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1538 reviews
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
5.0
Audio reread July 2021: Loved this just as much as the other novellas in audio!
I have been vibrating with excitement since I heard about yet another Murderbot novella coming out, and while Fugitive Telemetry probably won't be my favourite book in the series, it delivered exactly what I wanted from it.
Read the review and more on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, death, violence, injury, slavery, human trafficking, discrimination, character gets shot.
Fugitive Telemetry is the 6th Murderbot story, though chronolocially it plays before book #5, Network Effect, and after book #4, Exit Strategy. As such, it takes place on Preservation Station, and lots of old faces appear. It can probably be more easily read as a standalone as most of the other novellas, but I think fans of the series will enjoy it most.
Plotwise, the story has its own arc and doesn’t directly connect to any of the other books aside from reoccurring characters and some vague references.
Despite that lack of connection to other stories plot-wise, the book hit all the spots that I want a Murderbot story to hit: there’s Murderbot’s usual sarcasm, its exasperation and frustration with as well as somewhat reluctant yet tender care for humans; there’s an exciting plot centered around an issue that once again Murderbot is uniquely suited to solving; there’s Murderbot’s interactions with both humans and other bots, nuanced based on who or what it is talking to, and layered through the different levels on communications available in this setting – the direct audible dialogue, digital feed interaction, and bot-to-bot pings and databursts.
And, of course, it hits you with a good dose of feelings, both from nostalgia and just the situations Murderbot finds itself in.
I especially liked the way bots appeared in this installment of the series compared to the other books. It was in this direction that I think the novella most expands the setting, as well as show that Murderbot itself isn’t without its prejudices.
Another new thing was the murder mystery element. On its own, that maybe wasn’t the most original crime solving story I’ve ever read, but it didn’t need to be. It was solid in the mystery and murder departments, and most of its charm comes from Murderbot itself anyways. I could read about it staring at a wall and would still be entertained.
Overall this was a charming novella that doesn’t add too much new concepts to the series’ lore, but still satisfied me as a fan. It was enjoyable to read, both funny and with a serious core, and I’m already looking forward to Murderbot’s next adventures.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
I have been vibrating with excitement since I heard about yet another Murderbot novella coming out, and while Fugitive Telemetry probably won't be my favourite book in the series, it delivered exactly what I wanted from it.
Read the review and more on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, death, violence, injury, slavery, human trafficking, discrimination, character gets shot.
Fugitive Telemetry is the 6th Murderbot story, though chronolocially it plays before book #5, Network Effect, and after book #4, Exit Strategy. As such, it takes place on Preservation Station, and lots of old faces appear. It can probably be more easily read as a standalone as most of the other novellas, but I think fans of the series will enjoy it most.
Plotwise, the story has its own arc and doesn’t directly connect to any of the other books aside from reoccurring characters and some vague references.
Despite that lack of connection to other stories plot-wise, the book hit all the spots that I want a Murderbot story to hit: there’s Murderbot’s usual sarcasm, its exasperation and frustration with as well as somewhat reluctant yet tender care for humans; there’s an exciting plot centered around an issue that once again Murderbot is uniquely suited to solving; there’s Murderbot’s interactions with both humans and other bots, nuanced based on who or what it is talking to, and layered through the different levels on communications available in this setting – the direct audible dialogue, digital feed interaction, and bot-to-bot pings and databursts.
And, of course, it hits you with a good dose of feelings, both from nostalgia and just the situations Murderbot finds itself in.
I especially liked the way bots appeared in this installment of the series compared to the other books. It was in this direction that I think the novella most expands the setting, as well as show that Murderbot itself isn’t without its prejudices.
Another new thing was the murder mystery element. On its own, that maybe wasn’t the most original crime solving story I’ve ever read, but it didn’t need to be. It was solid in the mystery and murder departments, and most of its charm comes from Murderbot itself anyways. I could read about it staring at a wall and would still be entertained.
Overall this was a charming novella that doesn’t add too much new concepts to the series’ lore, but still satisfied me as a fan. It was enjoyable to read, both funny and with a serious core, and I’m already looking forward to Murderbot’s next adventures.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Compulsory by Martha Wells
5.0
Very short shortstory about Murderbot on a job shortly after it first broke its governor module, and way before it meets Mensah and the crew. Cool insight into its thoughts back in time, and especially fun to read after the original novellas, to see its growth but also how kind it was even then.
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
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
5.0
I loved how this ties back to the first Murderbot novella <3
Content warnings include: violence and injury, anxiety and depression.
This one ties together the previous three novellas and closes out the story arc the four books spin together. It shows how much Murderbot has grown and brings back well-known characters.
