🤖🤖🤖🤖 4/5 Murderbots – The whole series is an absolute delight, and great audiobooks!
I’ve finally finished listening to the audiobooks for all seven of the books in the Murderbot Diaries series, so I thought it was time to do a round-up review of my thoughts. Most of the books are short novellas (about 4 hours on audio) and it’s difficult to come up with much to write individual reviews without getting repetitive! I found with each new story in the series I liked and disliked the same elements.
A quick round-up of thoughts per book!
I already posted about the first two, you can read that here if you want: The Murderbot Diaries #1-2 by Martha Wells
3. Rogue Protocol
This one does get off to a slow start and all the humans completely blend together, so much I couldn’t confidently say even how many there were! But I don’t care because I’m having so much fun, the best bits are Murderbot making new AI friends, and I really loved Miki!
4. Exit Strategy
Murderbot returns to their favourite human, Dr Mensah, with some evidence to help stop the evil corp. GreyCris… and I can’t remember any details of what actually happened, I just remember I enjoyed it?
5. Network Effect
Interesting in that this one is a full-length novel. It’s also the most emotional as Murderbot must deal with his feelings as he tries to save his old friend A.R.T. and his humans. I appreciate that this one was longer and the raising of emotional stakes, but I think it did get a bit repetitive in the middle.
6. Fugitive Telemetry
This was my least favourite because it actually takes place before Network Effect if you read in publication order. It’s also a weird diversion where Murderbot plays at detective in order to solve a murder, and this means more direct interaction with humans than we usually get. The human characters are always the weaker points, I much prefer the bots! Next time I might read chronologically instead on publication order.
7. System Collapse
I didn’t feel as engaged while reading this one, I think by the seventh instalment I’m a bit weary of the formula. That said though, it was still fun, especially as A.R.T. is in it!
Overall thoughts
It’s a strange experience reading these because while I definitely had a great time with them, as soon as I finish one I find I’ve immediately forgotten what actually happened! I do have a notoriously poor memory for books and media, but I’m not usually that bad! I suppose this does at least mean the series is highly re-readable!
In every book, I really enjoyed all the AI characters, and Murderbot making new AI friends was always my favourite part. I love the friendship with A.R.T especially. But I also never had any interest in the human characters and while liked them well enough I couldn’t retain any details about them because they all blur together. I could never tell anyone apart, even the recurring characters (except for Mensah). I couldn’t tell you confidently who was who, where they were from and what their role was.
Overall though I really recommend this series, it is pure entertainment and as nice short audibooks, they are very handy for using up odd leftover hours on a Spotify Premium subscription!
Apparently, they are working on adapting it for Apple TV, with Alexander Skarsgard as Murderbot. I am sceptical about how well this will translate as the whole thing is Murderbot’s inner monologue and mostly takes place inside his head as he hacks systems, with only the occasional burst of physical action. The cast also looks too white so far (a significant part of the universe being that humans are all a shade of brown but their point in the future), but I guess we’ll see!
I have the same critique of the human characters. Part of the problem is that the story is told exclusively from the first-person perspective of a bot who intentionally keeps humans at arms length, so we don’t get any insight into who they beyond the bot narrator’s direct observations.
The relationship (inside joke for those who’ve read the series!) with A.R.T. was delightful.
Enjoyable enough series. Disappointing that the cast is white washed for the TV adaptation given that ethnic (and gender) homogeny is a core and major theme in this universe.
Hopefully there will be another book in this series.
Thanks Derek! The human characters are an easy critique to make but at the same time I don’t think it impacted my fun! I think it’s mostly in the later books where characters return that I spent more time thinking “who is this person again?”
A.R.T. is the best!
The more I think about the TV adaption, and that cast, the less convinced I am… I will probably just stick with repeating the audiobooks!
Funny enough, I binged the audio books over the course of the past 3 weeks. The voice actor was outstanding.
As dubious as I am of the TV series casting, I will watch it for certain.
Thank you for a well-though review. Post more, please.
Thank you Derek!
The characters are definitely all “identity” varieties if one pays attention to their names. Murderbot Universe is definitely post-racial, not that that should matter in any literary Universe. If one doesn’t like an author’s universe, write your own fiction. Murderbot focus on transhuman identity issues relevant of it’s Murderbot.
Yes! I loved the post-racial element!