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Whether you’ve been a fan of the books for years or have just discovered sci-fi’s beloved “Murderbot” from the television show, there’s no denying that this media-loving human/bot construct has a big following. And it’s not hard to see why!
Murderbot is resourceful, sarcastic, and anti-social, but is also going on a long journey of self-discovery to which all readers can relate to at one point or another. The eighth book in the series was released on May 5, and lucky me…I got it that same day from my library in Libby! I gasped so loudly from excitement that I scared my colleagues in the office.
Beyond the Murderbot Diaries series, there have been other sci-fi books recently that fit into this category of space mystery/the human experience/political space opera that are compulsively readable and filled with humor, action, and heart. Each of these picks has a unique tie to appealing themes in the Murderbot Diaries; some have the space mystery angle, some involve daring missions after corporate takeovers, and others are heartwarming and humorous. The one thing all these books have in common is that they showcase the wide variety of titles that science fiction can have for those who are willing to dive in!
Books You Should Know About
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
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From your OverDrive DCL:
What, did you think that was the only thing I was going to say about the newest Murderbot Diaries installment?! Author Martha Wells continues to construct a fantastic set of characters around Murderbot as well. In Platform Decay, the eighth book in the series, Murderbot has gone on a rescue mission for Mensah, his best human friend (he’s getting used to calling people “friends”). The trio he’s rescuing he hardly knows, and one of them is a child. Not the ideal circumstance for Murderbot to feel comfortable, to say the least. In addition to escaping from a giant space station that of COURSE has a bunch of hostiles on it, Murderbot has to deal with “emotion checks” due to the new mental health module he’s installed. Craziness and peril ensue, but not without a heavy dose of sarcastic humor from our main character. Platform Decay delivers what series readers have loved since All Systems Red; a fun and relatable cast of characters, sardonic Murderbot side comments, fantastic battle scenes, and a continuing journey of self-discovery.
Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton
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For more sci-fi blends of action and humor, check out the author of the popular Mickey7’s 2024 novel, Mal Goes to War.
From the publisher:
As a free A.I., Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He’s not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to infospace he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting. A dark comedy wrapped in a techno thriller’s skin, Mal Goes to War provides a satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
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From your OverDrive DCL:
If the most appealing part of the Muderbot series is Murderbot’s journey of self-discovery, I highly recommend A Psalm for the Wild-Built. This slim novel is the first in what is currently a two-book published series by the fabulous Becky Chambers. Dex, a monk in the post-apocalyptic City on the planet called Pangea, feels lost and that his life is unfulfilled. He decides to become a traveling tea monk, who visits villages across the land and serves tea and listens to people’s problems or just has a chat with the. He becomes very successful but still has that empty feeling inside. One day, while traveling to his next location, he encounters a robot. This may not seem that big of a deal; however, it’s been centuries since a human has seen a robot. Centuries before, the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools and wandered into the wilderness and had never been seen again. This robot has approached Dex to honor the robot’s old promise to themselves to check in on humans. He decides to travel with Dex to figure out the ultimate question: “What do people need?” — Yikes, that’s a trick one. Filled with humor, gentle conflicts, and a robot who finds everything positively fascinating, Dex begins to find out what his purpose might really be. With less sci-fi action in this book, the character development and setting shine.
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
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From the publisher:
Service Model is a Murderbot meets Redshirts humorous tale of robotic murder from Hugo-nominated author Tchaikovsky. Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: They can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose. If you like AI-centered adventures and robots and humans working together, you’re in the right place!
Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer
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From your OverDrive DCL:
Palmer’s delightful newest novel releases on May 26, and fans of Martha Wells and Becky Chambers will want to get their hands on it! Did I mention there is also a cyborg dog?!
This near-future sci-fi novel is hope-punk at its best. Thirty years ago the world nearly ended. An old robot assassin has since settled into a life of isolation in the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens, determined to forget their role in the conflict. However, after 20 years of this, they wake one day in a bathtub with a missing leg. Obviously they have to leave isolation to find a mechanic who can outfit them with a new leg. The only other beings around are a sassy, sarcastic dog (I think the theme of this blog post is sarcasm). What starts out as a simple quest turns into more when they discover that recovery from the war is uneven and faltering, and someone may be trying to renew old conflicts. In order to stop them, the crew needs to come to terms with their past and who they have become.
Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
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From the publisher:
Emergent Properties is the touching adventure of an intrepid A.I. reporter hot on the heels of brewing corporate warfare from Nebula Award-nominated author Aimee Ogden. A state-of-the-art AI with a talent for asking questions and finding answers, Scorn is nevertheless a parental disappointment. Defying the expectations of zir human mothers, CEOs of the world’s most powerful corporations, Scorn has made a life of zir own as an investigative reporter, crisscrossing the globe in pursuit of the truth, no matter the danger. In the middle of investigating a story on the moon, Scorn comes back online to discover ze has no memory of the past ten days—and no idea what story ze was even chasing. Letting it go is not an option—not if ze wants to prove zirself. Scorn must retrace zir steps in a harrowing journey to uncover an even more explosive truth than ze could have ever imagined.
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
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From your OverDrive DCL:
In Murder by Memory, Waite combines science fiction and mystery into a delightful slim novel, the first in a series that now has two installments. On the interstellar passenger ship the HMS Fairweather, new bodies are provided upon request to replace aging or gravely injured ones. If a person needs a rest between physical lifetimes, their mind is preserved in glass in the Library, the most shielded place on the ship.
Detective Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t the one she chose—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot. Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her brilliant and well-meaning but reckless nephew Ruthie, and perhaps the ship’s yarn store owner. SHE happens to be the ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting— and she may know more than she’s letting on. (She is also very attractive – how distracting for Dorothy).
Whatever happened, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because not only has someone found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state, but they may have also been committing other series of crimes for years. Dorothy is a no-nonsense type of character, with frank statements about herself and others, which I think lends itself well to complement the futuristic setting and mysterious plot. The premise of a “closed” spaceship-center society gives a unique take on detective work. The fact that murder might not be the biggest crime since people’s memories and experiences don’t actually “die” creates interesting stakes to this sci-fi mystery.
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty
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From the publisher:
Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an alien space station, but her problems still follow her in this witty, self-aware novel that puts a speculative spin on murder mysteries. From idyllic small towns to claustrophobic urban landscapes, Mallory Viridian is constantly embroiled in murder cases that only she has the insight to solve. But outside of a classic mystery novel, being surrounded by death doesn’t make you a charming amateur detective, it makes you a suspect and a social pariah. So when Mallory gets the opportunity to take refuge on a sentient space station, she thinks she has the solution. Surely the murders will stop if her only company is alien beings.
At first her new existence is peacefully quiet…and markedly devoid of homicide. But when the station agrees to allow additional human guests, Mallory knows the break from her peculiar reality is over. After the first Earth shuttle arrives, and aliens and humans alike begin to die, the station is thrown into peril. Stuck smack-dab in the middle of an extraterrestrial whodunit, and wondering how in the world this keeps happening to her anyway, Mallory has to solve the crime—and fast—or the list of victims could grow to include everyone on board.
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
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If the sci-fi corporation aspect of Murderbot appeals to you the most, this stand-alone dystopian epic from Lee features a battle-worn corporate samurai undertakes one last mission on a merciless planet.
From the publisher:
Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow—to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her death. But when she’s offered a final mission, she can’t refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last—and worst—apprentice, who’s somehow made his way to the top. As she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity’s existence among the stars.
The Last Contract of Isako is epic science fiction like only Fonda Lee can write it—set in a world where money trumps loyalty, the elite have the power to extend life or end it, and one woman in the twilight of her calling must decide what’s ultimately worth living—or dying—for.
If you’re interested in exploring more titles that center around these titles, you can explore our full Readers’ Advisory Lists.
- Novel Uses for AI (AI Fiction)
- Who Said there’s no Laughter in Space? (Humorous Sci-Fi)
- Sci-Fi Thrillers
- More Fi, Less Sci (Science Fiction a bit lighter on the science)
For more great lists, check out the Recommended Lists section of the Resource Center, home of all the great lists maintained by OverDrive’s staff librarians. Lists include bestsellers, favorite genres, kids and teens, LOTE content, seasonal favorites, and more!
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About the author: Maria earned her MLIS from The University of Pittsburgh, and also holds Music Performance degrees from Mount Union and Youngstown State University. Before joining OverDrive in 2018, Maria worked in both public and academic libraries. She enjoys a wide variety of books, but some of her favorite genres are romance, fantasy, and sci-fi. In her spare time, Maria plays cello, keeps up with Cleveland sports, and loves to sit anywhere with a patio with her husband and their dog, Ducky.