Fugitive Telemetry

In my review of Exit Strategy, I mentioned that the fourth and final installment in Wells' initial Murderbot cycle closed the show in satisfying fashion and that it left the door open for plenty more adventures/misadventures to come. I really enjoyed those four novellas, but too much of the plot always involved Murderbot saving a bunch of clueless and often stupid people. In the future, I was hoping that Wells would elevate her game and bring this series to another level.

Indeed, as fun and entertaining as the novellas were, it was all becoming a little redundant. Then came Network Effect, the first novel-length project featuring Murderbot. At first, it felt a little like more of the same. But when Wells kicked the story into high gear, it became a thrilling ride that made you want to beg for more.

Chronologically speaking, Fugitive Telemetry takes place before Network Effect, which is a little disappointing because it can't move the story forward. In addition, Wells goes for more or less the same recipe and this is getting a little old. It still as fun to read as the original novellas, but the novel proved that the author could push the envelope further and add layers to this tale and its characters. In that regard, I felt that Fugitive Telemetry was a backward step, relying on the same ingredients that made the past installments a commercial success instead of trying to move toward bigger and better things.

Here's the blurb:

Having captured the hearts of readers across the globe (Annalee Newitz says it's "one of the most humane portraits of a nonhuman I've ever read") Murderbot has also established Martha Wells as one of the great SF writers of today.

No, I didn't kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn't dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!

Given the novella-length format of Fugitive Telemetry, as was the case with its predecessors the worldbuilding facet is once again kept to a bare minimum. If anything, this latest novella just might be the one in which we learn the least. Although more self-contained than the others to a certain degree, it maintains the episodic format of the Murderbot Diaries. Again, there seems to be more than meets the eye. Limited in scope and vision as all the novellas appear to be, numerous signs hint that there is a depth to the storylines that will be explored in the future. Network Effect was definitely a step in the right direction. And yet, just how ambitious and multilayered the series will turn out to be remains to be seen. Trouble is, Martha Wells and Tordotcom appear to be in no hurry. As I've said before, I'm well aware that this is more about Murderbot's perspective and its interactions with humans and non-humans. But at some point, hopefully soon, the overall story arc will have to gain definition and substance.

First-person narratives can be tricky, but Martha Wells created an extremely engaging and endearing main character. Murderbot's POV definitely gives these works their unique flavor and makes this antisocial SecUnit one of the most interesting protagonists in science fiction today. Fugitive Telemetry introduces a number of new Preservation Station faces, but the supporting cast doesn't really shine.

Once more, Murderbot is called upon to save people. This time, it's refugees instead of a dumb bunch of scientists. Understandably, short fiction pieces mean a more episodic format. This isn't always optimal and there's no helping that. As long as each new novella/novel builds on the groundwork laid by its predecessor, I have no problem with that. Problem is, Fugitive Telemetry doesn't cover a lot of ground and seems to be a case of same old, same old. And my expectations have grown with each new title. Martha Wells must not fall into the trap of giving us the same old recipe, again and again. Because it sure looks as though they're trying to milk this one as much as humanly possible. . .

The novella-length format precludes any sort of pacing issues. Hence, I went through Fugitive Telemetry in a single day. Though I enjoyed it, I'm now looking forward to more ambitous and complex storylines. Network Effect demonstrated that Wells could do just that and I'm expecting whatever comes next to be as good. Or even better!

The final verdict: 7.75/10

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