Another excellent book in the Murderbot diaries series. I've really enjoyed seeing how Murderbot's personality and character (and vocabulary! lol) has developed over the past few books. It's such a fun and different POV from typical SciFi novels being written. Wells' world-building continues to be on point, and learning how the corporate rim and the people who exist outside it, live, thinking and behave has also been a real treat. Highly recommend.

A Murderbot murder mystery, with it investigating the appearance of a mysterious body on Preservation Station. The wrinkle this time is that, unlike the hostile spaces of the previous books, it's operating on something like home territory, where everyone knows it's a rogue SecUnit; the corollary of that is that plenty of people are nervous about it, because it's a rogue SecUnit, so it has to play by the rules and can't just hack security feeds whenever it feels like it, meaning it's constrained in a whole different set of ways. Worse – because it's now operating in a reasonably civilised space that recognises rights for bots, Murderbot now has to deal with other free bots, who exasperate it every bit as much as humans do ("The bot's name is Tellus. They name themselves and hearing about it is exhausting."). Also, Murderbot isn't exactly trained as an investigator – "But what I did have were thousands of hours of category mystery media, so I had a lot of theoretical knowledge that was possibly anywhere from 60 to 70 percent inaccurate shit". Not that I didn't enjoy Network Effect, but I'm glad Wells has gone back to the shorter format here; Murderbot's exhausted snark at everyone else being idiots is always deeply relatable, but I definitely get more of a buzz from it in bite-sized chunks, when there's less plot to get in the way.

(Netgalley ARC)

It’s a new chapter for Murderbot! If Exit Strategy neatly tied up the Murderbot Diaries, Fugitive Telemetry cheerfully opens up new possibilities. I don’t know what made Martha Wells come up with the notion of having Murderbot investigate a murder, but frankly everything about this stand-alone novella is perfect.

I loved this novella for its low-key expansion of the world and for the developing relationship between Murderbot and the Station Security team; As the investigation proceeds, it finds that collaborating with others isn’t always totally awful - and sometimes humans - and even bots - can surprise you in a good way. I also appreciated that Murderbot's over-used hacking abilities were curtailed here, forcing it to adopt new techniques to get a handle on the situation.

With a gradual build up leading to an extended action sequence, Fugitive Telemetry felt well-balanced and exactly the right length. It’s a brilliant one-shot that fits seamlessly into the bigger picture of the Diaries. Brilliant.

Murderbot is back and lands right in the middle of what amounts to a locked room mystery, but on a space station. If it's Murderbot, I'm in!

Preservation Station becomes the scene of a crime and our favorite SecUnit is hired on as a consultant to station security to help solve it. Between trying to overcome flat out racism, (or er, SecUnitism), trying to protect its charges on the station and trying to solve the mystery of a dead traveler, Murderbot has its hands full and would rather just relax and watch more episodes of Sanctuary Moon. Will Murderbot be able to solve the mystery and go back to watching its feeds? You'll have to read this to find out!

I admit to being a bit confused at first because last I knew Murderbot was supposed to be working with ART. Because of that it took me a little while to get into this story, and to be honest, this felt more like an earlier Murderbot tale, now being told out of place.

Even though I enjoyed this entry in the series, it felt more like filler than the previous books. I was looking forward to the relationship between ART and our SecUnit being filled out more, but here if felt like we were looking back instead.

Even so, this was an entertaining read, because Murderbot is full of sarcasm and wit, and seems more and more human every time I read more about it. I'll be continuing the series, but I just didn't come out of this read as excited as I was going into it.

*Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this novella in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

This review will be short and sweet and primarily for those of you who are already reading The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells. If you aren’t already reading Murderbot, you have made a mistake; please go read my review for book one – All Systems Red. To the rest of you who are still here, my goal is to answer two key questions: is Fugitive Telemetry a part of the main Murderbot story arc, and is it good? The answers to those questions are no (I think, but could be wrong) and yes.

I am (surprisingly) not a prophet, so I can’t for sure tell you that nothing that happens in Fugitive Telemetry will matter in the greater Murderbot story. But, I am pretty sure it won’t. Telemetry is stylized as a random side quest that occurs right after the end of our first full-length Murderbot book, Network Effect, and is about Murderbot accidentally stumbling into a fairly random murder investigation while taking some downtime between missions. The back cover sells it as the first time Murderbot has to actively work with humans, but given the events of the last three stories, I don’t know if I buy it – or if I do it seems like semantics.

