Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries

I can honestly say that this 4th novella was, in my opinion, the very best of the Murderbot installments. It went quickly – just like the preceding three. It was fast paced and fun – just like the preceding three. It’s hard not to fall in love a bit with Murderbot in this novella – just like the preceding three. What made this one so fun was the fact that it brought the original group of characters back together, particularly Mensah. I may be the only one who feels this way but I actually found her to be the most intriguing character in the book – more so even than Murderbot. She is calm. She is mature. She is decisive. She always does the right thing. She is THE ONLY human that knows how to interact with Murderbot in a way that forces him to acknowledge the quality of her thought processes and he is THE ONE human character that Murderbot actually respects. Now I’m going to paint outside the lines a bit and I have no doubt that some of you are just going to think that what I’m about to say is a bit silly. I just finished the book and the following thoughts are my first and strongest impressions – things that can often prove to be unreliable when you step back and reconsider after a day of two. Alternatively, many of you might just say duh – why did it take you so long to figure this out. Either way, if so, please comment and tell me. I’d welcome someone else’s perspective. Here’s what I think. The minute I finished this book – after the final chapter – which consisted of two conversations – one with Mensah’s daughter and one with Mensah herself – this odd thought popped into my head. Wells is actually writing about a teenager. Murderbot is a smart, capable, totally frustrating, thoroughly conflicted teenager. He’s doing all the cliche things that we all too often equate with teenage behavior. He’s rebelling. He’s running away from home. He’s trying to figure out his place in the world. He’s pre-occupied with his media. He argues. He thinks all humans / adults are stupid. He always thinks he’s right. He doesn’t do what he’s told to do. Most importantly, he’s growing up and defining himself in a very complicated world. I loved that final conversation with Mensah’s daughter. She handled Murderbot better than almost any other adult he met in any of the 4 novellas and Murderbot responded to her in a pretty open and honest way – almost like he was dealing with a peer. That one conversation was one of the most enjoyable moments in the 4 books for me – it was really endearing – for lack of a better word – it was just too cute. Mensah is unique in the book. She is the one human character to which Murderbot is willing to defer. She’s the one character Murderbot respects enough to confer with – to ask for and take advice from – his one human truly ADULT presence. Mensah is Mom. During the final combat sequence, in a life and death situation, Murderbot steps back from what he’s doing to actually ask for Mensah’s opinion regarding the motives of their attackers. At the point when Murderbot had decided to try and capture the Bond Company gunship and was about to act – Mensah suspected what he was about to do without being told – she stopped him cold with one word a – a simple no – and then engaged him in the way a concerned and very capable parent would their own child – making him understand what was driving his behavior and forcing him to stand down – making him realize that there was a more rational, less confrontational way to achieve his objective. She provided the adult perspective. It was classic parenting. I know Wells is married but I don’t know for sure that she has children. If so, I would bet my bottom dollar that she was drawing on her parenting experience as she wrote this book. I’ve been processing all of this, reviewing all of this, through the lens of a serious and dedicated science fiction fan and – while I’ve always been really positive overall – there were parts of the story that I quibbled with a bit – quibbles that I’ve written into my first three reviews. With this new perspective, the story transforms a bit. Now that I’m reading it more as a family drama and a mother / son story, I fell in love with the books in a different and totally unconditional way. I enjoyed all of these books but I enjoyed this 4th and final installment the most – by far. As a parent myself – one that’s done the work of helping my son make the transition from boy to teenager to young adult, I now think I know why! 🙂 If you haven’t read these books, please do so. They’re just flat out wonderful!!

By the time you reach Exit Strategy, the fourth entry in The Murderbot Diaries, you know what to expect – and that’s very much part of the appeal. This novella sticks to what the series does best: sharp pacing, high-stakes action, and a surprisingly emotional dive into questions of identity, autonomy, and humanity. Murderbot, ever the reluctant hero, continues its journey of self-discovery while trying to avoid emotional vulnerability at all costs (with limited success). In solving problems and navigating complex situations, it also forces us as readers to consider the same questions it wrestles with: What does it mean to be human? How do we process emotion, choice, and connection? Like the earlier novellas, Exit Strategy is a relatively quick read, with a clear, straightforward plot and enough action to keep things moving briskly. The return of characters from Preservation adds a strong emotional throughline and a sense of homecoming – even if Murderbot would never call it that out loud. Overall, it’s a rewarding continuation of the series: thoughtful, punchy, and laced with just the right amount of snark. A solid, satisfying read for fans of smart science fiction with heart.

