Book #127 of 2023: System Collapse by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #7) The second half of this latest Murderbot adventure lives up to my high expectations for the series, but the first part is an experimental departure that doesn’t really work for me. We start in media res, with the neurodivergent cyborg showing unusual …
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Book #80 of 2023: Witch King by Martha Wells I am all for complex fantasy worldbuilding, but it’s not a great sign that at the end of this standalone novel, I still don’t believe I could accurately summarize the distinctions it draws between demons, witches, expositors, blessed immortals, hierarchs, and the like, all of whom …
Book #121 of 2021: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #6) It’s always a joy to spend time with Murderbot, the increasingly-poorly-named security cyborg who has reluctantly come to care for the humans of its new home, even if it still mostly wishes they would leave it alone or at least not look …
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Book #291 of 2020: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back edited by Elizabeth Schaefer To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the second Star Wars movie, this collection presents 40 new stories revisiting its timeline, in the form of either familiar scenes from the perspective of minor film characters or …
Book #270 of 2020: Network Effect by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #5) Everyone’s favorite antisocial cyborg bodyguard is back for its first full-length adventure, featuring the return of one of the more intriguing side characters from the original novellas. Murderbot’s acerbic interior monologue is always surprisingly relatable as the security unit forms grudging attachments …
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Book #236 of 2020: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #4) This final Murderbot novella (for now, at least) draws the initial series arc to a close, clearing the way for whatever new plots the sequel novels will deliver. Linking back up with the supporting cast from the first volume helps reinject some …
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Book #216 of 2020: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #3) This novella is another fun outing with everyone’s favorite heavily-armed cybernetic introvert, but the events feel somewhat less significant for either the protagonist or the ongoing plot than the two previous installments. Even a filler adventure with Murderbot offers the usual delights …
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Book #38 of 2019: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #2) Another great robo-noir story, following the weary Murderbot as it attempts to protect a crew of in-over-their-head humans and solve a mystery that’s been wiped from its memory logs. I really enjoy spending time in the mind of this hardboiled robot, who …
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Book #189 of 2018: All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1) A fun novella in what I would have to call the robo-noir genre, with a hardboiled cyborg protagonist reluctantly working security on a planetary survey mission. Murderbot’s narrative perspective is hilarious and relatable: who among of us doesn’t also have bosses …
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