The story is short and sweet, showcasing all the usual hallmarks of what makes a Murderbot story good: lovable/relatable protagonist who just wants to watch TV, hilarious dry humor, good action and worldbuilding, and well-presented character development. Despite the fact that this story definitely feels like a filler arc to tide us over until the next core story, I enjoyed it a lot. This isn’t surprising as Murderbot is great.

However, I will say that each of the previous five core installments of Murderbot are all characterized by a gradual and well-realized evolution of Murderbot’s character. And while there is a tiny bit of character growth for Murderbot in Telemetry, it comes at the end in a massive spurt. I can’t even talk about it because even dissecting the theme would give away the ending by its nature. This felt like a step back from the usual evolution I am accustomed to seeing from Murderbot and was a bit disappointed.

Yet, is this setback enough to keep me from recommending Fugitive Telemetry? Absolutely not. If you enjoyed the other Murderbot stories you will absolutely enjoy this one. It may not have the same weight as the others but it is still an entertaining blast to read. It’s just that if I had to pick my least favorite segment of this incredible series, it would easily be this one.

Rating: Fugitive Telemetry – 8.5/10
-Andrew

Thanks to netgalley and Tor for providing the eArc of this book prior to release. Fugitive Teelmetry is the most recent instalment of Martha Well's Murderbot Diaries. We return to the novella form this time out after a dalliance with the longer form "network effect" last year. The story too takes a break from normal and tries its hand at murder mystery and on the whole it succeeds. It's hard for me to review this book because for whatever reason I struggle with Well's writing style and I have no idea why. I can critique and give praise using the techniques I learned in university but I always told myself I would primarily review books based on enjoyment. Do I enjoy Murderbot? Absolutely! One of the most fully realised characters in modern science fiction, and I could read pages and pages of it just talking. The narrative though just didn't grip me. In saying this I know from speaking to other people than I am a black sheep in this regard and just because I wasn't enamoured by the story doesn't mean you won't be. And no matter what, you'll definitely get a laugh out of everyone's favourite soap opera watching robot.

Murderbot continues to be a joy to read. The novellas are the perfect length to consume the snarky stream-of-consciousness (does a construct actually have consciousness?) slices of life of the rogue SecUnit. This story is essentially a murder mystery with a delightful twist.

MURDERBOT! Murderbot continues to be great. This story is set before Network Effect and it’s a contained one-shot murder mystery. Seeing Murderbot investigate was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the mystery itself a lot, and how MB ended up in both familiar and new situations, how it navigated its new role and freedom.

I listened to all the previous ones in audiobook and this was the first I read with my eyes. I really loved all of Murderbot’s asides. They kinda stood out more and it made it even more relatable because that constant going off on a tangent and eye-rolling is stuff is exactly how I think/write. But that also meant I was a little confused about which characters were new and which I should already know.

The story is set on Preservation Station and I loved seeing a non-corporation place. And the book does a good job of highlighting differences and showing some more worldbuilding that I was oh so hungry for.

I'll admit, I was confused.

Coming after Network Effect, I assumed this was another novel, so I was a bit put off by the relatively low stakes at first. (And how annoying the humans were.) Also, it has, as they say, "been a year," so maybe my memory of the last book was a little foggy. But it sure seemed like the story was eliding over events from the previous novel.

I guess this is where reading digital versions and avoiding previews for anything I know I'm going to read/watch comes back to get me. Because not only is Fugitive Telemetry a novella, but it takes place before Network Effect. Which explains a lot, like the relative lack of character development and why the humans are still running around going, "Oh, no! A SecUnit!" And also, WHERE IS ART?!?!?!?!?

Judged on its merits, Fugitive Telemetry is a perfectly serviceable mystery of the week episode of The Murderbot Diaries. After the initial human bickering, the story reveals itself to be a locked room mystery with fun bot cameos and a memorable closing set piece. And while it lacks the gradual character growth that makes the series compelling, it does hint at a some interesting directions for future installments. (I, for one, am eager to see Muderbot reteam with Special Investigator Aylen to track down a space serial killer.)

