Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Exit Strategy

GrayCris is desperate. After Murderbot's theft of their illegal information, they've decided kidnapping Dr. Mensha is their next best option. I don't know about you, but kidnapping someone who is tied to a SecUnit doesn't seem like a good idea. When a news burst comes across Murderbot's feed involving Dr. Mensha and GrayCris, those pesky complex emotions start to crop up. And Murderbot finds itself en route to liberate Dr. Mensha.

No one thinks SecUnits can have emotions. Murderbot will tell you differently. In fact, the humans it finds itself thinking of as friends cause a whole variety of emotions it isn't programmed to handle. And while Murderbot hates figuring out what these emotions are, it might actually admit to liking those humans. Must be part of that organic tissue they used to form its neural network.

I've realized I'm drawn to Murderbot because it struggles to deal with things humans experience every day. It brings to light all the little stresses that add up over time and begin to compromise the way we think. I can't be the only one who's had no clue what to do with their arms, or felt socially awkward around people that stir emotions I can't name, or understand immediately. But not only that, Murderbot reinforces the theme that it's ok to feel different. Just be yourself and do the best you can.

Murderbot is reaching a point in its character development where it outwardly no longer cares what people think. When readers first met Murderbot, most of its sarcasm and feelings were told through inner monologue. Now Murderbot is learning how to use body language and actions to show what it's feeling. Even though Murderbot still doesn't like to admit it feels anything. And it's hilarious. You can count on Murderbot's sarcastic humor to alleviate any situation.

The return of Dr. Mensha and the crew brings Murderbot's story full circle, but it is far from over. And I can't wait for Murderbot's next adventure. Complex feelings, awkward encounters, and sarcastic humor included.

I read the first installment of the Murderbot a few months back (as an Amazon single), but after reading it, I decided I was going to pony up the £8 for the following 3 books - although probably the most I've spent on a single book, let alone 3 books - absolutely totally worth it. I loved this series.

The series follows Murderbot, a rouge security unit, mostly good at killing but who would rather just watch TV and be left alone. The first book reads easily as a stand alone, and I'd say the second book does too.

The third and fourth pull together all the previous adventures into an overarching story that we see Murderbot learning about itself and struggling with the the concepts of emotions and desires.

In fact, the Murderbot ends with that huge question of: what do you want.

There's so many things I enjoyed about this series: it's a sci-fi that doesn't really require you to understand all the ins and outs of the political systems that exist in the world. I've read a few sci-fi books that really struggle to make the world believable because there's often so much to take in - the Murderbot diaries does this in a way that reads easily and lightly.

The action sequences are really well written and fairly easy to follow - another thing I've struggled with in other books.

Even though we know that the Murderbot is a construct, it exists in a time that emotions can be simulated - and therefore felt - by the Murderbot, which, just like any one of us, they don't relish having to process those emotions, and they'd much rather just shun away and hide away escaping with TV.

Finally the characters are refreshing. As a white man myself, I'm too quick to assume the gender and race of the characters I reading about, Martha Wells does a really good job of keeping me in check, reminding me that Murderbot doesn't have a gender, there's people in the universe that don't identify as one gender, and that not everyone is white. I love this, and I appreciate it in the books I read (in the hope that it shifts my mindset).

Loved it.

I've greatly enjoyed every volume of this series and I loved this last book in the first set of novellas. Just like the others, it's funny, exciting, and emotionally moving, without ever being maudlin. The reason why Murderbot's favorite show is its favorite actually made me a cry a little, but this book also made me laugh out loud several times. I was very sorry to reach the end, and I eagerly anticipate the Murderbot novel that's planned for 2020.

In addition to the continuing themes of identity and finding a place for oneself, the anti-corporate theme is central here. We see a little bit of Dr. Mensah & her associates' home society, and it's pretty much fully automated luxury gay space communism, which I probably don't need to say is extremely appealing to me.

Kevin R. Free did another amazing job narrating the audiobook, perfectly capturing Murderbot's cynical but innocent personality. I liked the voices he performed for the other characters also.