by Martha Wells
Part of The Murderbot Diaries, book 7
First published 2023
Murderbot knows something is broken inside its systems. The SecUnit that calls itself Murderbot isn't operating normally, and that's a problem because Barish-Estranza corporation has arrived at a struggling colony world with rescue ships and their own SecUnits. The corporation claims they want to help, but Murderbot has never encountered an ethical corporation. If Barish-Estranza can't claim the planet, they'll settle for taking the colonists as free labor. ART's crew and the humans from Preservation Station work desperately to shield the vulnerable settlers from corporate persuasion teams backed by armed SecUnits. Murderbot needs to solve its internal crisis quickly, because the rescue operation depends on a malfunctioning artificial construct figuring out what's wrong with itself. The plan isn't going to work, but it's the only plan they have.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, malfunctioning-ai
Setting: Preservation Station, Barish-Estranza
245 pages · Hardcover · Tor Publishing Group/Tordotcom
Content warnings: violence