English language
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
