Book Review of The Murderbot Diaries #4 - Exit Strategy

“I don’t know what I want. I said that at some point, I think. But it isn’t that, it’s that I don’t want anyone to tell me what I want, or to make decisions for me.”

I have to admit, the fourth installation in the Murderbot Series really did connect back to the previous books and tied up everything nicely. The plot is a bit predictable in this one but if you have stuck with the series so far, you are already fond of the sentient humanoid robot (who keeps getting sassier and sassier as the series progresses), so the predictability of the plot isn’t a dealbreaker. Overall, an enjoyable series and would recommend it to any SciFi aficionado. 4/5.

Book Review of The Murderbot Diaries #3 - Rogue Protocol

Well, the “Rogue Protocol” definitely sticks to the script like the previous two books in the series. Crisp story, fast pace & lots of action with our endearing sentient bot in the center of it all. What is slightly annoying now is that even though I am three books into the series and enjoying it so far, I don’t see a long encompassing theme per-say. This is more like a set of stories - strung together because of the same protagonist. Maybe something overarching will emerge in the next books, one can hope. Still, Rogue Protocol itself is perfectly enjoyable - 4/5.

Book Review of The Murderbot Diaries #2 - Artificial Condition

“Sometimes people do things to you that you can’t do anything about. You just have to survive it and go on.”

You know what's more fun than a fully sentient humanoid robot with deadly weapons? A one that also has a heart of gold. Even though this all sounds like a cliche, the second installment of the Murderbot Diaries series did not disappoint. Just one issue - it ended abruptly, and the world building seemed annoyingly incomplete at times. Still the book as a whole was a breezy fun. "Artificial Condition" - a strong 3.5/5 

Book Review of The Murderbot Diaries #1 - All Systems Red

"I don’t know what I want. But it isn’t that, it’s that I don’t want anyone to tell me what I want, or to make decisions for me."

Humanoid robots becoming self-aware and fully sentient isn't a new trope anymore. In fact, it wasn't a new idea even back in 2017 when this book was first published. Still, the first book in the Murderbot Diaries, "All Systems Red" is a fun, entertaining and a quick read. This isn't necessarily just a popcorn Sci-Fi - the world building is intriguing, and it is nice to read the story from the first-person view of the protagonist who is a sentry robot that has just become self-aware. Give it a go, 4/5.  

Book Review of "Fool Me Once"

Murder Mysteries are fun when the premise isn’t too far-fetched, and the mystery isn’t too obvious. “Fool Me Once” met and somewhat exceeded both the conditions. It is fast, action-packed and just predictable enough to make it enjoyable but not really boring. Don’t think too much about all the pieces and look at the story for what it is really meant for - entertainment. 3.5/5 stars.