Rebel Without a Crew

I’ll admit, I side-eyed *Rebel Without a Crew* at first. A satirical sci-fi novel about office politics on an alien planet? That either lands as brilliant or crashes like a malfunctioning escape pod. Thankfully, it’s the former—mostly. Noor’s worldbuilding is delightfully specific: Planet Hyman feels like a DMV crossed with a *Brazil*-esque nightmare, where the revolution is less about ideology and more about who remembers to file the right forms. Hilda’s sabbatical into hedonism (via the aforementioned ‘pleasure dome’) is the book’s beating heart, a darkly funny critique of how we replace one system of control with another, even when we think we’re rebelling. Beverley Murray’s performance is a masterclass in restraint. She resists the urge to ham up the absurdity, letting the text’s dry humor breathe—though I wished she’d leaned harder into the coup plotters’ dialogue, which sometimes blends into the bureaucratic drone. The production is clean, but the pacing stumbles in the middle act, where Hilda’s introspection drags just enough to test patience. Still, the payoff—a coup that’s equal parts pathetic and oddly poignant—makes it worth the slog. If you love your sci-fi with a side of existential dread and a sprinkle of *Office Space* in space, this is your jam. Just don’t expect a tidy resolution; like real revolutions (and real offices), the mess is the point.