Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, Murderbot Diaries Book 6.

Introduction

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is a novella in the Murderbot Diaries Series. The first four stories are all novellas that complete a self-contained single story. The author set this story is between the novellas and the Murderbot novel, Network Effect. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a part organic and part mechanical cyborg, or as it calls itself a Murderbot. In this story, Murderbot is a Security Consultant to Dr. Mensah on Preservation Station. It finds a murdered human and must solve the mystery. Who was the victim, how was he killed, and why was he murdered?

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Summary

In Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, Murderbot examines a dead human. Murderbot reports its impressions to Dr. Mensah and Senior Security Officer Indah of Preservation Station. The human is unidentified. Indah calls it a murder while Mensah wants to call it an accidental death for now. Mensah talks to Murderbot on a private channel because they are worried that the GrayCris corporation (the antagonists for the previous novellas of the series) is involved with the death. Mensah convinces Indah to let Murderbot help her learn about the dead human. Insah wishes Murderbot would call him the deceased or the victim.

Murderbot and Insah investigate the case with help from Tech Tural. Insah confirms Murderbot as a consultant for Station Security. Murderbot must become part of the system to investigate the system to get access to the Preservation Station networks. It’s a hard transition for Murderbot because of her Rogue SecUnit identity. All Murderbot wants is to find out who killed the dead human and then can go back to a normal life watching reruns of the show Sanctuary Moon. Murderbot follows the clues and uncovers an unusual suspect.

Recommendation

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is a locked room murder mystery set on a space station. As a procedural mystery, the story doesn’t have the fireworks of the previous novellas. This story is a different and interesting experience. I recommend it. Network Effect won the 2021 Locus Award for best novel and I think they should nominate Fugitive Telemetry in the novella category next year. I believe she will write more stories in the Murderbot diaries and I plan to read them when they are published.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854-fugitive-telemetry

Book Review of Network Effect by Martha Wells, Book 5 of The Murderbot Diaries, a novel. The diaries protagonist is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a cyborg, or as it calls itself Murderbot. Murderbot must solve a complex mystery or risk the deaths of its human clients.

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

Book Review of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a series of four novellas. SecUnit calls herself Murderbot. She has feelings of companionship for her human employers. What lengths will she go to protect them?

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. All Systems Red (Book 1), Artificial Condition (Book 2), Rogue Protocol (Book 3), and Exit Strategy (Book 4)

Introduction

The Murderbot Diaries are a series of four novellas that complete a self-contained single story. I have reviewed the first novella called All Systems Red. The review is linked to the link section of this review. I will review the other three novellas in this review. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a partially organic and partially mechanical cyborg, or as she calls herself a Murderbot.

Summary

Summary of All Systems Red (Book 1)

The SecUnit (Security Unit) for the PreservationAux survey group has hacked and disabled her governor module during her last contract. The hack lets her follow the Company’s programming or to ignore it. SecUnits are built by the Company and must be used by every survey team for protection. The PersevationAux group surveys a planet to decide if they want to bid to the Company on building a colony there.

The story’s complication occurs when they lose contact with the DeltFall Group survey team, the only other survey team assigned to their planet. Dr. Mensah, the leader of the PreservationAux Group, investigates at DeltFall’s habitat despite the SecUnit’s suggestion they leave the investigation to the Company. What they find at the habitat changes their perspective on the Company and on their SecUnit’s behavior.

Summary of Artificial Condition (Book 2)

The SecUnit leaves Dr. Mensah and the PreservationAux Group, but she doesn’t remember all that happened during her contact with the DeltFall Group. She takes passage on a research vessel she names ART. ART has more intelligence than most bot ship drivers and it finds out she is not on a contract. They become friends and ART helps her look more human so she can go back to Ganaka Pit, the place where her memory was purged. What she finds there sends her on a mission to discover the truth behind what happened at Ganaka Pit.

Summary of Rogue Protocol (Book 3)

SecUnit learned from her last mission that the GrayCris corporation was involved in what happened at Ganaka Pit. She takes a transport ship to a planet named Milu to investigate what GrayCris did at a terraforming station they have closed down and sold. SecUnit unravels their plot and looks for incriminating evidence against GrayCris. She is helped on her mission by a bot the humans treat as a pet named Miki.

Summary of Exit Strategy (Book 4)

SecUnit heads back personally give the information she discovered to Dr. Mensah. GrayCris has kidnapped Dr. Mensah to lure SecUnit into a trap.

Recommendation

This is great. The Murderbot Dairies read like a long episodic novel. The action moves and SecUnit is an engaging protagonist. All she wants to do is re-watch episodes of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, but her past intrudes on her watching. Those pesky humans always have to be protected, and she does it well with snark, at least in her inner dialogue. Fortunately, we are there for the ride. I want to read the Murderbot novel, Network Effect, that is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901-all-systems-red

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Network Effect by Martha Wells. It is the Murderbot novel due to be published on May 5, 2020.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47902784-network-effect