In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot". Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
— Open Library
I had not read any science-fiction for a long time and this was a wonderful book to break out of that. I liked how it started and Murderbot's inner monologue was also fun. A little more world-building would probably have made it more interesting to me, like the layouts of their habitats and/or hoppers. But I guess that would detract from the tight pacing of the story which I think the author was aiming for.
I started it on a recent train journey and managed to finish around one-third of the story on that single journey, subsequently it was interesting enough that over the next 3 days I prioritised spending time reading over other hobbies.
Overall, a nice short sci-fi read.
Spoilers ahead: I really did not like how in the end Murderbot slipped away without notifying the very person (specifically Mensah) who helped him gain his freedom. I know this is how it's personality is developed throughout the book that he doesn't like dealing with humans and/or emotions (or emotional situations) face-to-face, but I think Mensah deserved to atleast be told to her face that he doesn't want to continue with them.