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Human Software
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AI TRIES TO RUIN YOUR LIFE?
A US shipping giant bets big on data centres and AI, but when an ambitious executive is sent over to the UK to slash the local operations and development workforce, she gets more than she bargained for.
“Absolutely gripping! A must-read” - LOVDEEP PANNU, CTO at Epicenter
“Could not be more of the moment. A proper page turner, part thriller, part whodunnit and a fine dystopian parable.” - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce
“Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked.” - RUSSELL MCLEAN, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Producer of Black Bandersnatch
WHEN THE 3 A.M. CALL COMES… DO YOU TAKE IT?
For anyone who’s ever shipped flaky code, knowingly increased technical debt or sat through another pointless stand-up, HUMAN SOFTWARE is a razor-sharp dystopian thriller that highlights the absurdities and dangers of modern software engineering and our AI-driven future.
HUMAN SOFTWARE is the story of two women battling the pressures of corporate life and expectation, set against the backdrop of a savage downsizing at the major employer of a small UK town. Exploring themes of always-on tech culture, burnout, mental health, globalisation, AI, climate change and the dehumanisation of work.
SOFTWARE RUNS OUR WORLD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO RULE OUR LIVES
Contemporary and technological, HUMAN SOFTWARE explores how software engineering and IT are fast becoming a blue-collar ghetto in the corporate world. When AI lowers the barrier to entry, those on the front line come under increasing pressure to justify their existence. Beth is an overworked British engineer, and Chrissie is the American executive sent to fire her. They will have to form an unlikely alliance to save more than just their own jobs.
A US shipping giant bets big on data centres and AI, but when an ambitious executive is sent over to the UK to slash the local operations and development workforce, she gets more than she bargained for.
“Absolutely gripping! A must-read” - LOVDEEP PANNU, CTO at Epicenter
“Could not be more of the moment. A proper page turner, part thriller, part whodunnit and a fine dystopian parable.” - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce
“Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked.” - RUSSELL MCLEAN, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Producer of Black Bandersnatch
WHEN THE 3 A.M. CALL COMES… DO YOU TAKE IT?
For anyone who’s ever shipped flaky code, knowingly increased technical debt or sat through another pointless stand-up, HUMAN SOFTWARE is a razor-sharp dystopian thriller that highlights the absurdities and dangers of modern software engineering and our AI-driven future.
HUMAN SOFTWARE is the story of two women battling the pressures of corporate life and expectation, set against the backdrop of a savage downsizing at the major employer of a small UK town. Exploring themes of always-on tech culture, burnout, mental health, globalisation, AI, climate change and the dehumanisation of work.
SOFTWARE RUNS OUR WORLD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO RULE OUR LIVES
Contemporary and technological, HUMAN SOFTWARE explores how software engineering and IT are fast becoming a blue-collar ghetto in the corporate world. When AI lowers the barrier to entry, those on the front line come under increasing pressure to justify their existence. Beth is an overworked British engineer, and Chrissie is the American executive sent to fire her. They will have to form an unlikely alliance to save more than just their own jobs.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2025
About the author
Richard W. Bown
1 book2 followersRichard W. Bown is a writer and software engineer who has spent much of his career working for big companies. While helping build and run many elaborate technical systems, he slowly came to realise that the real art of building systems, and the part he enjoyed the most, was in understanding the people who built them.
Human Software, his debut novel, grew out of what it actually feels like to be inside these systems where money, ambition and greed go together.
His second novel, One More Island, will be available in early 2027.
Originally from Kent, UK, he lives with his family in Amsterdam.
Human Software, his debut novel, grew out of what it actually feels like to be inside these systems where money, ambition and greed go together.
His second novel, One More Island, will be available in early 2027.
Originally from Kent, UK, he lives with his family in Amsterdam.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 18, 2026
Human Software is a well-crafted novel, set in the IT sector, in which two women with very different agendas and many reasons to dislike each other, find common ground. The characters are believable and definitely resonated with me since I have been both the software engineer and the senior manager having to implement uncomfortable decisions. It might appeal more to those who have experienced the sector than to those who have not. I can’t give the perspective of the latter, but I suppose that the chaotic nature of IT and the technical references could be disorienting.
For me, it was delightful and unnerving to learn that not much has changed since I left the industry (shortly after Y2K). Beth and her colleagues still face old but functioning hardware, a backlog of tangled code that ought to be rewritten, support requests that need attention and would go away if only the underlying problems could be addressed. IT in the 2020s apparently still works because it is staffed by highly competent people who hold a lot of complex knowledge in their heads, who are willing to work long hours (some out of loyalty and some for money), and who care deeply that the systems should run. IT staff are among the most dedicated, and exploited, I have worked with. This sense was very well captured in the novel.
