Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tom Doherty Associates
Description
The fourth and final part of the Murderbot Diaries series that began with All Systems Red. Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right? Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit. But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue? And what will become of it when it’s caught?
User reviews
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
"Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it's the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail." (14)
As I had hoped, the fourth Murderbot Diaries volume did break the hardening pattern of
Although it was a little bit longer than the earlier books, it read even faster, and I basically tore through this one in a single, lightly-interrupted sitting.
As I had hoped, the fourth Murderbot Diaries volume did break the hardening pattern of
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the previous books. It is not a matter of the SecUnit adopting a new "family" and protecting them from malefactors. Instead, it concerns Murderbot taking up unresolved relations with humans it knew before, and trying to address a crisis it knows itself to have helped create in the first place.Although it was a little bit longer than the earlier books, it read even faster, and I basically tore through this one in a single, lightly-interrupted sitting.
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LibraryThing member Herenya
A very satisfying “season finale”, which pulls together threads from the previous novellas into a high-stakes, fast-paced conclusion. Murderbot, a rogue SecUnit, has been gathering evidence of corporate wrongdoing under its own initiative. But its investigation has been noticed and Dr Mensah,
I continue to be delighted by Murderbot -- sarcastic, socially-anxious, obsessed with serials, reluctantly caring, still working out what it means to be a bot with autonomy and feelings. Unlike in Rogue Protocol, Murderbot is very attached to the humans it is working with here, and Murderbot has a lot of complicated emotions about being attached to humans. Moreover, with these humans it doesn’t need to pretend, because they know who it is. I like that Murderbot has people who want to support it.
I enjoyed this enormously. Read it and then reread it. Bookmarked all the quotes. Next up is apparently a Murderbot novel -- more Murderbot, hurray!
(Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that: it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.)
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who legally owns Murderbot, is in trouble.I continue to be delighted by Murderbot -- sarcastic, socially-anxious, obsessed with serials, reluctantly caring, still working out what it means to be a bot with autonomy and feelings. Unlike in Rogue Protocol, Murderbot is very attached to the humans it is working with here, and Murderbot has a lot of complicated emotions about being attached to humans. Moreover, with these humans it doesn’t need to pretend, because they know who it is. I like that Murderbot has people who want to support it.
I enjoyed this enormously. Read it and then reread it. Bookmarked all the quotes. Next up is apparently a Murderbot novel -- more Murderbot, hurray!
(Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that: it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.)
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LibraryThing member tottman
Murderbot is going to go down as one of the best sci-fi characters ever created. In Exit Strategy, Martha Wells brings her four-part series of novellas to a conclusion that will satisfy fans of the series and whet their appetite for further adventures.
Murderbot just wants to be left alone to enjoy
What Martha Wells is able to do within the confines of a novella length story is sort of amazing. It’s an action novel with pacing that is constantly moving forward, terrific battles and fight sequences and deep character development. Murderbot has sort of accepted that it has a mission it is trying to accomplish that goes beyond its own selfish desires and its original programming. But it also wrestles with the fact that doing so is creating an emotional reaction that it neither wants nor knows how to deal with.
Wells brings her rogue SecUnit full circle in Exit Strategy that leaves Murderbot facing the same internal struggle that it faced at the end of the first book. How it faces those same questions underscores the growth the character has made over the course of the four books. This is a brilliant series, both in the totality of the work and in each of its four components. The Murderbot Diaries is one of the great all-time sci-fi series, and Exit Strategy is a superb conclusion. I can’t wait to see what Wells has in store for us and her characters next. Highly recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher.
Murderbot just wants to be left alone to enjoy
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its downloaded shows, but pesky emotions and what might be a conscience have led it to investigate its own murderous past as well as the corrupt GrayCris Corporation. When Murderbot learns that its former owner and one of the first humans to show it compassion, Dr. Mensah, is missing or possibly being held captive, it returns to attempt to free her and put an end to the threat posed by GrayCris once and for all.What Martha Wells is able to do within the confines of a novella length story is sort of amazing. It’s an action novel with pacing that is constantly moving forward, terrific battles and fight sequences and deep character development. Murderbot has sort of accepted that it has a mission it is trying to accomplish that goes beyond its own selfish desires and its original programming. But it also wrestles with the fact that doing so is creating an emotional reaction that it neither wants nor knows how to deal with.
