Book Review: 'The Murderbot Diaries: Book 4 - Exit Strategy' by Martha Wells

Cover art by Jaime Jones

'Exit Strategy' by Martha Wells brings the 'Murderbot Diaries' series of novellas to a close with a conclusion that is full of the action and sardonic humour of the previous novellas.

SecUnit, the androgynous, introverted and sarcastic murderbot with anxiety issues, who would much rather be watching entertainment serials than having to deal with people, is returning to Dr Mensah, the leader of an ill fated expedition of which they were stationed with from the first novella, with evidence against GrayCris, a shadowy corporation. But on finding out that GrayCris has kidnapped Mensah, it's up to SecUnit to rescue her, with the help of some familiar friends.

The standout of the series has been the character development arc of SecUnit. Starting out as an AI that managed to hack itself free of its own programming, over the course of the series they've grown as a 'person', becoming more human in their interactions with people, empathising and being able to relate to them more, as well as discovering the importance of having friends that will always have your back. The growth of the character has been really good to read, and despite being androgynous, their gender never coming up or being mentioned, their personality is very relatable and very likeable.

'Exit Strategy' is another thrill ride. With the build up done in the previous novellas, it's almost non stop action all the way, with another tightly plotted and fast paced read. Some great action set pieces, woven with a good dash of intrigue, and even getting a little bit emotional towards the end, keeps it exciting and engrossing right until the final page. It's been a real pleasure to read the series. My only criticism is that it could easily have been published as one novel to keep the flow of continuity, instead of being split into four novellas and each published a month or two apart. That aside though, the series is definitely worth picking up! Looking forward to the full length novel that is coming soon, with the further adventures of murderbot.

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