Author: Martha Wells
Series: The Murderbot Diaries #6
Publisher: Tor.com
Released: April 27^th, 2021
Received: NetGalley

Yes! More Murderbot! I have to admit that The Murderbot Dairies has easily become one of my favorite series. Don’t believe me? I’ve been listening to the audiobooks (on loop) for the past few weeks Who would have thought that Murderbot could help me with my anxiety?.

Fugitive Telemetry is the sixth novella in this amazing series written by Martha Wells. And if you haven’t read/heard of this series before now, you really need to check it out. It features a sarcastic SecUnit (think part bot/part human guard) and all of the graphic trouble they have to get their humans out of.

The unthinkable has happened. A dead body has been found on Preservation Station. Okay, that’s really only unthinkable for the humans on the station – Murderbot expected violence to happen at some point.

The station is woefully unequipped to deal with a murder investigation, so Murderbot is forced to join in and help solve the case. Yes, that does mean they have to interact with humans. No, they’re not exactly thrilled about it.

“No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall, for fuck’s sake.”

I’m going to be upfront here: I read Fugitive Telemetry, sat there for a minute, and then immediately picked it back up and read it again. I love it that much. This is a fantastic addition to The Murderbot Diaries, and it made me want more (I know, I’m so greedy).

This novella has everything that fans (myself included) have come to expect: murder, combat, sarcastic SecUnits, concerned humans, the works. Throw in the fact that Murderbot has to work with humans (as opposed to merely protecting them), and it really adds a lot to the narrative.

I’d like to think it’s also helping Murderbot grow, both as a person and a character. I’m starting to see how life on Preservation Station could work for them. At least, I really hope that it would work out the way I think it is.

“Hey, I don’t want me either, but I’m stuck with me.”

What really got me (on top of all the other details I loved) had to be the bot interactions in this novella. Finally! A chance to see what a free bot looks like on Preservation Station (I’m not counting Murderbot, because I don’t think it would either). This was not only really interesting, but it set up for the conclusion of the novella. I’m certain that that is the reason why the ending gave me chills. It was brilliantly done.

Once again, I am blown away by Martha Wells’ writing. I love the world and characters that she has created here, and I sincerely cannot wait to see what comes next. Yes, I know that will be a little ways off. I can deal.

On a related note, I’m currently working my way through the audiobook series (again), and I think once I’m done with Network Effect, I’m going to be happily purchasing Fugitive Telemetry to give that a go. If you’re a fan of the series and haven’t checked out the audiobooks, you totally should. The narrator (Kevin R. Free) does an amazing job bringing Murderbot’s voice to life.

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.