Wells brings her rogue SecUnit full circle in Exit Strategy that leaves Murderbot facing the same internal struggle that it faced at the end of the first book. How it faces those same questions underscores the growth the character has made over the course of the four books. This is a brilliant series, both in the totality of the work and in each of its four components. The Murderbot Diaries is one of the great all-time sci-fi series, and Exit Strategy is a superb conclusion. I can’t wait to see what Wells has in store for us and her characters next. Highly recommended.
I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher.
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LibraryThing member elenchus
Exit Strategy effectively serves as final act in the initial Murderbot story arc. SecUnit decides the only chance for Mensah is a hostage rescue, and the plot is propelled along from the opening, though as usual SecUnit's narration is seemingly calm and unpanicked even through the most harrowing
Though the novella wraps up the overall story arc of the Diaries so far, it does so without fully addressing all questions about SecUnit's identity or past. While SecUnit's guilt and overall self-consciousness are accounted for, it remains hazy just how it hacked its governor module.
That she understood even that much made me melt. I hate that this happens, it makes me feel vulnerable. Maybe that was why I had been nervous about meeting Mensah again, and not all the other dumb reasons I had come up with. I hadn't been afraid that she wasn't my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me. [116]
//
Along with plot and plot-adjacent revelations, a deeper understanding of both SecUnit's world and its Self become possible.
● The story reinforces prior established facets of AI slavery, and elaborates that constructs were not always treated as chattel -- somehow their treatment evolved from a prior state (in which SecUnits were known as Augmented Rovers), after which time both their abilities and their treatment by humans changed. Notably, this mirrors the history of slavery in the U.S., evolving from indentured servitude (largely agnostic of racial conceptualisations) to slavery expressly undertaken in defense of White Supremacy.
● A new aspect of SecUnit's individuated Self is revealed when it defends against a virtual attack. Until now, SecUnit's hacking of security systems was accomplished entirely as an embodied construct, analogous to a human hacker via digital interface. This scenario, by contrast, involves SecUnit wielding offensive and defensive measures strictly as a digital entity. (These skills anticipate later plot developments in the next Diaries installment, Network Effect.)
One question is conspicuous for remaining unaddressed: SecUnit's consistent decision never to name the bond company which owned it, and which provided the underwriting for Preservation Aux's planetary survey in the first novella. There are repeated and particular conversations featuring that entity, but these refer only generically to "the company". Repeatedly declining to name it becomes a deliberate act on the part of SecUnit, even to the point of remarking its logo yet never its name. [37] Notably, several other corporate entities are named throughout the series (but ... never another bond company?). [43] The cumulative result is to suggest that bond companies are distinct, perhaps for being the equivalent of slavers. (This is another aspect of the Diaries not addressed explicitly until the next installment.)
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action scenes. While new characters appear, several major characters from the initial novella return.Though the novella wraps up the overall story arc of the Diaries so far, it does so without fully addressing all questions about SecUnit's identity or past. While SecUnit's guilt and overall self-consciousness are accounted for, it remains hazy just how it hacked its governor module.
That she understood even that much made me melt. I hate that this happens, it makes me feel vulnerable. Maybe that was why I had been nervous about meeting Mensah again, and not all the other dumb reasons I had come up with. I hadn't been afraid that she wasn't my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me. [116]
//
Along with plot and plot-adjacent revelations, a deeper understanding of both SecUnit's world and its Self become possible.
● The story reinforces prior established facets of AI slavery, and elaborates that constructs were not always treated as chattel -- somehow their treatment evolved from a prior state (in which SecUnits were known as Augmented Rovers), after which time both their abilities and their treatment by humans changed. Notably, this mirrors the history of slavery in the U.S., evolving from indentured servitude (largely agnostic of racial conceptualisations) to slavery expressly undertaken in defense of White Supremacy.
● A new aspect of SecUnit's individuated Self is revealed when it defends against a virtual attack. Until now, SecUnit's hacking of security systems was accomplished entirely as an embodied construct, analogous to a human hacker via digital interface. This scenario, by contrast, involves SecUnit wielding offensive and defensive measures strictly as a digital entity. (These skills anticipate later plot developments in the next Diaries installment, Network Effect.)
