The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells follows a part-human, part-robot security construct who has quietly hacked its own governor module and would really rather watch serialized TV dramas than deal with people. As a listening experience, the audiobooks shine because Kevin R. Free’s narration captures the character’s dry internal monologue with perfect deadpan timing, making the humor land in ways that reading silently just doesn’t quite deliver.

If you’re worn out by epic fantasy stakes and want something shorter and weirder, this series is exactly right. Each installment is novella-length, so you can finish one on a long commute, and the 2017 debut “All systems red” won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, which tells you the quality is genuinely there.