Content warnings include: violence and injury, anxiety and depression.
This one ties together the previous three novellas and closes out the story arc the four books spin together. It shows how much Murderbot has grown and brings back well-known characters.
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
For some reason this book TERRIFIED me. I spend most of it super scared.
Still love Murderbot though, and oh no Miki...
Content warnings include: violence and injury, scifi setting that is p much capitalist coporate lead dystopia, anxiety and depression.
Rogue Protocol feels like the most intense book in the murderbot series, not because the others aren't also high stakes, but because this one has the most space-horror-feeling - as in something is hunting you on an abandoned space station-vibes.
It also has some bleak personal fates for both humans and bots.
While the Murderbot novellas all have a more or less closed arc, Rogue Protocol ties most of them together and sets up for the grand finale in the fourth novella that ties back to the first. I do think it would be enjoyable to read as standalone, but for context and maximum enjoyment I recommend reading the books in order.
Still love Murderbot though, and oh no Miki...
Content warnings include: violence and injury, scifi setting that is p much capitalist coporate lead dystopia, anxiety and depression.
Rogue Protocol feels like the most intense book in the murderbot series, not because the others aren't also high stakes, but because this one has the most space-horror-feeling - as in something is hunting you on an abandoned space station-vibes.
It also has some bleak personal fates for both humans and bots.
While the Murderbot novellas all have a more or less closed arc, Rogue Protocol ties most of them together and sets up for the grand finale in the fourth novella that ties back to the first. I do think it would be enjoyable to read as standalone, but for context and maximum enjoyment I recommend reading the books in order.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ngl, there were some non-conclusive and some things felt unbalanced bUT I LOVE MURDERBOT AND ART SO TAKE ALL THE STARS!!!
Content warnings include: sabotage and repeated attempted murder, violence and death, depression and anxiety.
Artifical Condition seamlessly picks up after All Systems Red and paves the way for Murderbot's future as it hunts for clues about its past.
Quite a few new characters were introduced and I adored all of them. Some of them appear in later books, and I really hope the others will make an re-appearance too in upcoming books!
The plot maybe wasn't as airtight as it could have been and feels sort of disconnected, in a "...what do we make of this information?" way, but it fits with the overarching plot and could have been intended that way.
The charm of this series lies in following Murderbot and its adventures, seeing how it navigates through life as a free unit, and, more importantly, passing as an augmented human, which makes for quite some hilarious moments when it teams up with a sentient spaceship. There were still some heavy-ish moments, with the sexbot, the danger the new group of humans Murderbot ends up looking after is in, and some disquieting things about the wider setting the story takes place are revealed.
I love this series so much, both on first read and now upon reread, and it's a wonderful experience both reading visually and in audio.
Content warnings include: sabotage and repeated attempted murder, violence and death, depression and anxiety.
Artifical Condition seamlessly picks up after All Systems Red and paves the way for Murderbot's future as it hunts for clues about its past.
Quite a few new characters were introduced and I adored all of them. Some of them appear in later books, and I really hope the others will make an re-appearance too in upcoming books!
The plot maybe wasn't as airtight as it could have been and feels sort of disconnected, in a "...what do we make of this information?" way, but it fits with the overarching plot and could have been intended that way.
The charm of this series lies in following Murderbot and its adventures, seeing how it navigates through life as a free unit, and, more importantly, passing as an augmented human, which makes for quite some hilarious moments when it teams up with a sentient spaceship. There were still some heavy-ish moments, with the sexbot, the danger the new group of humans Murderbot ends up looking after is in, and some disquieting things about the wider setting the story takes place are revealed.
I love this series so much, both on first read and now upon reread, and it's a wonderful experience both reading visually and in audio.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
MURDERBOT ILY 😭😭😭💜
Content warnings include: violence and gore, murder, sentient robotic beings not having rights, anxiety and depression, scifi setting that's kind of a capitalist-corporation-lead dystopia.
Murderbot has become one of my favourite characters and comfort reads, as you can undoubtedly tell by me rereading this 4 to 5 times in the last three months.
There is Murderbot itself, a human-robot construct made out of both organic and robotic parts, who shut down the governor module that usually forces it to follow instructions and keep it from executing free will. It uses its freedom to keep doing its job while watching series on its memory storage. It doesn't really care about its job as a SecUnit, protecting humans who go on scientific explorations, and is quite content being ignored and seen as a robot, because when human interaction starts it gets complicated.
The plot of this novella is compelling. Things keep going wrong on the expedition, and the humans Murderbot works for are a bit different that the ones it usually encounters.
