Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries, #4)

by Martha Wells

[smartflutist661]

Book 1, Part 4: The End. Not really a standalone at this point, as the plot depends heavily upon what has gone before.

Murderbot recognizes its freedom. More than that, Murderbot begins to recognize its human-ness. I suspect Murderbot may soon claim a name (other than Murderbot, that is). I could see this being excellent prequel-style material, a la the Witcher short stories.

As a whole, the four Murderbot novellas cause us, as much great fiction does, to question ourselves. Why do we do what we do? How do we separate ourselves from what others want us to be? Murderbot confronts these questions as it struggles to escape the legacy of traumatic captivity (a storyline I’ve seen more often in fantasy than sci-fi, I think). Murderbot’s essential humanity is clear to the reader from the get-go, though it takes a while to catch up. Overall, highly recommend.