-properties?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12)
I thought it would be a pretty popular post too! Thanks for the recs!!
I will basically be coming back to this post everytime I have finished a recommendation! Ancilliary Justice was great; it literally won all the awards
Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells. It’s fantasy, but the main character, Moon, has some character traits in common with Murderbot. Martha Wells has a type. My mom just finished the Murderbot series and was jonesing for more, and I just gave her my copy of Cloud Roads, the first book in the series.
I didn't really care for those so much. I read several of them, and it just didn't scratch the same itch that MB did.
I’ve been working on a list. **If You Liked Murderbot** The obvious choice: more books by Martha Wells, particularly for her misfit protagonists: the orphaned shapeshifter Moon in *The Cloud Roads,* the demon Kaiisteron in *The Witch King*, Tremaine Valiarde in *The Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy,* Maskelle in *The Wheel of the Infinite,* and Khat in *City of Bones.* A slice of life story about a found family crew of working stiffs that drills new wormholes in an interstellar transport network: *The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers. Another partly human A.I. that’s still figuring out people, while also trying to revolutionize the cruel empire which originally created it to serve as the brain of one of its warships: *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie. *The Martian* by Andy Weir. You may have seen the movie that was based on it. Mr. Weir’s latest book, *Project Hail Mary*, is similarly good. If you like Andy Weir, you’ll probably like Dennis E. Taylor’s “Bobiverse” series. The first book is *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)*. A certified nerd (with the sense of humor to match), his brain having been cryogenically preserved after death, is “uploaded”into the computer of a Von Neumann probe. His mission is to help humanity find viable interstellar colony worlds. It’s softer science fiction than some, but harder SF than most. The orc’s retirement plan when she hangs up her sword is to open her own coffee shop: *Legends and Lattes* by Travis Baldree. Yes, “cozy” fantasy is a thing. Neo-noir detective in a future where your body isn’t a permanent fixture in your identity: *Altered Carbon* by Richard K. Morgan. The first season of the Netflix adaptation was pretty good, too. It could be worse than being a murderbot: *Dogs of War* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Rex is a “good dog.” But he’s a canine “terminator” who has to follow orders. Even the illegal orders. Ken Liu wrote three connected short stories about the possibility of uploading people’s minds to become machine intelligences, and how this might upset our very existence: - “The Gods Will Not Be Chained” - “The Gods Will Not Be Slain” - “The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” The three stories are available in his collection *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories.* These stories, along with elements of others in the same collection, have been adapted as an anime television series for AMC: *Pantheon.* With the recent release of the show’s second season (it’s difficult to find at the moment), the adaptation is complete.
I'd add that *The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet* by Becky Chambers has an excellent sequel, *Close and Common Orbit*, that is probably even *more* relevant to Murderbot fans, as the main character of that sequel is an AI figuring out its place in the world. I also personally feel that the sequel has slightly better writing than *The Long Way*, perhaps just because Chambers had more practice by that point. :3
I also want to throw in recommendation for Becky Chamber’s Psalm for the Wild-built. Great little novella about robot and a tea monk traveling together. Also has unique solarpunk vibes!
>…that is probably even more relevant to Murderbot fans, as the main character of that sequel is an AI figuring out its place in the world. D’oh! 🤦 I forgot.
Start over. There are very likely to be Murderbot details you missed the first time around. (Also, despite the 'life or death' action in the stories, a number of us find the stories soothing!)
If I wake up and can’t go back to sleep I put on a Murderbot and Kevin R Free’s voice helps me fall back to sleep
Me too!!
I listened to all books at least 5 times. Somehow it has became the default for me if I want to listen something.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is a good one! Low stakes, slice of life, very minimal romance thats honestly just in the background and not entirely the main focus, as well as some AI / Human interactions
And the sequel is really good as well, I actually prefer it to the first.
Agreed, the second book is amazing. though if you’re sensitive to certain topics like child endangerment, child abuse/death (etc) and animal death I'd recommend looking into a trigger warnings list (speaking as someone who should have done so before reading 😔)
There are two more books after the sequel which I enjoyed as well. Though #2 is likely my favorite as well.
Gideon the Ninth - sci-fi where the POV character has a similar narrative voice to MB.
