What I've Been Reading

 

The past week or so, I've been working my way through the Murderbot books. They are short books. I'm really enjoying the character of Murderbot and reading from its point of view. I'm going to give you an example, the opening line from the first book, All Systems Red  by Martha Wells.

"I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours since then, with still not much murdering, but probably,  i don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible faiilure."

Basically, Murderbot is introverted. It would prefer to avoid interactions with humans, and be a couch potato of sorts. I think a lot of people can relate to that. But acting as a secunit, Murderbot must interact with humans from time to time that it is supposed to be protecting. I enjoyed reading these interactions from its point of view, especially how it must protect the humans even if they are deciding to do something stupid that could turn into an accidental suicide. 

Books 1, 2, and 3 are all dealing with different groups of humans in different situations, but Murderbot continues to feel the need to protect the humans. As the books go on, Murderbot experiences growth and change, things that wouldn't happen if it hadn't hacked its governor module and maybe even if it hadn't consumed all that entertainment that showed human interactions with others including bots and secunits.

At this point as I prepare to start book 4, I would recommend the Murderbot series. The books are short and have adventure to them. Even though I don't often read science fiction, I am enjoying them. If you're looking for a short read, like 156 pages or so for book 1, give it a try.

What have you been reading lately? Drop a line in the comments and let us know what you're reading and if you would recommend it and to who. Thanks for coming by. Happy Reading!