Ever since I read All Systems Red last summer, it feels like Murderbot is everywhere …
My supervisor brought it up in a conversation last week. My fellow post-doc mentioned it on a walk. Three of my university friends were raving about it on Facebook. It’s a darling on the PopSugar Book Club page.
And, really: rightly so. This is one of the best series I’ve read in a long time. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should join the fan club!
What happens?
It’s the far future, and — far from the glorious, noble world of Star Trek — corporate interests have taken over. Insurance companies use SecUnits — AI/cyborgs — to help ensure exploratory teams remain alive (and to help ensure they don’t have to pay large life insurance claims). For the most part, SecUnits are carefully controlled through their governor modules …
Except Murderbot, who figured out how to hack his.* Which would be cause for concern. Except …
I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.
I feel ya, man …
All Systems Red
Despite hacking his governor module four years prior, Murderbot’s life hasn’t changed all that much … he spends his time on company-mandated missions, watching soaps in his free time. His current mission — on a currently-being-explored planet — is looking more boring than usual, with rather benign flora/fauna and a well-behaved group of human scientists …
… unit the team realizes that their resources have been hacked; that key information about the planet has been removed; and that the neighbouring exploratory squad is no longer responding to messages.
First lines: I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.
Rating/5: ⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
Artificial Condition
Free from the company, Murderbot sets off to explore the mining colony where he first went rogue – desperate to learn what happened to his governing module and whether he actually murdered 56 humans. Along the way he encounters ART, — an autonomous research station/ship who’s very attached to his crew — and a group of young humans who have lost some very important data.
First lines: SecUnits don’t care about the news. Even after I hacked my governor module and got access to the feeds, I never paid much attention to it. Partly because downloading the entertainment media was less likely to trigger any alarms that might be set up on satellite and station networks; political and economic news was carried on different levels, closer to the protected data exchanges. But mostly because the news was boring and I didn’t care what humans were doing to each other as long as I didn’t have to a) stop it or b) clean up after it.
Rating/5: 🚀🚀🚀🚀
Rogue Protocol
Murderbot is just returning to civilization when he catches one of his favourite humans – Dr. Mensah – on the news. In an effort to help her (and get himself out of a tricky situation), Murderbot travels to Milu to find evidence of illegal corporate exploration.
… if only it was that easy.
First lines: I have the worst luck with bot-driven transports. The first one had let me stow away in exchange for my collection of media files, with no ulterior motives, and had been so focused on its function that there had been hardly more communication between us than you’d have with a hauler bot. For the duration of the trip I had been alone with my media storage, just the way I like it. It had spoiled me into thinking all bot transports would be like that.
Rating/5: 🪐🪐🪐🪐
Exit Strategy
Turns out, Murderbot’s adventure into Milu carried some heavy repercussions: Dr. Mensah has been kidnapped, and is being held for … well, a planet’s ransom. Murderbot travels to the corporate-owned planet where she is being held, and starts plotting a rescue mission.
First lines: When I got back to HaveRatton Station, a bunch of humans tried to kill me. Considering how much I’d been thinking about killing a bunch of humans, it was only fair.
Rating/5: 🔫🔫🔫🔫
Highs and lows:
✔️ Murderbot is relatable on so many levels. Really.
Confession time: I don’t actually know where we are. I hadn’t looked at the maps yet and I’d barely looked at the survey package. In my defense, we’d been here twenty-two planetary days and I hadn’t had to do anything but stand around watching humans make scans or take samples of dirt, rocks, water, and leaves. The sense of urgency just wasn’t there. Also, you may have noticed, I don’t care.
Raise you’re hand if you’d rather watch TV than deal with silly humans all day. 🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️
✔️ It’s a fast, easy, fun, and well-paced series. I love the fact that these four books are novellas. Even though Murderbot’s story is complex and fascinating, the shorter format — which offers fast action and lots of snark — suits the story perfectly. It’s just enough to keep you entertained and involved, without bogging you down with extra details and side-quests.
✔️ The protagonists are empathetic and multi-layered.
✔️ The immersive sci-fi. Martha Well is a world-building genius. This future is so complicated and – frankly – alien … a bit dystopian … and extremely fun.
❌ The immersive sci-fi. This story just … starts. It’s right there, in your face. There’s very little exposition. You just have to take one revelation at a time.
You should read this if …
The idea of a neurotic, misanthropic, and definitely-a-cinnamon-bun AI appeals to you.
The details:
Series: The Murderbot Diaries
Author: Martha Wells
Published: 2017-2018, Tor
My copy: Personal copies
Read date: February 13-15, 2021
Rating/5: 🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖
The Geeky Jock 
Loved really your thoughts on the first four books. I had very similar feelings! Love how relatable Murderbot is. I haven’t read the fifth book yet but can’t wait to see what she does with a full length novel!