The Murderbot Diaries

Martha Wells · 2017 · Novel

Explore this on the mapTrace its ancestors and descendants live in the tree.

Offered a unique first-person perspective on an AI's internal struggle for self-determination and identity, blending humor with serious questions about corporate control, sentience, and what constitutes a 'person.'

What it is

A series of novellas and novels following a self-aware, security-unit construct (SecUnit) that has hacked its governor module and would much rather watch serialized entertainment than protect its human clients. Despite its misanthropic tendencies, it often ends up saving humans and grappling with its own identity and desire for autonomy.

↑Inherited from(2)

I, Robot· 1950↑ open

Explores robot sentience and autonomy, often subverting or playing with the concept of 'laws' governing robot behavior.

Autonomous· 2017↑ open

Shares themes of corporate ownership of biological and artificial life, and the struggle for freedom/personhood.

↓Passed on to(1)

Klara and the Sun· 2021↓ open

Shares the perspective of an artificial being observing and interacting with humanity, exploring its own identity and purpose, albeit with a different tone.