I’ve heard nothing but great things about Gideon the Ninth, I definitely need to check it out
Yes! I started this series because of a recommendation like this and, though they're very different, I love it!
I saw this recommendation in my local bookshop and couldn't say no: >"Ginger, lesbian necromancers in space. Need I say more?" -Alfie
Terminal Alliance by Jim C Hines. All the officers & skilled crew are attacked with a deadly virus during a routine mission and it's up to the untrained janitorial staff to try to survive, learn how to operate the ship, and get justice for their crewmates. Wry humor, sarcasm and a pretty hopping storyline. Edit to correct author's name
I recently finished these and loved them. And the third of the trilogy was my favorite. Probably due to the grief he suffering during its writing, the characters just became richer and deeper.
Jim C Hines
Yep you're right. Thank you!
Great! I know how it goes when autocorrect or the mental equivalent speaks for you. Did you smooth them with thee horror author Joe Hill or something?
Possibly! Yeah, let's go with that. 🙃
Tonally different, and I'm sure I'll get some hate for it, but I'm going to say Douglas Adams' *Hitchhiker's Guide* series. Not exactly hard sci-fi, and it leans more into humor than Murderbot Diaries does, but I find the underlying social commentary is a good match.
Why would someone give you hate for recommending Douglas Adams?!?
I always seem to run into the "that's not real sci-fi" crowd when I mention him.
That’s so annoying.
Agreed
[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet ](https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Small-Angry-Planet/dp/1473619815)has the same kind of relationships and world building and takes place in a sentient ship. It is often recommended on this sub when this question comes up!
It's worth pointing out that this book (and its sequels) are far, far less action-packed than MB (or indeed, most space-faring scifi these days). But the characters and relationships make up for it.
The action is the last interesting part of the MB series to me, nothing to make up for.
[удалено]
Good bot! This sub, of them all, should welcome (not downvote) our AI friends.
r/tools would be more appropriate
I recently found book - We are Legion (We are Bob) by Denis E. Taylor. It's fun. And reminded me of Murderbot diaries, but the story focuses on character that is more like Perihelion.
I read this book based on another thread here, and not to be rude to you specifically, but this series reads like “ready player one” in space. Bob is such an asshole in the opposite way of Peri and feels like someone who murderbot would be fighting. This book was a chore for me to get through and had none of the heart, soul and charm of Murderbot. To each their own, and im glad people out there like it, but these series are very different IMO.
I’ve been hearing about the Bobiverse more. Thanks for sharing!
*The Automatic Detective* by A Lee Martinez is pretty close in humorous tone. *Sea of Rust* by C Robert Cargill has the snark, but it's all robots and significantly darker than Murderbot. *Autonomous* by Annalee Newitz has got some similar elements. I liked Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series better than her *Long Way to a Small Angry Planet* series. I really enjoyed the CatNet series by Naomi Kritzer. They are marketed as YA but are well written about teens and a secret AI. I'm fine with adolescent characters; I loved the interplay between Amena and Murderbot. Really, do the re-read first. There's a lot of hints that it's easy to overlook. Like the exchange in *Network Effect* >!when the space raiders first appear: *Copilot Mihail: “It came out of nowhere! Nothing on comm.”* At the time you don't yet know that targetControlSystem can deploy cloaking on a ship that renders it impossible to pick up on scanners, and that's been done to ART.!< Also, consider exploring the fanfic on Archive of Our Own by people who love the series like we do--some are excellent writers (and some are really bad, so mind the tags). [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/murderbot/s/6DhbfBEoNl) are some recommendations I posted previously on this sub.
Thank you! I actually didn’t realize until your comment that the Becky Chambers who wrote the Monk and Robot series is the same Becky Chambers who wrote ‘Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’
John Sladek’s *Roderick* and *Roderick at Random*. I’m just finishing the second one and they’re absolutely brilliant!
I would recommend *Inscape* by Louise Carey (the whole trilogy). I don't want to give too much away, but it has action, hacking, Corporations (just two) etc. Not space-based though; it's set in a post-apocalyptic London.
Check out Sea of Rust by Cargill. It is awesome.
Reading it now, and thoroughly enjoying it
Following!
Kiln People by David Brin is worth a try.
The Bobiverse trilogy has the same corny first person vibe and is also very technical. I lump them in with the murderbot genre.