How I have missed you, let me count the ways….
Seriously though, I got told to read “Fugitive Telemetry” first and then circle back to The Murderbot Diaries, #5 and then #7. FYI, Wells has a new book or a novella coming out in 2026 called “Platform Decay.”
We have Murderbot still protecting humans. This is set before “Network Effect”. Murderbot is stationed at Preservation Station and then discovers a dead body. Murderbot knows what to do in this situation, but also they know that the humans working in station security don’t trust them and fought Dr. Mensah when she did what she could to make sure Murderbot is safe and is not treated as a less than a human. Murderbot is concerned this could be another conspiracy against Mensah or just a human murdering another.
Murderbot is still the best. Sulky as shit, won’t take compliments, but does like watching the humans they know at work. I laughed several times at the narration and was definitely tense because I was worried about characters I have grown to love like Dr. Mensah, Pin-Lee (we hear about but don’t get much interaction with via Murderbot), Ratthi, and Gurathin. I also loved the new characters we get introduced to and some new allies for our Murderbot.
The plot to me was simply a great locked room mystery set via an epic space opera. I kept trying to figure out what was going on, how was it done, who could have helped carry this out, etc. I loved the final reveal of how this all went down and the massive fight we get at the end.
In the end, we have Murderbot with their former allies and some new ones too.
This filled the bingo square of “Borrow” row 5, space 2. I borrowed this book via my library. I track my Library loans via my Storygraph and Goodreads account.