Exit Strategy

So yeah....after finishing Rogue Protocol, I just kept reading, and managed to finish Exit Strategy, the fourth book in the series, thst same night, too (I'm just slow to post about it).  Exit Strategy picks up where Rogue Protocol left off: Murderbot is heading back to Mensah to deliver the files.  There's just one problem: Mensah seems to have disappeared.  And when Murderbot starts heading towards where she was last seen, they find themself dogged by a company who is trying to apprehend them, too.  A company hired by GrayCris who is hellbent on stopping Murderbot from revealing any secrets they may have uncovered while on Milu (everything that happened during Rogue Protocol).

While I didn't like Exit Strategy quite as much as the other three books in this series, I still thought it was super good!  I really liked how much Murderbot has grown.  And it was really fun to have them reacting with some of the characters we've met before in previous books (namely the humans from All Systems Red).  There were some absolutely hilarious lines in this book too (there are great lines in all of the books, but a few of them really stood out for me in Exit Strategy).

I'm also quite interested to see where the story will go from here in book 5.  As far as I could tell, the story is pretty much over by the end of Exit Strategy.  So we'll see in a few months I guess!

Rogue Protocol

Whoa.

When I started reading Rogue Protocol, I was a bit bummed out because ART wasn't in it.  Murderbot and ART went their separate ways at the end of Artificial Condition.  Murderbot decided to travel further out, looking for evidence to give Mensah against GrayCris (the company who almost killed them in All Systems Red).  That brings Murderbot to a derelict terraforming platform GrayCris has abandoned; Murderbot believes the platform may not have been intended for terraforming as reported.

Unfortunately, as a derelict station, not many people go there.  Luckily though, another company, GoodNightLander Independent, is interested in purchasing the derelict platform and has sent a team to investigate it.  Murderbot decides to secretly accompany the team in order to conduct their own investigation as to the platform's true purpose.  Which is easier said than done when the team's "pet robot" (Murderbot's words) discovers their presence...

When I first started reading Rogue Protocol, I was a bit bummed out that ART wasn't there (which I knew going in, but still, bummed out).  I was even more bummed out by Miki, the robot member of the exploration team.  Miki is super naive, which was a bit grating at first.  But as the book wore on, I really warmed to them (and their relationship with Don Abene, the woman in charge of the team).

I also really liked how, despite not wanting to care, Murderbot continually finds themself drawn into protecting humans (and actually liking and respecting the humans, even if they're still super uncomfortable interacting with humans up close and personal).  And as Rogue Protocol's story unfolded, I seriously didn't want to put it down; I was totally blown away by the ending.  I've never read a series that continuously got better as it went; I hope this continues in Exit Strategy, the fourth (and at this point final book that's out).

Artificial Condition

I was very excited to find book two of Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, Artificial Condition, was in at the library.  I started reading it last night and just finished it now.

This time, Murderbot is on the run.  After deciding to go their own way, rather than follow Mensah, Murderbot decides to travel to the planet where they killed humans.  Murderbot doesn't know exactly what happened there because their memory was wiped of the event (but their organic tissue still remembers).

To get to the planet and investigate, Murderbot gets a ride from ART (Asshole Research Transport). ART is a ridiculously smart transport who is bored having to do a cargo run, so decided to help Murderbot for fun.  ART even uses its medical facilities to alter how Murderbot looks (so they will be less noticeably not human).

To get down onto the planet, Murderbot needs to get the proper paperwork.  The easiest way is to get a job as a security consultant.  And so they end up hired by a group who had their research stolen.  Knowing this is a ridiculously bad idea, Murderbot accompanies the clients down to the planet into multiple traps; they all get away thanks to Murderbot (with ART's help in the feeds).

I didn't think it was possible to love this series any more than I did from All Systems Red, but here we are.  ART was the perfect compliment to Murderbot.  They functioned so well together as a team, I was honestly super sad to see ART and Murderbot part ways at the end of the book. :(

I really, really enjoyed reading this book, and can't wait for #3 (which should be waiting for me at the library today!)

All Systems Red

A friend of mine bought me Martha Wells' All Systems Red: the Murderbot Diaries last year for Christmas.  And as seems to be typical for me, it took me a long time to decide to actually read it.  It's a short book, so I sat down last night to read it and ended up finishing it in one go.

All Systems Red sees Murderbot, our hero, contracted to protect a group of humans who are investigating a planet.  Murderbot is a SecUnit who hacked their governor chip some time ago and has been doing everything in their power to remain under the radar.  They could have gone on a murderous rampage, but they discovered the entertainment feeds and so just wants to spend their day watching soaps. They continue doing their job as expected so no one becomes suspicious.  (They also only refer to themself as Murderbot privately).

But the humans' mission gets off to an odd start; a creature attacks them in a place where their data said there should be no threats.  And not long after that, they discover that their map is missing pieces.  And when a neighbouring exploration team goes dark, it's up to the humans and Murderbot to figure out what exactly is going on!

All Systems Red was a lot of fun to read.  I loved Murderbot.  They were a hilarious narrator.  I also loved how they were super uncomfortable around humans (even though they loved TV humans) - it made them such an interesting character.  I also really liked the human characters they were protecting, and how Murderbot formed a real bond with them; by the end they weren't interested in doing a half-assed job, their humans brought out the best in them. 

After finishing the book, I messaged my friend who got it for me.  He told me there are more Murderbot Diaries!  So I ran to the library to get the next one. :)