That said, it's still a bit of a letdown after Network Effect. With Murderbot reluctantly growing as a person throughout the series, it feels weird to hit pause on that. But I have faith this is going somewhere and continue to look forward to more adventures.

As long as they're weird.

What's not to love about Murderbot? Another fantastic entry into the series. A fun, enjoyable detective story, following Murderbot on a quest to figure out who murdered a newcomer to the station, when we all know Murderbot didn't do it. Sarcastic, fun, breezy, and generally joyous. If you even slightly enjoy a good whodunnit, this will be catnip that you wish was longer, just so you can spend more time with a very annoyed but good hearted main character.

Reading about Murderbot is always a joy. This exciting novels takes place on Preservation Station before Network Effect. There's been a murder, and Murderbot is stuck helping Station Security figure out what happened. It's a great read that i literally couldn't put down!

Set before book 5, Network Effect, (which rather confused me, tbh), we once again meet up with Murderbot, the sarcastic SecUnit who hacked its own governor module so that it could watch tv instead, and has over the course of 4 previous novellas and a novel-length story gone about learning how to function in the human world.

We find ourselves back on Preservation Station (urm, not that the whole book 5 thing happened yet, oh dear!) just in time for a Murder(bot) Mystery! A dead body has been found, but no one knows who he is or where he came from, never mind who killed him or why. Still on high alert for GreyCris threats to Dr Mensah, Murderbot is keen to be involved in the investigation. However, while it seems to have been accepted by the players from the previous novellas – Dr Mensah, Ratthi, etc – the rest of the Station’s inhabitants may still have some reservations about allowing a lethal killing machine access to their home. It’s perhaps the biggest show yet of the prejudice Murderbot faces, and it’s handled ever so well. It’s contrasted perfectly, too, against the friendships that are evolving, almost against the SecUnit’s will, and I won’t lie just make me so so happy to read 🙂

One criticism (of my beloved Murderbot?! How dare they!!) I’ve seen in another review is that the SecUnit has such a strong set of skills – not just the murdering, but the mad hacking skillz – that sometimes things seems a little too easy for it. Perhaps the author saw those comments, as here the construct is severely restricted in what it can and can’t do. It’s such a telling thing, that it would make a promise to keep out of the security systems – Murderbot, trying to fit in? Wow. What a journey it’s already been!

As much as I enjoyed the novel, I do think these shorter novellas are just the perfect length, and this is no different. The mysteries are explored, Murderbot has to deal with humans, and there’s a progression on all fronts. And oh, so so much fun along the way!

"I guess if you were really determined, you could find a way to get yourself killed by exposing the power connectors … and, I don’t know, licking them or something."

Absolutely recommended, this is just joyful and brilliantly executed. If you already enjoy the series, this one will not disappoint. And if you don’t – just go start with All Systems Red, and don’t dawdle – get them read now! :)

https://anchor.fm/legend-green-team/episodes/Bonus-Murderbot-Fugitive-Telemetry---Spoiler-Free-eunttt/a-a57ru6l

I read this directly after Network Effect thinking it was after that. but no its a prequel. It didn't hurt, I was just surprised in the beginning.

CAWPILE SCORE
C-10
A-8
W-8
P-7
I-8
L-8
E-9
TOTAL-6.14/10

Loved this book.
<spoiler>
Detective Murderbot is the Best!
loved to see Murderbot actually have to interact with more people and even people that it doesn't like. Playing by the rules, while also passive aggressively skirting the rules.

Didn't predict that Balin was the bad guy. but i thought it was done well

</spoiler>

My favorite SecUnit-gone-rogue (aka Murderbot) is back! And I inhaled Fugitive Telemetry so quickly I had to re-read it and pay better attention so I could say more than “omg it’s awesome go get it.”

Fugitive Telemetry begins with a body that has Murderbot sighing because now it has to deal with humans – and humans who don’t necessarily want it on Preservation Station. But that’s their problem, because it’s there to protect Dr. Mensah and “they” can just deal with it. And we’re off to the races!

