I loved this book so much, and that of course means I am at a loss to describe it. I also read it almost three months ago, and am only now attempting to write this review. This means BULLET POINTS.
But first, I do want to say that I was very pleased with the first outing of Murderbot in novel form, as opposed to novella. I enjoyed spending a longer page count with Murderbot, whose character arc continues to develop in a pleasing fashion. I will be sad and displeased if Wells goes back to novellas. (I am typing all of this full well knowing that the next Murderbot book is going to take place before this one, and it is going to be a novella. I guess I am in “denial”.)
- Murderbot once again has to save the pesky humans, this time after they are all abducted.
- ART is back! And oh my god it’s even better than before. SPOILER Murderbot and ART have the closest thing to a romance arc an asexual android and fully bodiless A.I. can have, complete with unexpected baby. If you would have told me that Murderbot #5 was a closet romance novel, I would not have believed you, but I can tell you I am delighted about it END SPOILERS. And it makes it all the more delightful for me that all of this plays out with Murderbot’s characteristic repressed but very strong emotions in play.
- I liked the way that there was such an emphasis on Murderbot not being a human, and not wanting to be a human, just being a person is hard enough, thank you.
- I don’t remember very much about the plot, sorry, entirely here for the emotions or denial thereof.
- Mensa is so motherly in this I can’t even.
- When the second SecUnit gets roped in to Murderbot’s hacked governor-module club, I nearly lost it with glee, I was so happy.
- I don’t remember enough to make more bullet points.
I really just want to re-read, but that would mean re-reading all the novellas, too, and I only own the first one in e-book, and not the others. I’m waiting so patiently for an eventual bind-up to be published. I tried the audiobooks (they’re all on SCRIBD) but I hated Kevin R. Free’s narration. He’s just not Murderbot for me and I didn’t make it past the first two sentences, though I have enjoyed a couple other books he’s narrated. Basically: WOE.