One question is conspicuous for remaining unaddressed: SecUnit's consistent decision never to name the bond company which owned it, and which provided the underwriting for Preservation Aux's planetary survey in the first novella. There are repeated and particular conversations featuring that entity, but these refer only generically to "the company". Repeatedly declining to name it becomes a deliberate act on the part of SecUnit, even to the point of remarking its logo yet never its name. [37] Notably, several other corporate entities are named throughout the series (but ... never another bond company?). [43] The cumulative result is to suggest that bond companies are distinct, perhaps for being the equivalent of slavers. (This is another aspect of the Diaries not addressed explicitly until the next installment.)
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
This book contains all of the flaws of the previous two. Like the others, it's slow to start. Which can be fine; a book, even if it's a novella, doesn't have to rocket out of the gate, but so many of the opening chapters seem to be Murderbot reading newsfeeds in order to summarize exposition about
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corporate maneuverings to the reader, and I keep thinking there must be a better way to handle all of this. It's like when I DM and my characters have to sit through a mission briefing at the beginning where I throw a bunch of information out because I can't think of a better way to communicate it all to them. I just don't follow all the corporate stuff, and the book doesn't make me want to. Also it seems like a curious gap in the worldbuilding that the bond company so pivotal to GrayCris's problems and thus Muderbot's is never even given a name. Like in the last couple, I find Murderbot's snark less effective when it's out on its own doing stuff that it wants to do. Anyway, eventually the action started and then I was really bored. I think this book—all of them, really—overestimate how much I care about or even remember about the supporting characters from the first book. Show Less
LibraryThing member BillieBook
I would have probably enjoyed this more if I had read the first three in the series, but even without that, this was a great action-packed story and I never felt lost or like I had been dropped into the middle of something. I definitely have three more books to add to my TBR now, though.
LibraryThing member LisCarey
Murderbot has successfully escaped the environs of its latest run-in with GrayCris Corporation, with proof of GrayCris' criminal activity. If it can get back to Preservation space and reach Dr. Mensah, its...owner? guardian? friend?, GrayCris can, possibly, be stopped from getting more colonists
Unfortunately, GrayCris has kidnapped Dr. Mensah and is demanding an enormous ransom, apparently in hopes of also luring Murderbot in. GrayCris thinks Murderbot still has the evidence in its possession. Murderbot is smarter than that, but Dr. Mensah is still at enormous risk. The sensible thing for a rogue SecUnit that was never programmed to care about anyone is to forget about Mensah, head out beyond the corporate rim, and let the people it has sent the information to act on it.
Murderbot so wishes it were sensible.
It's another wild adventure, as Murderbot keeps getting better at not getting spotted as a SecUnit, struggles with dealing with human emotions, and faces the even more unpleasant challenge of its own emotions and just why exactly it is risking its life to save people it has been trying to get further away from.
Once again, Murderbot is a lot of fun. Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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and scientific expeditions killed in their pursuit of corporate profit.Unfortunately, GrayCris has kidnapped Dr. Mensah and is demanding an enormous ransom, apparently in hopes of also luring Murderbot in. GrayCris thinks Murderbot still has the evidence in its possession. Murderbot is smarter than that, but Dr. Mensah is still at enormous risk. The sensible thing for a rogue SecUnit that was never programmed to care about anyone is to forget about Mensah, head out beyond the corporate rim, and let the people it has sent the information to act on it.
Murderbot so wishes it were sensible.
It's another wild adventure, as Murderbot keeps getting better at not getting spotted as a SecUnit, struggles with dealing with human emotions, and faces the even more unpleasant challenge of its own emotions and just why exactly it is risking its life to save people it has been trying to get further away from.
Once again, Murderbot is a lot of fun. Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member beserene
The fourth and final Murderbot novella will make you wish there were more Murderbot novellas. Wells does an excellent job of bringing things full circle, as Murderbot reunites with the characters from the first installment and, while we don't know everything about our main character's future by the
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end, we do have a nice sense of closure. And, in the in-between, there is much mayhem and action and the series' characteristic dry, dark, and often awkward humor. If you've been reading these books all along, I don't need to tell you to read this one -- you already know. Show Less
LibraryThing member souloftherose
I've read a number of shorter works/novellas this month - the first, Exit Strategy by Martha Wells, is the fourth and final novella in the wonderful Murderbot series (although there will be some full length novels featuring Murderbot at a later date). If I say I thought Exit Strategy was the
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weakest in the series so far that isn't saying it's by any means a bad book - just that the standard for the series is so high. Whilst this was a little slower to get started than the other books, the conclusion was very satisfying as Murderbot is finally reunited with the original team from All Systems Red. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
Sort of like a scraping together of the less fascinating parts of the earlier three books - mostly Murderbot hacking through systems to protect itself and it's people. No fascinating new places or uncovered scandals. But some insights into Murderbot itself.
