Science Fiction

I read all the books, and my only complaint about the show is that the episodes are over too soon. I know it's different in some ways from the books, but who cares? It's a great show.

I feel like the changes to characters are really large. The feelings I have from each character in the books and the show are not close enough to be the same character. Mensa is so much more emotional and reactive in the show than she was in the books, but I like both. Murderbot is much more human than in the books, there is way less internal monologue, so it feels very different, but I still love the character in both. Same for all the rest.

As for the story changes, so far it seems good in terms of changing just enough to make it fit for TV rather than doing something insanely different with only a passing resemblance to the books. I like how the violence is shocking, sudden, and really limited. In the books it is not the whole story, one gory moment after another, and I was worried they would get sucked into the trap of violence being attention getting and shocking and therefore needed in huge quantity.

The visuals are excellent. From a purely technical perspective they have done a great job with making something easy to look at, enjoyable to experience, and mostly visually consistent. There have been very few moments where the colour balance is skewed weirdly, where the lighting requires adjusting the screen, or where the volume levelling was terrible. Great production quality.

A lot of people are watching it, but I ducked out after episode two. I read the books and I felt like it was overly broad in comparison.

The TV adaptation rushes through the story, and doesn’t take its characters seriously. The books aren’t really a broad comedy like the show. For example, the books were more respectful of gender and sexuality. It wasn’t played for laughs except as the bot’s perspective of how he didn’t relate to it or understand the point of it. Same with a lot of the other characteristics of the humans. The humans in the book aren’t actually bumbling idiots, that’s just how the bot perceives them. I felt like the show was missing the point.

I did enjoy how the tv show portrayed “sanctuary moon” though.

If you haven’t read the books, I recommend them. There’s only like one real clunker in the set.

I disagree that it’s a faithful adaptation from the books.

There have been plenty of lore and story changes. The overall ‘tone’ is different too. Books are more hard sci-fi.

That being said, I’m still enjoying it as its own thing and I wish the episodes were longer.

I'm enjoying it, though it feels...off? Somehow, likely because its a 30m format, it seems to speed through episodes, or starts to pick up steam then abrubtly ends.

I've read the books and thoroughly enjoyed them and am now thoroughly enjoying the show. The emphasis of the show is different, certainly, but in this case I am happy with that. After the first episode in which I was all 'It's not that way in the book...' I am taking as it is.

My SO has not read the books and is also thoroughly enjoying it. It is probably her favourite show at the moment.

I wish all episodes were out all at once - I'd binge the hell out of it.

It's fun I like it :)

Only glaring flaw is that I can no longer ignore my need for more murderbot content

I find the lens they used to film many of the shots incredibly distracting. The bokeh is outta control.

To be honest I've only seen the first two episodes and they didn't really grab me.

I enjoyed the books a lot when I read them, but never felt like it would adapt well to TV since so much exposition happens in the main character's head.

Does it get better in later episodes?

I've been loving it so far, tempted to pick up the books now.

I've picked it up as a casual follow because there's not much else at the moment. It's okay but I am not overwhelmed.

The show focuses, in my opinion, a bit too much on that human/bot mix portraying all kinds of ways he's not actually human. It distracts from the (in my opinion rather thin) storyline. Maybe this is one of those shows that is complementary to the books it's based on?

It's pretty good but feels quite basic compared to the books.

I’ve never read the books. But I’m loving the show.

Didn't know it was out, thanks! (Love the books)

Does the series spoil the books? I haven't started watching or reading yet, although the first book went on my to-read list four years ago.