What fewer people in the industry know is that it doesn’t get better as you move up the ranks. Those in management positions are as much victims of the system as the engineers. This the author captures very well in the character of Chrissie, the American VP of Operations. I’m not going to go into detail as that would necessitate spoilers.
As the novel unfolds, blind faith in AI and a scramble to take advantage of it, creates a crisis with social and environmental implications. I’m happy to report that this novel is not dystopian. While a happy ending would be hard to believe, it offers a hopeful, human ending that reflects the real strength of the kinds of people who work in IT – smart, willing and involved.
Four stars are because there is room for improvement in clarity, particularly around the specifics of the environmental issue. Since this is not my area of expertise, I struggled at times to follow exactly what was being done, why it was a problem and how it needed to be addressed. Other than that, I think it’s a thoroughly good read.
Another reviewer here has criticised the book for lacking a ‘strong hook’, but I disagree. I like the thoughtful delving into people and what motivates them, and how our everyday environments both create and are created by us. Personally, I want less drama and more of this kind of story.
For me, it was delightful and unnerving to learn that not much has changed since I left the industry (shortly after Y2K). Beth and her colleagues still face old but functioning hardware, a backlog of tangled code that ought to be rewritten, support requests that need attention and would go away if only the underlying problems could be addressed. IT in the 2020s apparently still works because it is staffed by highly competent people who hold a lot of complex knowledge in their heads, who are willing to work long hours (some out of loyalty and some for money), and who care deeply that the systems should run. IT staff are among the most dedicated, and exploited, I have worked with. This sense was very well captured in the novel.
What fewer people in the industry know is that it doesn’t get better as you move up the ranks. Those in management positions are as much victims of the system as the engineers. This the author captures very well in the character of Chrissie, the American VP of Operations. I’m not going to go into detail as that would necessitate spoilers.
As the novel unfolds, blind faith in AI and a scramble to take advantage of it, creates a crisis with social and environmental implications. I’m happy to report that this novel is not dystopian. While a happy ending would be hard to believe, it offers a hopeful, human ending that reflects the real strength of the kinds of people who work in IT – smart, willing and involved.
Four stars are because there is room for improvement in clarity, particularly around the specifics of the environmental issue. Since this is not my area of expertise, I struggled at times to follow exactly what was being done, why it was a problem and how it needed to be addressed. Other than that, I think it’s a thoroughly good read.
Another reviewer here has criticised the book for lacking a ‘strong hook’, but I disagree. I like the thoughtful delving into people and what motivates them, and how our everyday environments both create and are created by us. Personally, I want less drama and more of this kind of story.
April 18, 2026
What a boring book.
Let's start with the title. Anyone looking at that would think it's non-fiction. Possibly someone's memoir of working in the IT industry. However, the blurb assured me this was a novel, and having worked as a software developer myself for over 40 years, I thought I'd give it a go. It might be interesting. It wasn't.
The first few chapters were mainly taken up by describing day to day life as a developer. Descriptions of being called out at 3 am, making code changes, having team meetings, talking about project deliverables, etc. If I'd wanted all that, I could have just gone to work. These first chapters also use a fair bit of jargon. I was familiar with the terms, but those who don't work in the industry wouldn't be. There is a glossary at the end of the book that explains them, but as I read this on Kindle, I didn't know it was there until I finished. Anyone non-technical reading on Kindle would probably feel their eyes glazing over by about chapter 4.
I've always understood that a good story should hook the reader from the beginning with some sort of sense of peril, or some conundrum or mystery to be solved. Or maybe some ethical or moral dilemma. This book did none of those things. It just rambled on for chapter after chapter about project delivery, team meetings, and office politics. I began to wonder when any sort of plot would emerge. It eventually did, about 3/4 of the way in, but nothing was properly explained or expanded on, leaving me, having finished, with still no clear idea of what was going on.
There are also a fair few characters in this book, and none of them is really described that well. So most of them were just names that I got used to reading with little idea who they were or how they fit into the story.
I see there's a 5 star review for this book, but the reviewer admits he knows the author. I wouldn't suggest anyone else bother with this.
Let's start with the title. Anyone looking at that would think it's non-fiction. Possibly someone's memoir of working in the IT industry. However, the blurb assured me this was a novel, and having worked as a software developer myself for over 40 years, I thought I'd give it a go. It might be interesting. It wasn't.