Book number four of a seven book series of science fiction novellas and books. I reread the well printed and well bound hardcover published by Tor in 2018 that I bought new from Amazon this year. The first novella in the series won the 2018 Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus awards. The series won the 2021 Hugo for the best series also. I am rereading the next two books in the series and the seventh book in the series arrived today. Murderbot is a SecUnit, similar to a T-800 Terminator with a cloned and severely modified human head. There is a human brain in there but it is controlled by the AIs embedded in its genderless torso. There are lungs, there is a blood mixture with a synthetic, there is human skin over the entire body, there is a face, there is hair on the head and eyebrows. Everything else is machine. Somehow, the blood is enriched with electricity as there is no stomach or intestines. But, there are arteries and veins to keep the skin and brain alive. All of the major arteries and veins have clamps to stop bleeding in case of damage. There is a MedSystem computer with an AI, a HubUnit computer with an AI, and a governor module that can force the SecUnit to follow orders using pain sensors in the brain. It has a energy gun in each arm and several cameras, all directly wired to the brain. The SecUnit can sustain severe damage to everything but the head and still survive. Murderbot is a self named SecUnit due to an unfortunate circumstance with 57 miners on a remote moon. It has hacked its governor and no longer allows the governor to give it orders or inflict pain. It prefers to internally watch its 35,000 hours of downloaded media such as episodes of "The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon" and "WorldHoppers". Even though it has a face, it does not like to interface with humans, yes, very introverted. It will follow human orders if it sees fit to do so. Murderbot has been called a rogue SecUnit by the news feeds. It has been hitching rides with AI Bot Cargo and Transport spaceships by sharing it's 35,000 hours of downloaded media. It has researched its responsibility in the deaths of 57 miners on a remote moon and decided that somebody else caused the deaths and then blamed it. It has researched GrayCris Corporation's behavior in banned alien artifacts and the murders of several research scientists. And now GrayCis has kidnapped Murderbot's best friend, Dr. Mensah, and is holding her for ransom. Murderbot is an incredibly interesting character. It handles horrible situations easily and personal interactions difficultly. Like I said, interesting. All Murderbot really wants to do in life is watch soap operas like "Sanctuary Moon" and "Worldhoppers (aka Stargate)", just like us. Popular quotes from the book: 1. "Disinformation, which is the same as lying but for some reason has a different name, is the top tactic in corporate negotiation/warfare." 2. "It would have been hilarious if I wasn’t about to die. It was still a little hilarious." Warning: There is violence and death in the books. Books one through four are a series of novellas, not regular length books. Book five is a regular length novel, book six is back to the novella, and book seven is a full length novel due out in November 2023. You can buy a collection of the first four hardbacks at a nice discount. There is a wiki for Murderbot including various episodes of "The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon". My rating: 6 out of 5 stars

Another fun episode in The Murderbot Diaries! This is the fourth book in the series, and it really shouldn’t be read out of order, though you could get away with skipping books 2 and 3 if you really wanted to. SecUnit, aka Murderbot, reunites with the crew from book one as the events from the past few installments begin to converge. Once again, Murderbot must help keep Dr. Mensah and her team alive while dealing with the ongoing threat of the evil GrayCris Corporation. This is a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi full of dry humor. I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble they get into next. Spice: 0/5 Plot:4.5/5 Writing: 4.5/5 My Enjoyment: 4.5/5

What a great finish to the Murderbot novella story! Murderbot is such an interesting and unique character. While having many of the characteristics of the classic, hard boiled, lone detective or Man With No Name, Murderbot stands out for its search for identity in addition to place. In many ways, the character seems not to trust the idea of a home, probably a result of never really having one. As to identity, Murderbot has more explicit reasons to question its motivations than most - how much is coded in, how much is what it actually wants? It's so interesting to see how that imposter syndrome plays out, especially since the character has not interest in being human. This fourth installment offers a lot more of the good stuff from the previous novellas: fast-paced action, clever problem-solving, and lots of sarcastic side-commentary - from human and murderbot alike. We also get more sense of what the world is like as Murderbot moves through different stations and governments. It sounds like an exciting mess, and I can totally believe that adblockers will be a vital component of the Future, sadly. I found the plot itself very compelling and the direction unexpected. We continue to learn more about Murderbot and how it thinks about itself and its emotions. I hope to read more about Murderbot and its adventures protecting and working with stupid humans, as well as figuring out its motivations.

