Exit Strategy

- Martha Wells

May 8, 2023

GOODREADS BLURB:

Albany, WA

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

SERIES / GENRES:

FIRST WORDS:

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.

MY REVIEW:

solid, good read:

☆☆☆☆☆ 4/5

I have been looking forward to Murderbot’s reunion with Dr Mensah, and it was everything I wanted it to be. The lead-up to this reunion and everything happening outside of it was a little messy (and somehow both repetitive and over-complicated). Still, the more Murderbot comes to terms with its actions and emotions, the happier I am.

Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.

There are a lot more moving parts this time around – Murderbot keeps taking on bigger and bigger jobs – but the overall formula is about the same. Lots of planning, some complicated tech and computer work, everyone agrees to a plan, the plan mostly works until it really really doesn’t, Murderbot improvises spectacularly, and then makes a run for it before anyone starts to pay too much attention.

For fuck’s sake, these humans are always in the way, trying to save me from stuff.

It was nice to see Murderbot interacting with humans who have a shared history. And Dr Mensah was everything I wanted her to be – frustrated and understanding and empathetic and wonderfully, progressively, human.

Maybe that was why I had been nervous about meeting Mensah again, and not all the other dumb reasons I had come up with. I hadn’t been afraid that she wasn’t my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me.

I’m back to having no clue where the series is heading next – I think there’s a short story and then a full-length novel coming up – and I can’t wait to find out.