My favorite part about Fugitive Telemetry – and Murderbot – is Murderbot’s (long-suffering) indifference to humans’ abilities (or lack thereof). It just wants to be left alone to watch its serials. So if you give Murderbot a murder to solve, it’s going to solve it so it can go back to its serials. It’s not here to befriend the humans (other than Dr. Mensah et al), and doesn’t care whether it impresses or scares them. Ok, so maybe it does care just a little. Because Murderbot does tamp down its reactions and responses so as to not scare them (or make them feel stupid).

Fugitive Telemetry is part cat-and-mouse game, part murder-mystery-whodunnit, and part “let’s establish Murderbot so it can stay on Preservation Station.” I enjoyed all those parts, and miss Murderbot’s ‘tude now that I’m done. I already know there’s a series re-read in my near future so I can get more of my favorite AI who’d really prefer to not make my acquaintance.

Add this quick read to your TBR; start with All Systems Red if you’ve yet to meet Murderbot. Make sure you have reading time set aside; you’ll want to inhale all 6 books ASAP.

drey’s rating: Excellent!

I would like to thank the the publisher and author (Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Martha Wells) for kindly providing an advanced electronic copy of this book to review.

"Fugitive Telemetry" by multiple award winning Martha Wells is the latest book in the multiple award winning Murderbot Series. This book was an outstanding addition to the series. After having enjoyed previous Murderbot stories, I was primed and ready to read this book, and I was not disappointed. The first sentence grabbed my attention. The first paragraph took my attention to a higher level. By the end of the first page I was completely unable to put the book down.

Like with other stories in the series, Murderbot finds itself in deadly situations and shows more humanity than many humans. The detective, hacker, soldier, rescuer, bodyguard role was perfect. It was also nice to see Murderbot continue to improve his ability to work as a member of society without freaking people out. I predict more awards for this book as well, and can not wait to read more!

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is Murderbot Diaries book 6. This time Murderbot plays detective investigating a murder at Preservation Station that only it can solve. After the epic Network Effect that was my favorite in the series comes the sadly lackluster Fugitive Telemetry that is my least favorite so far. The plot is okay, it's not really a murder that can be solved but the right beats are there, The problem with this one is Murderbot doesn't have that much interaction with anyone, and the action is really limited. This has been one of my favorite series but this book just didn't gel with me. I read Fugitive Telemetry through advanced readers copy curtesy of Netgalley and Macmillion-Tor/ Forge books. Fugitive Telemetry is published on 4-27-21.

The Plot: Murderbot discovers a body on Preservation Station. He's the main suspect for a while thinking he got hacked, but Murderbot convinces and works with the local security to solve the crime. Murderbot has vowed not to hack his way into security, so this case is going to be harder than he thought.

What I Liked: The couple glimpses of Murderbot personality are good. The plot was not that bad. I did enjoy the twist reveal, and what the killer turned out to be. The Murderbot and Dr. Mensah still works and is still the most interesting. I liked the couple call backs to past novels.

What I Disliked: When we last saw Murderbot he was staying on a transport with ART saying he must go away, so I was pretty shocked to see him already back on Preservation Station with Dr. Mensah who he just told was leaving. This novel felt like it was the Murderbot before he was changed at end of the last book. Not enough witty Murderbot scenes.

Recommendations: This is the only Murderbot book that I have not recommended. There's not much character development in this one the lowest amount so far. It seems this was an experiment it just didn't work out for me. I still love this series and eagerly await the next installment. I rated Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells 2 out of 5 stars. I raked the 6 book series so far in order from best to worst: Network Effect, Artificial Condition, All Systems Red, Exit Strategy, Rogue Protocol, and Fugitive Telemetry.

Murderbot and a Murder Mystery! Martha Wells is spoiling me. This was a different shift for the Murderbot series, no romping through the galaxy saving humans from themselves. It was also a lot less emotional than Book 5. However, I still really loved it. I am a huge fan of a quirky police procedural i.e. Magician’s that solve crimes, writers that solve crimes, and now human robot constructs whom have broken their governor modules that solve crimes!

It was nice to have a more relaxed adventure for Murderbot, getting to see more of preservation station and how Murderbot is integrating into his new life. It still had the prefect amount of sass and a good amount of action just with this new flex of Murderbot’s abilities.

I honest think wither you are a Sci-Fi fan or not that there is something to love about the Murderbot diaries. Tor has just announced that there are going to be three more in the series and I cannot be more excited.

