Minireviews: Murderbot’s time!

Hello everyone! I hope you all are safe and happy, and that your week has started in the best possible way! Last week I had some amazing time with Murderbot, and so today I am here to try and talk a bit about the books I have read. I have read the fourth book, a really short novella and the last book published in the series, that takes place between the fourth and fifth ones. So, I had some quality time with this amazing character, and I can say without doubts that I want more!

Exit Strategy

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?
Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.
But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?
And what will become of it when it’s caught?

This was a really fast-paced and action packed book, and I loved it from the first page to the last. We finally say the adventures of our favorite SecUnit bear fruits, and we would finally discover what is there, at the end of all its travels. Would he go back? And if yes, how would be received? And, the most important question of all, what does Murderbot really want?
Because yes, we get to see quite a lot of action but we have time to have some in-depth thoughts about Murderbot’s goals and wishes. We get to see him starting to question himself. Trying to understand what he really wants now that his self-imposed mission is almost at the end. We see his doubts, his indecision and fears. And his paranoia. And his anxiety. He is always his quirky self, but he knows who he is, and it is quite brilliant!

Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.

And his feelings toward humans are always surprisingly on point, sweet sometimes, and witty. They always crack me up, especially when he is talking about his human!

For fuck’s sake, these humans are always in the ways, trying to save me from stuff.

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

This short story is told from the point of view of Dr. Mensah and follows the events in Exit Strategy.

This is a really really short story, is under 20 pages long and so it was too short, because I wanted more. We get to see Murderbot going home, in a sense, and we get to see it with Dr. Mensah’s POV. It was interesting to change POV for a chance, even if I love hearing Murderbot’s voice. And it was great to get to see Murderbot trough the eyes of someone else.
This was like a really good appetizing, and I needed a main course after devouring this one!

Fugitive Telemetry

No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)
Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!
Again!

Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this book we get to finally see Murderbot in a sort of home. He doesn’t really know what he want to do, and he doesn’t really know what he is feeling, but while he is trying to sort things out, we get to see him investigating a murder. And even if my favorite part was Murderbot himself, because he is is usual quirky and sarcastic self, and reading his thoughts is priceless, the mystery part is pretty good. And seeing him interacting with new person and bots was pretty good too.
It is maybe less action packed than the previous books, but it was a ton of fun nonetheless, because Murderbot is is usual lovable self

Trying to get humans not to touch dangerous things was a full-time job

and he is always ready to underline all the humans things that made us humans, but that do not make sense, at all!

It had rotated it to “watch” me walk through the lobby, a behavior designed to make humans comfortable (its actual eyes were sensors that were all over its body.) (I don’t know why bot behaviors that are useless except to comfort humans annoy me so much.) (Okay, maybe I do. They built us, right? So didn’t they know how this type of bot took in visual data? It’s not like sensors and scanners just popped up randomly on its body without humans putting them there.)

When I started this series I didn’t fell immediately in love with this series. I think I was expecting something more, and even if I enjoyed the first book, I didn’t love it. But, luckily, I decided to continue the series, and from the second book onward it really was love. Murderbot is a magnificent MC, I love his voice, I love his point of views on humans, and I love to read about his adventures. And I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I had a great time with this short stories (yes, Home is the really short one, but the two books aren’t long, either), and I enjoyed the time I spent with them. So I cannot recommend them enough. If you are a fan of the series and haven’t yet read these ones, you would not be disappointed. And if you have not yet started this series, well… what are you waiting for???

And what about you? Do you know this series? And have you read these books? Let me know!!

Happy reading!
S.