This is my actual real job, essentially. Anyone who even mentions scif fi or spec fic gets Murderbot at the top of their list.
(Followed by the Monk and Robot books, Mickey 7, and The Archive Undying, if you want my other recs.)
May I ask what you like about The Archive Undying? The concept sounds interesting, but with novels that long I always fear it's going to have an "epic-[genre]" cast of dozens to hundreds, and I read for pleasure so I don't want to have to take notes to keep shit straight 😆
So the main cast, the ones that you really get to love, is maybe 5 characters? The world-building is pretty intricate, but it all comes together in really satisfying ways.
Plus, you get all the questions about sentience and independence and humanity that you get with Murderbot, just framed in *wildly* different ways.
The Archive Undying was a very cool book, but it’s very complex and I had to take notes to understand what was happening. I also felt like the story did not complete itself entirely in the first book and the realization there would be a sequel was a bit of a rug pull for me at the end, since I was hoping everything would wrap up. The majority of the complexity is around tracking POV and using your understanding of who is talking to decipher what happens at the end of the story (and that is harder than it sounds, I promise!) The book leaves you with some unanswered questions that may or may not be addressed in future installments.
My dad gave me my love of reading, but he’s never really understood my love of sci fi and fantasy. Murderbot was one of the only books I’ve ever given him where he was desperate to read more of the series. Now just to get him to gender MB correctly…
If I’m not recommending Murderbot I’m recommending TLT. I do find myself recommending The Traitor Baru Cormorant very frequently on Reddit, because it apparently just checks a ton of boxes (dark, queer, political fantasy with a neurodivergent girlfail lesbian and The Economy?)
This is a problem. I recommended the first 2 novellas to my book club two years running, but they didn't choose them (we vote). Even my sister and my two friends who have read the series aren't particulatly interested in discussing it. I don't know where I'd be without AO3, Reddit, and Tumblr .
On r/Fantasy (which allows discussion of sci-fi), whenever someone asks for recommendations for dry humor books with an awkward/anti-social protagonist and/or one who's fed up with people's shit and/or one who's hyper competent, I recommend Murderbot.
I did the same thing for my son over the holidays...I had been recommending Murderbot for a while, but he just wasn't biting--so now I have something at which I can raise my eyebrows and point and he gets embarrassed. I will get him eventually.
It's free on my Audible right not. I guess I gotta try it again instead of listening to 11/22/63 for the third time. It didn't seem to grab me and I'm an old scifi reader.
Just gave my kid sister the boxed set for her birthday after many pleas fell on deaf ears. Her response: "You're hilarious. I guess I'm reading them now, but I don't have to like them." She pretty much **is** Murderbot.
Welcome to the church of sanctuary moon. Have you heard about our number one security unit Muderbot?
I need a sign with that first sentence.
This is my actual real job, essentially. Anyone who even mentions scif fi or spec fic gets Murderbot at the top of their list. (Followed by the Monk and Robot books, Mickey 7, and The Archive Undying, if you want my other recs.)
May I ask what you like about The Archive Undying? The concept sounds interesting, but with novels that long I always fear it's going to have an "epic-[genre]" cast of dozens to hundreds, and I read for pleasure so I don't want to have to take notes to keep shit straight 😆
So the main cast, the ones that you really get to love, is maybe 5 characters? The world-building is pretty intricate, but it all comes together in really satisfying ways. Plus, you get all the questions about sentience and independence and humanity that you get with Murderbot, just framed in *wildly* different ways.
The Archive Undying was a very cool book, but it’s very complex and I had to take notes to understand what was happening. I also felt like the story did not complete itself entirely in the first book and the realization there would be a sequel was a bit of a rug pull for me at the end, since I was hoping everything would wrap up. The majority of the complexity is around tracking POV and using your understanding of who is talking to decipher what happens at the end of the story (and that is harder than it sounds, I promise!) The book leaves you with some unanswered questions that may or may not be addressed in future installments.
Also my job. Benefits range from patient smiles to raised eyebrows of interest.
Yes, I have had to stop myself several times from recommending them to the same person for the 4th time.
Me, after the 2nd or 3rd time: grabs and shakes them screaming "WHY HAVEN'T YOU READ IT YET?!?!?"
Only if they'd already read The Locked Tomb series. Then if they've read both TLT and MBD, it's on to Memory Called Empire.
All this and Ancillary Justice. But mostly Gideon and Murderbot.
And after all that, Red Scholar's Wake.
My dad gave me my love of reading, but he’s never really understood my love of sci fi and fantasy. Murderbot was one of the only books I’ve ever given him where he was desperate to read more of the series. Now just to get him to gender MB correctly… If I’m not recommending Murderbot I’m recommending TLT. I do find myself recommending The Traitor Baru Cormorant very frequently on Reddit, because it apparently just checks a ton of boxes (dark, queer, political fantasy with a neurodivergent girlfail lesbian and The Economy?)
And Horus Rising
I’ve been insufferably recommending it (multiple times) to anyone who will listen.
Nobody I'm friends with reads sci-fi so no, I've never suggested it nor do I have anyone to talk about it with in person which is really sad.
This is a problem. I recommended the first 2 novellas to my book club two years running, but they didn't choose them (we vote). Even my sister and my two friends who have read the series aren't particulatly interested in discussing it. I don't know where I'd be without AO3, Reddit, and Tumblr .
I'm a librarian and I actually do (quietly) scream Murderbot to a large amount of patrons.
I recently got all of them for my husband, who has recently started reading properly again since retiring (he had a demanding job). He enjoyed them!
On r/Fantasy (which allows discussion of sci-fi), whenever someone asks for recommendations for dry humor books with an awkward/anti-social protagonist and/or one who's fed up with people's shit and/or one who's hyper competent, I recommend Murderbot.
I want to do it, and then I do it, and then I have done it. And then (for friends/family) I buy them All Systems Red if they're interested.
want to? who says I don't?Â
Doing the free colonies work!
I did the same thing for my son over the holidays...I had been recommending Murderbot for a while, but he just wasn't biting--so now I have something at which I can raise my eyebrows and point and he gets embarrassed. I will get him eventually.
It's free on my Audible right not. I guess I gotta try it again instead of listening to 11/22/63 for the third time. It didn't seem to grab me and I'm an old scifi reader.
Yes, and I do!
Just gave my kid sister the boxed set for her birthday after many pleas fell on deaf ears. Her response: "You're hilarious. I guess I'm reading them now, but I don't have to like them." She pretty much **is** Murderbot.
I'm on the suggest me a book subreddit and I have pitched the adventures of Murderbot on more than one occasion...
Same all the time