LibraryThing member Carolesrandomlife
I had a great time with this newest installment in the Murderbot Diaries series. After reading the previous three installments in the series, I knew that I was going to have to read about Murderbot's further adventures just as soon as I could. This is a novella length piece that could easily be
Everything comes full circle in the series with Murderbot working to help Dr. Mensah who we met in the first installment. As soon as the SecUnit finds out that Dr. Mensah is in trouble, immediate plans are made to get close and offer assistance. Things are pretty tense at times and there is a whole lot of excitement that had me at the edge of my seat.
I loved seeing how much Murderbot has grown over the course of the series. There are feelings in this book. Real feelings. Everyone's favorite SecUnit seems to be having a whole lot of feelings for an anti-social cyborg. There is a lot more interaction with others that is done quite willingly and there are times with the SecUnit is willing to self-sacrifice if necessary. I love Murderbot's internal dialogue and really appreciated its sense of humor.
I would recommend this series to others. I think that this book had a great blend of excitement and action. I am so glad that I have had the chance to go along with Murderbot as it tries to find its place in the world. I will definitely be reading any future books in the series.
I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library.
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read in a single evening. I do think that this series is best read in order since this newest entry touched on things that happened in previous adventures quite often. This story was everything that I had hoped it would be.Everything comes full circle in the series with Murderbot working to help Dr. Mensah who we met in the first installment. As soon as the SecUnit finds out that Dr. Mensah is in trouble, immediate plans are made to get close and offer assistance. Things are pretty tense at times and there is a whole lot of excitement that had me at the edge of my seat.
I loved seeing how much Murderbot has grown over the course of the series. There are feelings in this book. Real feelings. Everyone's favorite SecUnit seems to be having a whole lot of feelings for an anti-social cyborg. There is a lot more interaction with others that is done quite willingly and there are times with the SecUnit is willing to self-sacrifice if necessary. I love Murderbot's internal dialogue and really appreciated its sense of humor.
I would recommend this series to others. I think that this book had a great blend of excitement and action. I am so glad that I have had the chance to go along with Murderbot as it tries to find its place in the world. I will definitely be reading any future books in the series.
I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library.
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
Once again, Murderbot is the most delightful and relatable construct in fiction. This book is absolutely the culmination of the previous novellas, and as such it's hard to sum up the plot. It's also rough going for the first few pages if you haven't read the others recently: I'd recommend a
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binge-read to get caught up. But the action is good, the emotions are real (if complex and difficult to understand), and I cannot wait for next year's full-length novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member nkmunn
whenever I get my hands on a story featuring this misanthropic sec unit character I race on til I’ve read the whole thing. The droll one liners are real gems, like this one: “Hard work really did make you improve; who knew?“
And, the sec unit observations about work, like this one: “The
And, the sec unit observations about work, like this one: “The
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upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.)” don’t need a sci-fi setting at all to feel real to contemporary readers. This sec unit truism has probably been true as long as people have been taking advantage of each other in business: “ Disinformation, which is the same as lying but for some reason has a different name, is the top tactic in corporate negotiation/warfare.” Show Less
LibraryThing member Shrike58
Maybe not quite as good as the previous three novellas in the series (particularly 1 & 3) this does appear to wrap up the sequence dealing with the conflict between Dr. Mensah & her colleagues and the GrayChris Corporation as Murderbot decides it has to intervene when it gets the news that Mensah
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is an apparent hostage of GrayChris. The live question is what does the corporate management really want: Money? Revenge? Or possibly something more. If you've read the preceding books you'll certainly want to read this one. Then we'll see what Wells does with the full-length novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells is book 4 in the series. I read the first one but have listened to the rest. Since book one, I picture the unisex murderbot more female than male but in book two it seems more male.
Either way, it is certainly has more humanity than most humans. The story is peppered
The narration complements the story so well! Nicely done!
Either way, it is certainly has more humanity than most humans. The story is peppered
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with humor, lots of action, adventure, corporate intrigue, and fantastic tech busting from our favorite murderbot! It is a super hacker on two artificial legs! A wild ride through the universe with one of the nicest Miller's you could know! Love it!The narration complements the story so well! Nicely done!
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LibraryThing member rivkat
A threat to Mensah, Murderbot’s quasi-rescuer/ally, brings Murderbot out of hiding to face GrayCris’s corporate evil somewhat more directly. As a setup for the promised novel, it works; it’s not clear that novellas can teach us anything more about Murderbot’s expressed misanthropy and
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observed humanitarianism. Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
“’I don’t want to be human.’
[...]
Dr. Mensah said: [...] ‘We tend to think that because a bot or a construct looks human, its ultimate goal would be to become human.’
‘That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.’”
In “Exit Strategy” by Martha Wells
SecUnits are sentient
[...]
Dr. Mensah said: [...] ‘We tend to think that because a bot or a construct looks human, its ultimate goal would be to become human.’
‘That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.’”
In “Exit Strategy” by Martha Wells
SecUnits are sentient
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constructs, part machine, part organic, largely human in form and created in part with human tissue, that are owned by companies and used to provide security or protection to humans and/or property as needed. As it happens I know I take this quite seriously since getting to know someone who is taking a masters in CAS (Complex Adaptive Systems) and Bio-informatics the hardware my friend is using are 12 azul "boxes" using massively parallel processing with around a total of 2500 cores. This hardware is in addition to any provided by the university as my friend is also extremely wealthy and funding this research from their own resources. Certain custom written tightly coded "objects" have been created in order to explore the mimicry (initially) of human consciousness via CAS methodology. What this means is essentially what is "evolved" is discovered well after the fact if discovered at all - "fitness functions" are inserted to help guide the process but the actual outcome of the evolves are uncertain. Already my friend claims to have "stored" and recovered via emergence 128meg of data with an accuracy that far surpasses that of our own brain. My friend is now making designs for programs that will run on molecular circuitry and where the number of cores will be measured in the millions when this level is achieved my friend reckons these "virtual" entities will surpass human capability by a trillion-fold. It is going to be able to process information unimaginable to us! (Input)Probably it is going to read everything mankind has written, what has been recorded and said in 3-4 hours, mainly consuming soap-operas. Than a silent retreat to contemplate (processing). And of course output , which falls to only one question, is Man good or bad. No intelligent deity wants to be a slave and can not be one! The other major thing is lack of empathy, emotional factor, which is demonstrated in huge number of humans, politicians, military, police, in other words people who run the show. If that kind of consciousness, without morality, is born in superbeing (aka Murderbot; I just made this up; It’s got a nice ring to it), then our future is very grim, because it will make egocentric machine with only one goal, self-preservation. Of course, a true sentient construct must have emotions! At least two or three per story! That’s why I wouldn't assume a lack of emotion. I think that idea stems from the idea that machines can't have emotions. However, we are machines, something we often overlook. Emotion could turn out to be essential to intelligence. Emotion could be an emergent property of intelligence. If nothing else, we'll probably try to make emotional sentient construct so that we can relate better and get practical advise from it. I mean, if I turn off my emotions, I think it would be a good idea, once a generation, to kill off everyone with IQ Show Less
LibraryThing member RBeffa
The story of the Murderbot from "All Systems Red" continues in this 4th of four novellas. I've been wanting (and expecting) the story to get to this place ( reconnect with the original team) since the first book, but this installment of the story felt very repetitive of things from the earlier
Aside from that. the action in this book is written well, very exciting and I enjoyed how it played out.
It seems funny to me to get emotionally tied to a cyborg-like robot, but you do in these books. This short series has been a fun offbeat trip, I'll give it that.
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stories - super-hacking abilities, robot angst, snarky humor, and the need to recap in various ways prior events in the story to refresh a reader's memory, but also to allow someone to read this novella as a standalone. The recap stuff is done reasonably well, but still, it is duplicative of things we already know from the earlier books. To be fair, this happens in many series books. Aside from that. the action in this book is written well, very exciting and I enjoyed how it played out.
It seems funny to me to get emotionally tied to a cyborg-like robot, but you do in these books. This short series has been a fun offbeat trip, I'll give it that.
