A little syrupy, but still enjoyable, much more so than the previous book. Wells put effort and creativity into this one: the story is complex, with interesting twists and even some plot developments. (It also helps that I took an eight-month break between books; I recommend doing so.)

The characters are pretty flat, and so's the dialog, and Wells's Neuromancer view of nonhuman consciousness ("I saved a backup copy of myself in hidden storage space"; "I felt myself falling as, just before the spaceship blew up, I beamed myself down to the planet") was cringey even back in the 80s. But this is comfort food now: Wells is milking the franchise, and (if we ignore #4) I'm now okay with that.

If you're a Murderbot fan hesitating to read this one because of #4: read it! It's fun, sweet (perhaps a little too much so), intriguing in good ways, and, well, comfortable. Not as funny as the first, or as ethically satisfying, but that's no longer what this series is about.

If you're not a Murderbot fan: read [b:the first one|32758901|All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)|Martha Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484171189l/32758901.SY75.jpg|53349516]! Then, over time — seriously: do not binge — the second and third. Skip the fourth, and read this one.