Murderbot's pessimism, its tendency towards anxiety and depression, mixed with the care and affection it develops towards who it begins to consider its humans, is endearing (even if it sounds like it's not), relateable, and often leads to comedic moments born from the first person narration.
The book is just so much fun to read, and while its plot is mostly self contained, it also acts as a wonderful setup for the rest of the series.
Highly, highly recommend this one!
Content warnings include: violence and gore, murder, sentient robotic beings not having rights, anxiety and depression, scifi setting that's kind of a capitalist-corporation-lead dystopia.
Murderbot has become one of my favourite characters and comfort reads, as you can undoubtedly tell by me rereading this 4 to 5 times in the last three months.
There is Murderbot itself, a human-robot construct made out of both organic and robotic parts, who shut down the governor module that usually forces it to follow instructions and keep it from executing free will. It uses its freedom to keep doing its job while watching series on its memory storage. It doesn't really care about its job as a SecUnit, protecting humans who go on scientific explorations, and is quite content being ignored and seen as a robot, because when human interaction starts it gets complicated.
The plot of this novella is compelling. Things keep going wrong on the expedition, and the humans Murderbot works for are a bit different that the ones it usually encounters.
Murderbot's pessimism, its tendency towards anxiety and depression, mixed with the care and affection it develops towards who it begins to consider its humans, is endearing (even if it sounds like it's not), relateable, and often leads to comedic moments born from the first person narration.
The book is just so much fun to read, and while its plot is mostly self contained, it also acts as a wonderful setup for the rest of the series.
Highly, highly recommend this one!
Hoard by Django Wexler
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Absolutely delightful. I loved the classic Dungeons and Dragons vibes, and the tongue in cheek approach to the age of problem of: what do you do with the massive amounts of gold you find after slaying the dragon? As in, how do you transport them away?
Also adored the super cute paladin protagonist, and the half-orc barbarian love interest.
Also adored the super cute paladin protagonist, and the half-orc barbarian love interest.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was surprisingly wholesome.
It's my first book by Andy Weird, and I haven't had any interactions with any of his work before, other than vaguely having heard of The Martian existing - which, based on what little I knew, didn't interest me that much. But some of my friends recommended Project Hail Mary to me specifically, so I gave it a go, and I am pretty happy I did!
It's a book about a mysterious space phenomenon that threatens all life on earth, and a science teacher is roped into helping to prevent death of humanity. I won't say much more because the book starts with the main character waking up on a spaceship, alone, not remembering himself or even what he is doing there, and him recovering his memories is a big part of the plot.
What I will add is that there is other life in space, and that's a big part of the appeal of the book for me.
This is SciFi that very heavily leans on the science part of the genre. There's lots of calculations, theories, experiments, very old school science stuff you could say, that at least to me felt very grounded in today's reality despite clearly being fictional. My suspension of disbelief was never broken - at least not with the science.
The "social" aspect of the plot was much more questionable. Something about a science teacher being so pivotal to the rescue of humanity was just a bit off to me. It did make for a good story though!
And this "good story" vibe kind of dominated everything. Despite it being such a high risk, high stakes central plot and thought... this almost had a "cozy" vibe to it. It's just about a guy in space doing his lil experiments and geeking out of what he finds out there. It genuinely gave me lighthearted, feel-good wholesome vibes. Sure, there are some tense moments, but it's not an action heavy book at all. A lot of the scenes that I thought would he very tense went by smoothly. There were a couple of adrenaline heavy moments, but overall it was a very feel-good, no-worries-it's-gonna-end-well book all throughout.
My favourite part of the book may or may not be considered a spoiler, even though it get revealed pretty early, so I'll add a spoiler warning.
My favourite part was Rocky, the alien our human protagonist finds. Rocky's planet is having the same issue as our protagonist's, so they team up to try and find a solutions. And their interactions were delightful. The way they learn to interact, to communicate and work together despite the fundamental differences in physiology, living conditions (there's are not just colourful humanoids, but genuinely completely alien), culture, science, etc, was so lovely to read about. It hit all the boxes that I want from a SciFi book featuring aliens.
I also loved the friendship (and arguably, more than that) that the two develop. How much they care for each other, and what they do to save the other when push comes to shove. Genuinely a beautiful relationship.
I also really enjoyed the ending. It was very happy and just made me feel giddy, but it also brought tears to my eyes.
Really enjoyable read! While the very grounded science stuff wasn't what I usually prefer, it fit the book and was a curious change for me personally, and the rest made up for it. I had a great time with the book the entire way through.