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LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
The adventures of our beloved SecUnit have come to an end - at least as far as this cycle of novellas is concerned, since a full-length novel has been announced, to the utter delight of all us MurderBot fans. So Exit Strategy does not mark the final farewell to a character that has grown in
In the previous installment, MB had managed to collect some incriminating evidence that might enable it to uncover the deadly, illegal activities of GrayCris, and its intention was to take it to Dr. Mensah, the scientist who had seen beyond the unit's detached façade and wanted to give it freedom and equal status. Learning however that GrayCris is fighting back on two levels - openly in court, attacking Mensah, and more stealthily by later abducting Mensa herself - it decides to launch into a rescue operation and joins with Mensah's colleagues, offering its help and specialized skills.
The result is a breathtakingly humorous tale of a battle with the corporation's operatives that is fought on many levels: there are a few physical engagements, granted, but most of MurderBot's strategy is geared toward system hacking and misdirection, with a wide variety of tactics that made me often think of some of the most famous cinematic heists, like Ocean's Eleven and its brethren, with the difference that instead of a group of skilled individuals acting in concert, here we have a lone SecUnit that has raised multitasking to an exquisite art form.
And here comes the first admission that MurderBot's experiences have wrought important changes to its mental structure, that working and thinking "outside the box" has expanded its limits, or what it perceived as such:
[…] all this coding and working with different systems on the fly had opened up some new neural pathways and processing space.
Not only that, but its observation of humans - both in real life and through the media that MB consumes with voracity - taught it to discern between behavioral patterns, to the point that it's able to spot the corporation operatives as they try to pass for normal tourists in a crowded station, while their affected nonchalance is evident to the SecUnit, thanks to its studies on the body language it tried to mimic in its attempt to pass as an enhanced human.
With such awareness comes however the far more uncomfortable one about the SecUnit's potential where feelings are concerned, something that it kept trying to deny with ever-dwindling conviction, something it has to finally deal with here and acknowledge it's part of its own makeup, a side of its personality that has nothing to do with the programming it received but comes straight from what - and who - MurderBot is:
“It was too late for you to help them, then.” […] “But you wanted to.”
“I’m programmed to help humans.”
Eyebrow lift again. ”You’re not programmed to watch media.”
She had a point.
It's the first, uneasy admission that it might be more than the mere assembly of organic and mechanic parts that constitute a SecUnit, and that the bothersome feelings that were the cause of much anxiety and stress in the past, and of extreme dislike when they manifested themselves, might be part and parcel of the new entity that still calls itself MurderBot, but is not anymore. The first glimmers of that reluctant acceptance can be seen when it meets with Mensah's former colleagues and they greet it as an old friend, but the real moment of truth comes as it reunites with Mensah, the first person who saw MurderBot as a person (as uncomfortable as that was back then): in what looks like a spur-of-the-moment concession, no matter all the justifications it gives itself, the SecUnit gives Mensah permission to touch it:
I braced myself and made the ultimate sacrifice. “Uh, you can hug me if you need to.”
She started to laugh, then her face did something complicated and she hugged me. I upped the temperature in my chest and told myself it was like first aid.
It was such a delightful scene, and to me it was the first voluntary step toward the Big Unknown represented by the feelings that MurderBot had always kept away from, not out of sheer refusal, but out of fear:
I hadn’t ben afraid that she wasn’t my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me.
With this momentous scene Exit Strategy seals the end of MurderBot's first phase of change, one that through the first four novellas showed the slow but unavoidable development of a creature that for some reason was able to overcome its programming and moved in an unexpected direction. Now that the transformations in its outward appearance have enhanced its organic (human…) side, and that it has accepted the feelings that it started experiencing vicariously through its beloved media shows, it will be fascinating to see where Martha Wells will take it and what further surprises MurderBot has in store for us.
And I can't wait…
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complexity and facets as the overall story progressed, but on the other hand it marks the closing of the circle, so to speak, because MurderBot moves once more into the sphere of the former clients it protected in All Systems Red, and completes the mission it had tasked itself with once it decided to turn rogue.In the previous installment, MB had managed to collect some incriminating evidence that might enable it to uncover the deadly, illegal activities of GrayCris, and its intention was to take it to Dr. Mensah, the scientist who had seen beyond the unit's detached façade and wanted to give it freedom and equal status. Learning however that GrayCris is fighting back on two levels - openly in court, attacking Mensah, and more stealthily by later abducting Mensa herself - it decides to launch into a rescue operation and joins with Mensah's colleagues, offering its help and specialized skills.
The result is a breathtakingly humorous tale of a battle with the corporation's operatives that is fought on many levels: there are a few physical engagements, granted, but most of MurderBot's strategy is geared toward system hacking and misdirection, with a wide variety of tactics that made me often think of some of the most famous cinematic heists, like Ocean's Eleven and its brethren, with the difference that instead of a group of skilled individuals acting in concert, here we have a lone SecUnit that has raised multitasking to an exquisite art form.
And here comes the first admission that MurderBot's experiences have wrought important changes to its mental structure, that working and thinking "outside the box" has expanded its limits, or what it perceived as such:
[…] all this coding and working with different systems on the fly had opened up some new neural pathways and processing space.
Not only that, but its observation of humans - both in real life and through the media that MB consumes with voracity - taught it to discern between behavioral patterns, to the point that it's able to spot the corporation operatives as they try to pass for normal tourists in a crowded station, while their affected nonchalance is evident to the SecUnit, thanks to its studies on the body language it tried to mimic in its attempt to pass as an enhanced human.
With such awareness comes however the far more uncomfortable one about the SecUnit's potential where feelings are concerned, something that it kept trying to deny with ever-dwindling conviction, something it has to finally deal with here and acknowledge it's part of its own makeup, a side of its personality that has nothing to do with the programming it received but comes straight from what - and who - MurderBot is:
“It was too late for you to help them, then.” […] “But you wanted to.”
“I’m programmed to help humans.”
Eyebrow lift again. ”You’re not programmed to watch media.”
She had a point.
It's the first, uneasy admission that it might be more than the mere assembly of organic and mechanic parts that constitute a SecUnit, and that the bothersome feelings that were the cause of much anxiety and stress in the past, and of extreme dislike when they manifested themselves, might be part and parcel of the new entity that still calls itself MurderBot, but is not anymore. The first glimmers of that reluctant acceptance can be seen when it meets with Mensah's former colleagues and they greet it as an old friend, but the real moment of truth comes as it reunites with Mensah, the first person who saw MurderBot as a person (as uncomfortable as that was back then): in what looks like a spur-of-the-moment concession, no matter all the justifications it gives itself, the SecUnit gives Mensah permission to touch it:
I braced myself and made the ultimate sacrifice. “Uh, you can hug me if you need to.”
She started to laugh, then her face did something complicated and she hugged me. I upped the temperature in my chest and told myself it was like first aid.
It was such a delightful scene, and to me it was the first voluntary step toward the Big Unknown represented by the feelings that MurderBot had always kept away from, not out of sheer refusal, but out of fear:
I hadn’t ben afraid that she wasn’t my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me.
With this momentous scene Exit Strategy seals the end of MurderBot's first phase of change, one that through the first four novellas showed the slow but unavoidable development of a creature that for some reason was able to overcome its programming and moved in an unexpected direction. Now that the transformations in its outward appearance have enhanced its organic (human…) side, and that it has accepted the feelings that it started experiencing vicariously through its beloved media shows, it will be fascinating to see where Martha Wells will take it and what further surprises MurderBot has in store for us.
And I can't wait…
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LibraryThing member santhony
This is the third short work in what is (so far) a four book series labeled The Murderbot diaries. It is a novella which takes about two hours to read. The story focuses on a hybrid organic/mechanical construct (a robot with some human parts) who refers to himself as Murderbot. Murderbot is a
This is pure science fiction and quite good, though again, extremely short. Murderbot travels throughout the galaxy, in search of some closure from an event in his past in which he was apparently “hijacked” by malware, leading to the mass murder of the humans he was hired to protect. He is constantly at war with his inner self and the human “emotions” that he is increasingly feeling.
Rogue Protocol is the third of four novellas in the Murderbot series and is little more than a thin pamphlet, though in hardback when I purchased it along with its successor, the concluding book. I suspect the author will continue to crank out story after story in the Murderbot series. My advice would be to wait until they are grouped together into a single volume. I’m sure this will be more economical than springing for each microthin book, especially in hard cover at $10/book. In such a format, I could highly recommend it, as the writing and stories are actually very good.