The first few chapters were mainly taken up by describing day to day life as a developer. Descriptions of being called out at 3 am, making code changes, having team meetings, talking about project deliverables, etc. If I'd wanted all that, I could have just gone to work. These first chapters also use a fair bit of jargon. I was familiar with the terms, but those who don't work in the industry wouldn't be. There is a glossary at the end of the book that explains them, but as I read this on Kindle, I didn't know it was there until I finished. Anyone non-technical reading on Kindle would probably feel their eyes glazing over by about chapter 4.
I've always understood that a good story should hook the reader from the beginning with some sort of sense of peril, or some conundrum or mystery to be solved. Or maybe some ethical or moral dilemma. This book did none of those things. It just rambled on for chapter after chapter about project delivery, team meetings, and office politics. I began to wonder when any sort of plot would emerge. It eventually did, about 3/4 of the way in, but nothing was properly explained or expanded on, leaving me, having finished, with still no clear idea of what was going on.
There are also a fair few characters in this book, and none of them is really described that well. So most of them were just names that I got used to reading with little idea who they were or how they fit into the story.
I see there's a 5 star review for this book, but the reviewer admits he knows the author. I wouldn't suggest anyone else bother with this.
July 30, 2026
A book about work, felt like work.
I suspect this is very specific to me, but I found the majority of the story pretty triggering - specifically, I felt pissed off a lot of the time I was reading. After reading the About the Author section at the end of the book, it looks like I've had a similar timeline of a technical career to them (which perhaps is why the story got under my skin).
This is because I spent a decade in a company (over a decade ago) that treated it's employees a lot like the characters in the book and it was doing my in that the story seemed to centre around people who made their company the be-all of their lives.
Though the story (sort of) follows two main characters, you really don't meet anyone outside of the company, Gerbach, and there's a scene in the book where it seems pretty clear they all live in each other's pockets.
I didn't really have a good sense of timings until the very end (4 months). The story opens with outages the devs are firefighting, and I couldn't tell if they were still dealing with issues across the timeline or… if they'd just accepted it was all terrible and the characters swan off and pull sickies when their infrastructure is on fire 🤷.
Then there's the AI aspect that's sort of supposed to be looming, but, sort of not really… Around 2/3rds of the way into the story there's a development (not quite a plot twist) which I managed to guess how it related to the AI.
I think if you work in the technology industry, and you are (or have been) a dev, then this book might be worth a read. I'm not sure it's quite that accessible outside of the tech industry, specifically around some of the terminology (which, though I knew, I didn't realise there was a full appendix at the end, "log4j" might throw some people).
Read through a recommendation (later realising that the person who recommended it was listed in the author thanks!), I think I'd struggle to recommend it myself.
I suspect this is very specific to me, but I found the majority of the story pretty triggering - specifically, I felt pissed off a lot of the time I was reading. After reading the About the Author section at the end of the book, it looks like I've had a similar timeline of a technical career to them (which perhaps is why the story got under my skin).
This is because I spent a decade in a company (over a decade ago) that treated it's employees a lot like the characters in the book and it was doing my in that the story seemed to centre around people who made their company the be-all of their lives.
Though the story (sort of) follows two main characters, you really don't meet anyone outside of the company, Gerbach, and there's a scene in the book where it seems pretty clear they all live in each other's pockets.
I didn't really have a good sense of timings until the very end (4 months). The story opens with outages the devs are firefighting, and I couldn't tell if they were still dealing with issues across the timeline or… if they'd just accepted it was all terrible and the characters swan off and pull sickies when their infrastructure is on fire 🤷.
Then there's the AI aspect that's sort of supposed to be looming, but, sort of not really… Around 2/3rds of the way into the story there's a development (not quite a plot twist) which I managed to guess how it related to the AI.
I think if you work in the technology industry, and you are (or have been) a dev, then this book might be worth a read. I'm not sure it's quite that accessible outside of the tech industry, specifically around some of the terminology (which, though I knew, I didn't realise there was a full appendix at the end, "log4j" might throw some people).
Read through a recommendation (later realising that the person who recommended it was listed in the author thanks!), I think I'd struggle to recommend it myself.
February 9, 2026
Ratings are so subjective. I loved this book for a range of reasons. Firstly it is a good story that engages the reader. It has technical mastery of subjects that are baffling to many of us, which makes it interesting. Yet, it does not in any way neglect the people that the story is about. The characters and their interactions lie at the heart of this novel. Is my fifth star influenced by the fact that I know the places that the story is loosely set in? Perhaps. Is it swayed by knowing the author? Possibly. But, it is deserved by dint of the fact that this is an gripping story, about places that you could (mostly) visit if you wanted to, and characters who you will recognise people you know or yourself in. It will take you on a journey that will make you think about your own story, and how you want to tell the next chapters of that.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews