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| Originally published: 2020 Acquired: August 2021 Read: September 2021 |
Having caught up on my Murderbot novellas, it was finally time for me to dive into what was in publication order book 5, and in chronological order book 6, but the first novel in the series. Really, it shares all the strengths and weaknesses of the novellas. At first, when it's Murderbot straining against the strictures of people in authority, it's pretty enjoyable, and there are some good flashbacks showing Murderbot settling into its life on Preservation. I also liked the hook of how Asshole Research Transport returned; indeed, I liked it so much that I think I will steal it for the Star Trek RPG I am DMing. But as is almost always the case with this series, once it switched into action mode, I got bored, and unfortunately, the novel length means there is much more of this than there is in a novella. On the other hand, the action stuff is a bit more character-focused than in was in books 2 and 3 in particular, and Murderbot's character arc has some good moments... it's just that, thanks to the previous books, I'd kind of checked out of Murderbot's character arc by this point, and I find it hard to care again. I can see that if you are already a big fan of the series/character, you will surely love this one too, but if you are not, this one will not win you over.
I was quite pleased, though, that a worldbuilding thing I complained about as regards book 4 actually turns out to have a clever, character-based explanation. I don't know if this was a long-term plan or a clever retcon, but either way, well played, Martha Wells. Still too much damn CamelCase, though.
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