Recs if you like Compulsory...

alternatively: robots and androids murderbot would begrudgingly and unintentionally befriend.

OR

robots and androids who teach us a little more about humanity, friendship, and the human condition. and also sarcasm and sardonic humour, on occasion.

Sentient constructs who didn’t ask to be born but now have to grapple with ethics, personhood, and the inconvenient need to fight monsters—both literal and systemic. A collection of books that explores the many shades of “otherness” in human lives through robotic ones.

For the times you want a short read or need to finish a challenge fast.

All of these are less than 200 pages or no more than 5 hours long. Most are considered novellas, but some short stories have been included as well. No anthologies or collections.

These are about 100 pages (or less)! Will depend on how it's printed, but basically: YOU'LL FLY THROUGH THESE! ✈️

my favourite melodramatic space adventures!

Books featuring a day in the life for characters in a high-stress, high-stakes environment where no matter how bad things get, intense fear won't put food on the table. Every day could be your last, but it's not over yet, so...

The general vibe of this list is to collect books which, rather than changing the world through a heroic perfect storm, involve a slice-of-life portrayal of a character's daily journey through a rather dangerous path.

Books where the robot or android or AI (not stupid real life AI) learns how to be human or human-adjacent. That MUST be part of their arc, even if it’s multi-book. (For example, The Monk and the Robot wouldn’t count because Mosscap is so well adjusted already).

A list of the books in the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

This is not a list of romantic sci-fi novels and novellas, as love can take many shape and forms. There might be some romance in there, however, possibly, on occasion.