Having recently picked up the Murderbot Novel - Network Effect - I was excited to continue on with the series, though a wee bit nervous as to how it would feel going back to the novella format having explored things in a more long-form way. I have to say it was absolutely no problem. It's exciting to know that Murderbot is always Murderbot no matter the page length. Personally, this has been my favourite book of the series so far, partly because I feel like I finally *get* the characters and what I personally want to focus on in the series, but also because of all the books so far this one most aligns with my own personal interests. That's always something I'm looking for in a novella series with a large number of books - is this a series I can recommend to a variety of different people? I would say most assuredly.

As with the other novellas, this is a standalone adventure, though some of the references might be a bit confusing to those who aren't familiar with the rest of the series you'd still be able to make sense of the majority of the plot. In this case, the focus is on a murder - most appropriate for our protagonist - and I absolutely loved seeing this sci-fi murder mystery play out. This series is primarily fun, but also exquisitely fascinating when you delve a little deeper into the issues Martha Wells explores and this book only adds to those themes and ideas while still retaining the familiar levity.

I would recommend reading the other books in the series before you got to this one but I don't think it would be essential to do a reread if you'd read them before.

This series is one that has grown on my hugely since I first picked it up and I'm delighted that this book was so enjoyable - I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever is next!

Fugitive Telemetry
By Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry is book 6 in the Murderbot Diary series, and here Martha Wells proves that a satisfying story doesn’t have to be 500 pages long. Each of these sci-fi thriller novellas are fewer than 200 pages, and very filling.

Murderbot, the SecUnit’s secret name, is a combat-made killing machine that has decoded the governing device so it no longer needs to obey orders. No other SecUnit has ever done this and remained in one piece. Having the device gone, it says pretty much what it wants.

Within a few sentences, the Murderbot’s personality comes to the surface, like a cantankerous recluse who is forced to socialize and actually talk to people. The banter is hilarious!

Then comes murder. While killing is practically unheard of in their port, Murderbot knows a lot about death and is easily irritated with the slowness of human comprehension. Still, the mystery is on. Who is the “dead human?” Why was he killed? And where?

The characters are well developed and lovable. Murderbot has really grown in the books too. From the first book to this one, it has grown acceptance for itself and for those closest to it. Murderbot still doesn’t feel comfortable around people due to its past. It doesn’t like people staring, and it still doesn’t like to talk to people.

The remarkable world building makes the story really come to life. The various bots, drones, the interactions between them, the life and society rules are all amazing. The world isn’t just the background, it’s an intricate part of the story and plays a major role.

If you haven’t started the series yet, start from the beginning with book one, All Systems Red. After I read this current book, I had to go back and read them all again, just because they are that good.

This has been my favorite one so far. Action, mystery, high tech, lots of humor, social issues, and a Murderbot that has really grown on me. Murderbot may be a big, armored droid with big guns in its arms, but in many ways it’s more human than many people I know.

I requested this book from the Publisher and NetGalley and the review is voluntary and all my own opinions.

Murderbot is back, and while it isn’t one of the meatier entries in the series, this novella is still a lot of fun, because . . . Murderbot!

The plot is a proper murder mystery. Murderbot doesn’t do the murdering (this time); instead, it gets to play detective when a body is found on Preservation space station. Overall, it’s a pretty good whodunit. I thought I had an inkling of the direction the storyline was heading, but the actual culprit turned out to be a surprise.

An overarching theme of the series is Murderbot’s journey from being property to affirming its own personhood. Fugitive Telemetry touches on that aspect of the story very lightly, maybe in part because as a prequel to Network Effect, it’s more of a side story. Murderbot does face some discrimination from members of the station’s security service, though, and its willingness to more openly assert itself in the face of their prejudice shows its growth from the early novellas. That’s probably helped along by the way its favorite (shh, don’t tell them that) humans treat it as just another sentient being rather than an intelligent machine.

As always, Murderbot brings the snark with its exasperated disgust with the stupidity of human behavior. While most of its humor is still in internal asides, Murderbot airs more sarcastic comments this time around, I think, additional evidence of its growth. And Murderbot feeling free to share its thoughts with others can only make this series even funnier, really.

I just read that there will be at least three more installments in the Murderbot series, which—woot! I can’t wait for more of my favorite bot.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.