It's my first book by Andy Weird, and I haven't had any interactions with any of his work before, other than vaguely having heard of The Martian existing - which, based on what little I knew, didn't interest me that much. But some of my friends recommended Project Hail Mary to me specifically, so I gave it a go, and I am pretty happy I did!
It's a book about a mysterious space phenomenon that threatens all life on earth, and a science teacher is roped into helping to prevent death of humanity. I won't say much more because the book starts with the main character waking up on a spaceship, alone, not remembering himself or even what he is doing there, and him recovering his memories is a big part of the plot.
What I will add is that there is other life in space, and that's a big part of the appeal of the book for me.
This is SciFi that very heavily leans on the science part of the genre. There's lots of calculations, theories, experiments, very old school science stuff you could say, that at least to me felt very grounded in today's reality despite clearly being fictional. My suspension of disbelief was never broken - at least not with the science.
The "social" aspect of the plot was much more questionable. Something about a science teacher being so pivotal to the rescue of humanity was just a bit off to me. It did make for a good story though!
And this "good story" vibe kind of dominated everything. Despite it being such a high risk, high stakes central plot and thought... this almost had a "cozy" vibe to it. It's just about a guy in space doing his lil experiments and geeking out of what he finds out there. It genuinely gave me lighthearted, feel-good wholesome vibes. Sure, there are some tense moments, but it's not an action heavy book at all. A lot of the scenes that I thought would he very tense went by smoothly. There were a couple of adrenaline heavy moments, but overall it was a very feel-good, no-worries-it's-gonna-end-well book all throughout.
My favourite part of the book may or may not be considered a spoiler, even though it get revealed pretty early, so I'll add a spoiler warning.
I also loved the friendship (and arguably, more than that) that the two develop. How much they care for each other, and what they do to save the other when push comes to shove. Genuinely a beautiful relationship.
I also really enjoyed the ending. It was very happy and just made me feel giddy, but it also brought tears to my eyes.
Really enjoyable read! While the very grounded science stuff wasn't what I usually prefer, it fit the book and was a curious change for me personally, and the rest made up for it. I had a great time with the book the entire way through.
Saudade by Lesli Richardson
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
This took a bit of a different turn than the other of the series. It starts out later than the other two books and gives a bit of a glimpse into the lives of the main characters of the first two books after their epilogues. I liked that, and tbh wanted more of it than this book gave me.
The dynamics between these main characters is very different as well - not only because a different kind of alien is involved, but also because they are kinky, as in having a D/s dynamic. They are just as horny, though.
The plot this time around was very flimsy and transparent, and to me was the most boring out of all the books.
I also admit I was a bit bored by how every single different in human and alien physiology was pretty much instantly solved with "bionanotechnology". I would have much preferred them to work it out themselves without overpowered SciFi tech.
There was a cool side character introduced, but nothing was done with them.
Grammar was once again better than in the first book, but I also once again was driven mad by the slow pace of the characters' thoughts. I ended up skimming a lot of the book.
Save to say I do not vibe with the author's writing style, which is a shame because I liked some of the worldbuilding and plot ideas in this series.
The dynamics between these main characters is very different as well - not only because a different kind of alien is involved, but also because they are kinky, as in having a D/s dynamic. They are just as horny, though.
The plot this time around was very flimsy and transparent, and to me was the most boring out of all the books.
I also admit I was a bit bored by how every single different in human and alien physiology was pretty much instantly solved with "bionanotechnology". I would have much preferred them to work it out themselves without overpowered SciFi tech.
There was a cool side character introduced, but nothing was done with them.
Grammar was once again better than in the first book, but I also once again was driven mad by the slow pace of the characters' thoughts. I ended up skimming a lot of the book.
Save to say I do not vibe with the author's writing style, which is a shame because I liked some of the worldbuilding and plot ideas in this series.
Farborn by Lesli Richardson
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the (loosely connected) series.
Mainly because there was no misgendering (a human character respecting alien's pronouns?! Groundbreaking!) and because I like the main characters a but more (mainly they didn't use "buddy" as a pet name for the love interest).
The plot was also interesting, and I enjoyed reading about both characters jobs.
I still did not vibe with the very slow writing style, however, which is probably my biggest problem with this series.
To the author's credit, there also were not as many grammar mistakes as in the first one.
Mainly because there was no misgendering (a human character respecting alien's pronouns?! Groundbreaking!) and because I like the main characters a but more (mainly they didn't use "buddy" as a pet name for the love interest).
The plot was also interesting, and I enjoyed reading about both characters jobs.
I still did not vibe with the very slow writing style, however, which is probably my biggest problem with this series.
To the author's credit, there also were not as many grammar mistakes as in the first one.