Great conclusion to this first "arc" of Murderbot's story. Maybe a bit rushed towards the end. ( )

This novella completes the original story arc: we rejoin the good guys and the bad guys from the beginning of the series ([b:All Systems Red|32758901|All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)|Martha Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631585309l/32758901._SY75_.jpg|53349516]), and have a final confrontation.

I like this story pretty well, although I think the fifth novella and the novel are even better. It’s nice to get back to the original good guys, because they each have individual personalities—it’s not deep characterization, but it’s better than nothing. Whereas the other humans we bump into during this series tend to lack individuality and personality—the author is too busy focusing on Murderbot to give much attention to other characters.

The first four Murderbot novellas could reasonably be put together and sold as one novel in four parts. However, there’s plenty of room for the story to continue further, and of course it does. ( )

"I had a complex emotional reaction. A whole new burst of neural connections blossomed. Oh right, I often have complex emotional reactions which I can't easily interpret."

Murberbot continues its adventures, and exploring the learning curve of what it means to be a Murderbot. Absolutely solid balance between planning, action, and dialogue in this installment.

"It was very dramatic, like something out of a historical adventure serial. Also correct in every aspect except for all the facts, like something out of a historical adventure serial."

My nitpick--and damn if Wells wasn't the one to point it out--don't do that, authors--is that there was a part that said 'Bot can't process organics. Like no organic material in, no waste material out. Does. Not. Compute. Unless Wells' organics are plant-based, then we might have a system. This seems like a bit of chemical sophistry, as 'Bot does require some oxygen now and then.

“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."

Still, it had a perfect resolution--all the feels--so we'll go with five non-robotic stars. Besides, it contains on of my favorite lines (oh, shut up. I know, they all do).

Re-read July 2019 with Dan 2.0. Still a fun read. Read right after Rogue Protocol, which gives a greater sense of character development.

Re-read 12-22. Murderbot = my Sanctuary Moon.

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Love the 'Bot and want to join a re/read? Discuss the upcoming release? Nataliya and I lead a group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1160809-murderbot-diaries ( )

I love everything about this series and I want to grab a beer with Murderbot. ( )

Another excellent installment. This one is very short. Although books 2 and 3 have happened, the plot pretty much picks up from the consequences of book 1. It's uncanny how much Well's can pack into such a short volume. One thing I have to give the author mad props for is this is probably the best fighting narratives I've read since the John Carter books. Ripping stuff, as it were. It's interesting, too, that these are "diaries" in pretty much every sense. The perspective is entirely from the "murderbot's" point of view and that's very cool.

Book 5 is a full length novel, so I'll probably take a break before getting to it. Too many things in the queue. ( )