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abitbetterbooks's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Another win for Murderbot!!!
I absolutely devoured this one— I was listening constantly and couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed it a lot and I loved the change of pace with the investigation on Preservation Station as opposed to the planet hopping and big-scale dramas of some of the other stories.
My only complaint is that I found that the denouement was frustratingly off-page, which makes sense for a Murderbot report / story telling style, but we get so much detail about everything else that it seemed strange to skip over so much of the resolution.
Otherwise the story was perfection and I loved the development of trust between Murderbot and Inda, as well as watching MB navigate this new world where it is respected as a person/being but also is coming up against so many social challenges it isn’t used to.
I’m absolutely heartbroken I only have System Collapse left of the series, because then I’m just going to be waiting for ages for the next release :(
I absolutely devoured this one— I was listening constantly and couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed it a lot and I loved the change of pace with the investigation on Preservation Station as opposed to the planet hopping and big-scale dramas of some of the other stories.
My only complaint is that I found that the denouement was frustratingly off-page, which makes sense for a Murderbot report / story telling style, but we get so much detail about everything else that it seemed strange to skip over so much of the resolution.
Otherwise the story was perfection and I loved the development of trust between Murderbot and Inda, as well as watching MB navigate this new world where it is respected as a person/being but also is coming up against so many social challenges it isn’t used to.
I’m absolutely heartbroken I only have System Collapse left of the series, because then I’m just going to be waiting for ages for the next release :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Xenophobia and Colonisation
amschelly153's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I just really love the murderbot series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
pacifickat's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
True crime Murderbot! What's not to love?
I found this installment to be quite a bit cozier than the rest of the series, with Murderbot realizing it wouldn't mind trying its hand at detective sleuthing closer to home. The tonal shift between Network Effect and Fugitive Telemetry is a little jarring though, and it felt a bit odd to shift from interplanetary adventures to a locked-room mystery on Preservation. Even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed spending more time in this series.
Murderbot still delivers in snark and darkly humorous internal dialogue:
I found this installment to be quite a bit cozier than the rest of the series, with Murderbot realizing it wouldn't mind trying its hand at detective sleuthing closer to home. The tonal shift between Network Effect and Fugitive Telemetry is a little jarring though, and it felt a bit odd to shift from interplanetary adventures to a locked-room mystery on Preservation. Even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed spending more time in this series.
Murderbot still delivers in snark and darkly humorous internal dialogue:
"I didn't need as much air as humans did, but I needed some, and it was really cold out there in the colony ship's shadow. This meant that if the Life Tender failed, it would take me longer to die, so I'd have longer to feel dumb about it than a human would."
And in between the humor and action sequences, Murderbot still manages to deliver its signature surprising doses of introspective self-awareness:
"That plan was easier. Plus, one hundred percent less murdery. I liked it better. Huh. I liked it better because it wasn't a Combat Unit plan, or actually a plan that humans would come up with for Combat Units. Sneaking the endangered humans off the ship to safety and then leaving the hostiles for someone else to deal with, that was a Sec Unit plan. That was what we were really designed for, despite how the Company and every other Corporate used us. The point was to retrieve the clients alive and fuck everything else. Maybe I had been waiting too long for GrayCris to come along and try to kill us all. I was thinking like a Combat Unit, or, for fucks sake, like a combat bot."
As it turns out, existing in survival mode long term is not good for anyone, bot-human constructs included.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Violence
Anxiety, police profiling, prejudice, discriminationindeedithappens's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery
etherealisnt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I got a little messed up chronologically: this book takes place before "Network Effect" (the first full novel that has a continuation), but that didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. This time around we get to meet Detective Murderbot and its struggles with the local Security. Murderbot helps them solve an abnormal murder while having to prove itselves intentions and deal with even more humans than usual.
I know a “fuck off” when I hear one. So I fucked off.
The annoyance and sarcasm was palpable in this one. It was so fun to see Murderbot from this angle, kind of "fuck it, I'll just do it" energy. Murderbot really transformed into a detective, going on clue hunts with its restricted access (I can't imagine keeping the promise to not hack when needed, but more power to you). Murderbot had to be clever and get information the "right" way... Murderbot did get to to show off ;)
Senior Indah (head of Preservation Station Security) and everyone else was super skeptical and untrusting. I kept alternating between pissed and sad - the way Murderbot was treated was just not it, BUT it did get better by the end. Everyone got me banging my head on a table while Murderbot had to deal with human stupidity. One exception will be Gurathin and Ratthi who became Murderbot's little sidekicks.
All I wanted to do was watch media and not exist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Slavery, Blood, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
While a bit underwhelming on the heels of Network Effect, this was still a great Murderbot adventure. It feels as though the publication order was almost a mistake, even if this plot doesn't really affect the other. I like to see Murderbot flex its skills in problem solving that doesn't always come down to shooting a lot (though I enjoy that too). This was listed as an independent adventure, and that's probably the best way to put it since it doesn't *actually* tie back to GrayCris nor does it launch the next arc (that's NE).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
felofhe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I've said it before and I'll say it again, every single time I finish one of these I want to slam it to the floor and shout "Another!" I would read 100 of these books.
The murder mystery was a really fun spin on the usual type of plot. And I didn't guess it at all, which I love.
I can't wait for the next one this fall!
The murder mystery was a really fun spin on the usual type of plot. And I didn't guess it at all, which I love.
I can't wait for the next one this fall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Violence
Moderate: Slavery, Blood, and Murder
julesadventurezone's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If a space station murder mystery about a human/robot construct CAN feel slice of life-y, then this novella sure manages it.
A book about being slightly uncomfortable at all times, but in a fun way (for the reader, anyway).
Reading this after Exit Strategy and before Network Effect makes the best experience.
A book about being slightly uncomfortable at all times, but in a fun way (for the reader, anyway).
Reading this after Exit Strategy and before Network Effect makes the best experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Slavery, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror and Child abuse