I can’t believe it. I have finished it. I’ve finished the Murderbot diaries. It’s done and over.
But will there really be no more??
For quite a while, rumors have been spreading that this is indeed the final part. But I refused to accept that. Why? Well, I love Murderbot too much for it to end. That’s gotta mean something, right? RIGHT?? And if there were more people like that, which I’m sure there are, there’s no way Murderbot would just stop having adventures. There can’t be!
And so… It seems my hopes have come true! If you click on the series link where Goodreads lists all the titles… You find this neat little thing nobody really talks about much. And then there’s also this… An upcoming Murderbot novel!!! (Open the link to read more about it)
A GIF of a piggy, peeking out of a riding car and dual wielding paper windmills
My soul settles. There will be more Murderbot. Now I must only gather my strength up to survive till 2020 and get to read it.
A GIF of Tom Cruise looking at his watch
Anyway, I just finished the fourth Murderbot novel, Exit Strategy, but this time I’m not posting a review. Mostly because a lot of you will have either read the earlier parts of the series, but not this one, or not have started the series yet, waiting for it to conclude so you can read it all in one go. So me posting a review of part #4 would be neither here nor there. Instead, I’m going to use my chance to ramble more about this awesome series.
Why Should You Read the Murderbot Diaries?
#IntrovertProblems
A GIF of Marilyn Monroe in a movie scene, saying “It’s quite alright. I just adore my own company.”
Well, for starters, it’s incredibly relatable. Murderbot is a construct, not a biological entity (although they do have biological human parts), and Murderbot also dislikes humans, mostly because they fear them and think they are a monster, which they’re really not. It’s the equivalent of thinking Murderbot has no soul, much like those people who think animals don’t have feelings. But despite Murderbot being non-human, they’re SO INCREDIBLY RELATABLE. Murderbot represents #introvertproblems like nobody else! There’s this quote by Malka Older on the back of my copy of Exit Strategy that I thought was incredibly accurate: “Not only a fun, fast-paced space thriller, but also a sharp, sometimes moving character study that will resonate with introverts even if they’re not lethal AI machines.” It does resonate with you!
Gender-fluidity
This series is so great when it comes to gender discussion. Pardon me for any incorrect usage of terms here because I am simply ignorant, but basically… In The Murderbot Diaries, you don’t have to fit any mold when it comes to gender to be able to identify with the main character. Firstly, it’s because Murderbot doesn’t really have one. They weren’t made with one. That allows for EVERYONE to identify with this character, and I know I certainly did. Not only is it a really great thing to be able to identify with a smart and physically capable adventurous character if you’re a girl (because we’re seriously not portrayed enough like that kind of character!), but it’s also probably very liberating to see yourself in Murderbot and not have to match any specific gender, if you are undecided or somewhere in between the lines when it comes to these things. Absolutely everyone can identify with Murderbot and relate to what they’re going through. But that’s not the only thing – sexuality in this world is also very fluid. There are people with multiple (assumed married) partners, loads of queer relationships which are completely usual and normal. Even the clothes are not gender restricted! I really loved that. It gave the world such freedom. Granted, it’s not talked about a lot – but that’s not the point. The point is, it’s there and it’s just a part of the norm.
The Pace
The novels (novellas? Novelletes? I always get confused.) are pretty short, but they pack a punch. They’re probably only so short because they have no filler – they’re pretty fast paced, and that’s another thing I really liked about The Murderbot Diaries. You won’t get bored for sure.
A GIF of Bilbo running through the Shire, shouting I’m going on an adventure!
The Consistency
A lot of series are really great at the start, but then they sort of peter out by the ending. Or they suffer the dreaded middle book syndrome. The Murderbot Diaries don’t! I consistently gave all of them 5 stars, except for the third one, which just had too many #feels for me to enjoy it as much as I did enjoy the other ones. But part 4 put it back on the 5 star list again. Point is, not a lot of series can be consistently rated this high. It is exceptional. Murderbot delivers action, humor and emotion every single time, as expected, in high quality. I think it’s probably time for me to be moving on to other books by Martha Wells – now that I’ve got all this waiting to do till 2020 till I can read Murderbot again.
P.S. Exit Strategy comes out on October 2nd, 2018!
I thank Tor.com for sending me review copies in exchange for my honest opinion. This did not affect my opinion.
Have you read any of the Murderbot books? And are you planning to? What’s a series for you where you could say you rated almost all of the books 5 stars, consistently?
I’m Evelina and I try to blog about books that matter, with a bit of fun there too! Disability and equality will be topics you see a lot, but there’s also a lot of scifi, fantasy and… GIFs. I’m also the proud founder of #ARCsAnonymous.