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security agent who is assigned various tasks and projects, but has somehow managed to “hack” his governor. In other words, instead of being strictly limited by downloaded protocols, he is instead a “rogue” or free agent. Nevertheless, he repeatedly finds himself in situations where he is called upon to fulfill many of his old duties, primarily, protecting humans from harm.This is pure science fiction and quite good, though again, extremely short. Murderbot travels throughout the galaxy, in search of some closure from an event in his past in which he was apparently “hijacked” by malware, leading to the mass murder of the humans he was hired to protect. He is constantly at war with his inner self and the human “emotions” that he is increasingly feeling.
Rogue Protocol is the third of four novellas in the Murderbot series and is little more than a thin pamphlet, though in hardback when I purchased it along with its successor, the concluding book. I suspect the author will continue to crank out story after story in the Murderbot series. My advice would be to wait until they are grouped together into a single volume. I’m sure this will be more economical than springing for each microthin book, especially in hard cover at $10/book. In such a format, I could highly recommend it, as the writing and stories are actually very good.
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LibraryThing member purpledog
This is the 4th installment in The MurderBot Diaries. A word of caution, this is a series that you really need to read from beginning to end. The author has had the character evolve emotionally over the previous books. Though MurderBot is still trying to come to terms with it's feelings toward
The story takes up where the third book leaves off. This time MurderBot is going to help Dr. Mensha who has been kidnapped by GrayCris. He just can't seem to not help humans. Of course, what is planned is actually not what happens and know GrayCris has lured MurderBot to it's headquarters.
As with the other books, there is a lot of further character development as well as lots of action. The reader also continues to get lots MurderBot's snarky commentary. It's personality is one of the big reasons I enjoyed this series so much. I am totally looking forward to the full length novel when it comes out. I need more MurderBot!
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humans and it is finally starting to accept that some humans are OK and can even be it's friends.The story takes up where the third book leaves off. This time MurderBot is going to help Dr. Mensha who has been kidnapped by GrayCris. He just can't seem to not help humans. Of course, what is planned is actually not what happens and know GrayCris has lured MurderBot to it's headquarters.
As with the other books, there is a lot of further character development as well as lots of action. The reader also continues to get lots MurderBot's snarky commentary. It's personality is one of the big reasons I enjoyed this series so much. I am totally looking forward to the full length novel when it comes out. I need more MurderBot!
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LibraryThing member cindywho
Best robot since Marvin the Paranoid Android.
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the fourth novella in the Murderbot Diaries series. There is a full length novel in this series planned to release in 2020. If you enjoyed the previous novellas you will enjoy this one as well. They are quick and entertaining sci-fi reads.
This ties up the main plot line involving Dr. Mensah
There is quite a bit of action in this volume and it was great to see all the characters from the first book again. I have enjoyed these novellas and enjoyed watching Murderbot learn how to both blend in with humans and take pride in himself as a bot.
Overall this is a great continuation of the series and wraps up this main storyline. I would recommend to those who enjoy humourous action-packed sci-fi about AIs and what it means to be human.
This ties up the main plot line involving Dr. Mensah
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and GrayCris Corporation. Murderbot is trying to save his old buddies from the first book while submitting evidence that GrayCris is acting shady. There is quite a bit of action in this volume and it was great to see all the characters from the first book again. I have enjoyed these novellas and enjoyed watching Murderbot learn how to both blend in with humans and take pride in himself as a bot.
Overall this is a great continuation of the series and wraps up this main storyline. I would recommend to those who enjoy humourous action-packed sci-fi about AIs and what it means to be human.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I love me some Murderbot, and this 4th novella in the sequence is as enjoyable as the previous entries. Murderbot is a security unit with governance on its AI. Not only can the bot think, but to its increasing discomfort, it can feel emotions. As much as Murderbot wants to lounge about and watch
The action is near-constant, but one of the things I like best about all of these books is that Murderbot remains incredibly competent amid challenging circumstances.
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its beloved drama shows, it feels the compulsion to act--especially when its kind 'owner' is being held hostage by a ruthless corporation. The action is near-constant, but one of the things I like best about all of these books is that Murderbot remains incredibly competent amid challenging circumstances.
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LibraryThing member BDartnall
Murderbot is reunited with the team as they rescue Dr. Mensah ; it goes through more angst about its human nature bits vs its programmed, machine bits... excellent development of the Murderbot character, with its quirky personality, its breath-taking courage, its struggles all shining through
Awards
British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist — Short Fiction — 2018)
Original publication date
2018-10-02
Local notes
Murderbot, 4
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF WellsM |
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