English language
I found it interesting how this book brought in some contemporary-world themes around refugees and their abusers, but that's not explored particularly deeply, it's just one more reason to cheer on Murderbot as it does its thing. Really this is just one more Murderbot instalment, and I am so very here for that.
Been waiting for this. Totally worth the wait.
A new setting, a new arc, and a new mystery! This was the first book thus far that I feel made real advancements into Murderbot's more permanent shift towards trusting humans, and it was done in a novel way compared to the previous installations. While the other books frequently swung between action and planning, this felt solidly murder mystery, which I really enjoyed. After 5 books, the standard format did become a bit predictable, and while there were certainly predictable elements in this story, I found the change of pace refreshing.
So erholsam. Diesmal als locked room mystery und ich habe sogar mittelgroße Teile des Plots verstanden. Auch gut: Preservation als utopische Gegend, die sich nicht durch besonders große Schlumpfigkeit auszeichnet (wie bei N.K. Jemisin), sondern einfach nur okaye Gesetze hat, die auch eingehalten werden.
Oh no! This is Murderbot Diaries #6? I wanted to read #4.5. I mixed up the books. And I didn't even notice! So maybe nothing happens in #4.5 and #5? I'll find out soon.
Anyway, it was a nice read. A detective story, with a bit less action than the first four books. It still has its charm, particularly in how Murderbot interacts with a bit larger and less morally black and white cast.
The description of scenes and technologies was sometimes a bit too detailed to keep me interested. Okay, there's all that stuff there, but why do I have to know all this? Will any of this help me find the killer?
In the end I didn't find the killer. It can be totally my fault, but I naturally feel like the book failed at foreshadowing and leaving clues.
I see a missed world-building opportunity on the political …
Oh no! This is Murderbot Diaries #6? I wanted to read #4.5. I mixed up the books. And I didn't even notice! So maybe nothing happens in #4.5 and #5? I'll find out soon.
Anyway, it was a nice read. A detective story, with a bit less action than the first four books. It still has its charm, particularly in how Murderbot interacts with a bit larger and less morally black and white cast.
The description of scenes and technologies was sometimes a bit too detailed to keep me interested. Okay, there's all that stuff there, but why do I have to know all this? Will any of this help me find the killer?
In the end I didn't find the killer. It can be totally my fault, but I naturally feel like the book failed at foreshadowing and leaving clues.
I see a missed world-building opportunity on the political side too. Will the slaver corporation be okay with Preservation supporting escaped slaves? Will Preservation be okay with the slavers assassinating people on their station? Where do we go from here?
A fine follow up in the Murderbot series. Murderbot themselves has become one of my favorite ongoing SF characters, and an excellent commentator on the humans around them.
I just cannot get enough Murderbot. Great detective story, with the signature self-deprecating self-loathing we've come to expect. Still nameless, but getting more human with each story, I hope Wells has many more tales in this series.
I am a big fan of murderbot in general, and this is really a classical expression of the form Martha Wells has honed to an art: a compelling mystery that also reveals the inner thoughts of Murderbot to itself and to us and causes it to grow as a person, er, bot, while also developing the relationships among Murderbot and the people it's come to care about. It's fun, it's got some depth to it in terms of personal development and exploration of the universe.
The "but" here is that, unlike most murderbot fans, my favorite book in the series was [b:Network Effect|52381770|Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)|Martha Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568667704l/52381770.SX50_SY75.jpg|63614271], the full length novel. I'm just not really a novella person and the return to novella format solidified that for me -- it's a little shorter and a little shallower than my preference (and having it placed as a …
I am a big fan of murderbot in general, and this is really a classical expression of the form Martha Wells has honed to an art: a compelling mystery that also reveals the inner thoughts of Murderbot to itself and to us and causes it to grow as a person, er, bot, while also developing the relationships among Murderbot and the people it's come to care about. It's fun, it's got some depth to it in terms of personal development and exploration of the universe.
The "but" here is that, unlike most murderbot fans, my favorite book in the series was [b:Network Effect|52381770|Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)|Martha Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568667704l/52381770.SX50_SY75.jpg|63614271], the full length novel. I'm just not really a novella person and the return to novella format solidified that for me -- it's a little shorter and a little shallower than my preference (and having it placed as a prequel to Network Effect also threw me).
So Murderbot. It's great. More novels, please.
A murder (mystery) bot story!
Good:
Return to short form.
It was nice to see Senior Indah start off skeptical and gradually warm up to Murderbot.
Murder mystery format is a good fit for Murderbot's narrative style.
Preservation was a nice change of setting from previous stories.
Bad:
Confusing chronologically (it's set before Network Effect).
I'm more interested in Murderbot's adventures with ART.
Murderbot Murder Mystery!
Murderbot explores career option as detective. I'm still interested, happy to hear more are coming.
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it didn't disappoint. The "murder mystery" format sets it apart from the rest of the series while retaining what makes the Murderbot saga such good reads: quick pacing, a great supporting cast, excellent action sequences, thoughtful world-building and a heaping spoonful of introspection from the main character. And this novella in particular is very good at showing how that internal monologue has really evolved from the beginning of their journey.
This book is actually set before book #5, Network Effect, although it doesn't greatly matter as the plot is stand-alone. However, in this story Murderbot is on Preservation Station acting as bodyguard to Mensah, and highly alert to threats from Gray-Cris corporation. Therefore, when an unexpected and unexplained dead body is found on the station, Murderbot is doubly involved - by itself, concerned this may somehow represent a Gray-Cris threat; and by station security, still highly distrusting of having a rogue SecUnit running around at large. When Mensah strongly suggests that Murderbot work with station security to team up and find the murderer, the book turns into a high-tech murder mystery in which Murderbot becomes the consulting detective and has an opportunity to start to earn a bit of trust from station security. Even if it does mean voluntarily talking to humans.
While I wish this had been longer, every …
This book is actually set before book #5, Network Effect, although it doesn't greatly matter as the plot is stand-alone. However, in this story Murderbot is on Preservation Station acting as bodyguard to Mensah, and highly alert to threats from Gray-Cris corporation. Therefore, when an unexpected and unexplained dead body is found on the station, Murderbot is doubly involved - by itself, concerned this may somehow represent a Gray-Cris threat; and by station security, still highly distrusting of having a rogue SecUnit running around at large. When Mensah strongly suggests that Murderbot work with station security to team up and find the murderer, the book turns into a high-tech murder mystery in which Murderbot becomes the consulting detective and has an opportunity to start to earn a bit of trust from station security. Even if it does mean voluntarily talking to humans.
While I wish this had been longer, every Murderbot story is a delight and I love the idea of Murderbot becoming a consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes style, for the Lestrades of Station Security (to be fair they're not all as dumb as Lestrade, and Murderbot's style is less Holmes and more its own unique paranoia, but you get the picture...)
This is not the book I'd recommend starting with if you're new to Murderbot, ideally read them in order; but it's another fun addition.
It's Murderbot, it's awesome.
But this one was a bit less so.
It missed the pacing and a bit of the sarcasm.
Murderbot is becoming a bit too human I guess ... pity
