Thoughts

Since it was so hyped, I don’t know if I just had unrealistic expectations or if it was actually bad. I enjoyed reading it so I don’t think it was bad. But it’s hard for me to articulate something I like about it. I want to be nice and give it 4 stars but I also want to be sure I’m not being biased by the fact that I know it’s popular. I think the tiebreaker is pacing, and it’s paced really well, so I’ll give it 4. The reason it’s surprising it’s at 4 stars is because I have no desire to read the sequel right now. It’s weird. If I liked it, which I did, why don’t I want to read the sequel? I like it more than other 4 star books that have had me hooked on the whole series. My theory is that the shorter two-novella format ruins my ability to get hooked and engaged. The other big issue, I’ve decided, is that the “conflict” for the main character is its identity and how it fits in with humans. And the “plot” is a completely tangential action plot about trying to stay alive. I want to watch murderbot continue to evolve its relationship with others and its conception of itself. But I don’t actually care about the action scenes because they’re not actually related to that.

to do something and Safari's like, eh.