This review of this installment in the Murderbot series is similar to my previous one for the first book in the series, so I'll just repeat it since the same comments apply: I have no complaints about the audiobook adaptations of Martha Wells' "Murderbot" series, and found the voice performance to be excellent, lending Murderbot a unique but relatable voice even as he keeps announcing how much he dislikes humans, finds them annoying, and wishes they'd just leave him alone to view his media. My chief critique has to do with value-for-money, in that these are novella-length stories usually sold at a premium cost, which I'm not crazy about.

These stories are more like novellas than novels. However, they are very enjoyable. The characters are really fun and well developed. I love the fact that it is a series on Apple TV. That’s how I learned about these books. They do not disappoint. If you are a Sci-fi fan and want a light, quick fun read. These books will do it.

First read - April 28, 2023: Oh. My. God. I almost died reading this 😭💀 This book was a full-on rollercoaster of emotions, each one hitting harder than the last. It made me so happy to see MB reunited with its crew 🥹 The personal growth, the realization that it actually has friends, and that it’s not alone anymore? My robotic heart can’t handle it 💔💖 Second read - December 3, 2025: Loving this reread journey so much! This book isn’t just an action-packed sci-fi adventure, it’s emotional therapy wrapped in explosions and sarcasm 😂💥 Watching MB reconnect with its crew (aka family, let’s be honest) and slowly start to accept what that means? I’m so proud of my awkward murder child 😭🫶 It’s not ready to call them family yet… but it will. I know it will 💫

Rien à dire

Una saga perfecta

Tanto per capire: libro 1 acquistato il 13/4, libri 2 e 3 il 14/4, libro 4 il 15/4, terminato oggi. Protagonista cinico q.b., gli altri personaggi molto ben caratterizzati, storia coinvolgente. Ad un terzo del primo libro ero già un grandissimo fan di Murderbot. --- Just to put things in perspective: book 1 bought April, 13; books 2 and 3 the next day; book 4 yesterday, finished today. Main character cynical to the right level, other characters well developed, compelling story. After reaching 1/3 of book 1 I was already a huge Murderbot fan.

Actual rating 4.5 stars. Another gut-punching action packed fast paced adventure with an intelligent protagonist with a dry sense of humour still learning about its human side. But I love that it did not want to be human. Humans are flawed, and Murderbot is something different – a new species. Wrapped up many plot points. Less about who Murderbot is and more about what Murderbot wants (to do). Like he was graduating high school and facing an uncertain future with possibilities. He suddenly had friends, choices. Murderbot is showing courage, bravery, loyalty and self-sacrifice... and sarcasm. He is more complex and developed that many other protagonists I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in my reading journey. Hat’s off the Martha Wells for crafting such a wonderful character and addictive series. I kind of get a sense of a small crush between Mancha and Murderbot – whether it be friendship or a one-sided romantic crush. But I like it. She seems to respect Murderbot in all its expression of existing. I really want this pairing to grow and develop even more. They have chemistry. On a side note: I want a Murderbot and ART team up again, and I want to meet some aliens, or at least get into some alien archaeological sites/tech. I hope that is in the future. I mean as well as passing a law for higher level artificial intelligences/bots for independence. I’m always left with a satisfied smile and a hunger for more when I complete one of these books. Extremely highly recommended – this seems to draw this part of the novellas to a close, next is a short ‘Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory’ followed by a full length novel ‘Network Effect’ which I am really looking forward to.

Extremely exciting read. I can barely put this series down. Totally identify with Murderbot. Writing this review makes me feel weird and now I will go stare at the wall.