I’m always a bit sad when a favourite series ends.
But keep your fingers crossed! I thought Uglies was finished and then *surprise* a fifth book came out this year!
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
I know right! Oh, that’s nice to hear that there was a surprise appearance in a series you loved 🙂
I just finished 2 of my series i started ages ago, so i can pick up new stuff again. Haha 😀 Self imposed series ban is over.
This is really high on my list and it’s nice that it’s short and action packed!
For some reason when i saw the first cover i thought the murder bot was a lady-bot. Although it makes perfect sense that it’s neither female nor male.
Haha, series ban 😀 yes, this is a great and quick to read series, so it’s very recommended 🙂
But yes, I think it’s meant to make you think it’s a lady-bot, or at least not a male entity. So it’s pretty empowering 🙂 (also, maybe we think that because the author is a female?)
Lovely post. 🙂 I adore a good series like this one. It’s a little hard when they end and waiting for the next one to come out is never easy, but when each book has a nice level of enjoyment and doesnt leave you dissapointed at the end of it all, it’s worth it.
Thank you 🙂 yes, indeed!
I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi so I always “snobbed” this serie, even if I have read a lot of good things about it but now I may have to rethink my past choices because after reading your post I have to give this one series!
Yes, this one isn’t primarily a typical scifi, it’s more psychological 🙂 and it’s got some amazing humor!
You know, every time you mention this series on your blog, I wish I would read it someday. But the thing is I don’t read sci-fi and I am even afraid to try it I know, I should give this a chance but I always have a fear that it would be little confusing to understand. I love sci-fi movies but I am never inclined to the books. Bit since this are of short length, I hope I can pick it sometime in future Also, I loved tbe gender-free point. It is so good to not represent anything on the… Read more »
I don’t know if this is a very hard thing to read – it’s kind of like scifi movies I guess? It doesn’t have any complicated technical detail, it’s mostly just about personalities and relationships, in the background of scifi 🙂 you should try at least the first one!
Your praise of this series makes me want to read it. I have also heard good things about it from other sources. I think that I will give this a try over the next few months.
I hope you can! It’s such a great series 🙂
I think I mixed this series with another?! Looking forward to start this series. Actually it helps its shorter. Many sci-fi have long boring technical sections explaining how some works. So glad she didn’t go there! Thanks Avalinah for introducing me to this series? ❤️
My robot emoji didn’t show up
Yeah, sorry about that! My blog has a little issue with emoji, and I have no idea why :/
I wonder which one 🙂 yes, you’re right, some scifis do – but not this one 🙂
I love this series so much and I’m so excited for the full-length novel. Also, seconding everything here.
I absolutely can’t wait! 🙂
I already have these on my series to read list. I can’t wait!
I hope you like them 🙂
I honestly hadn’t heard of these books until just the other day when Patrick Rothfuss tweeted about them. They are on my TBR now though! I’m glad there will be more in the future 🙂 I hate it when series finish and there is just emptiness left.
Oh, I’m glad he tweeted then! They are some amazing books and I hope you do get to read them soon 🙂
Every time you mention this series, I think to myself “I should read this” but I haven’t gotten to it. I hate when beloved series ends, fingers crossed there will be more for you!
You SHOULD read this!! And now I’m stuck waiting for that novel in 2020 😀
I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS SERIES!!! I’ve been putting it off because my Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Club is planning on reading this in early 2019. Perhaps we’ll be putting it off now knowing another book is on the way? I’m super excited for you, but a bit disappointed for me. I want to read these! But… I need the series to be done first. Come ON people– I cannot keep up! 😉
You definitely shouldn’t put it off till 2020 😀 because the book is probably going to be less connected to this series as well. I feel like it will be “after some time…”, because the story in this 4 novelette series is closed off well, there are no hanging threads. It leaves space for another story, but the storylines are closed and done! So you can definitely pick it up now 🙂 so you could say the series is done. Anything that comes along after will be a spin off.
[…] week was quite scifi based! First of all, one of my favorite series, The Murderbot Diaries, was wrapped up, so I took that chance to talk about the whole series altogether. Then there was […]
I’m pretty excited for the Murderbot novel coming. And glad to hear Exit Strategy lived up to the previous ones- I’ve loved this series ever since I discovered the first one. I agree they are so easy to get into and enjoy.
Me too! Murderbot is the best 🙂
I loved it too, so much! I can’t wait for more. Anne – Books of My Heart
Agreed!
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[…] enjoy The Vela. And of course, I have to mention All Systems Red, AKA Murderbot Diaries #1, review here – there’s a lot of intersections here – a non-binary main character, themes of […]