Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Winner of the 2020 Nebula Award, this is a full-length novel in the Murderbot Diaries. For those not familiar with this series, the first of which is All systems red, Murderbot is a droid, a self-aware SecUnit who loves to watch endless entertainment channels. In Fugitive Telemetry Murderbot finds a body on Preservation Station and ends up having to investigate.

Those who enjoy the humour of this science fiction series will not be disappointed. There are many laugh out loud moments. And those who enjoy a murder mystery will enjoy following the shenanigans that Murderbot goes through, communicating with humans and covering up its high intelligence and contempt for people.

The other books in the series have been novellas, short enough to get a taste for Murderbot and clever and humorous enough to get readers avidly waiting for the next instalments. This series is a winner - fun reads with a great protagonist. Fans may well want to try the excellent Raksura series by Martha Wells while waiting for the next book. 

Themes: Science fiction, Androids, Artificial intelligence, Human-Computer interaction, Murder.

Pat Pledger