The rogue SecUnit (an android "made of cloned human tissue, augments, anxiety, depression, and unfocused rage") returns for Fugitive Telemetry, its sixth adventure, though to its own slight discomfort it is somewhat less of a rogue than before. Now it has friends, and its friends have expectations. So when a murder is apparently committed on Preservation Station, a place where such events are extremely rare, SecUnit is expected to help. There is some discomfort on the station about having a former murderbot on board, but its new friend Mensah has enough sway to override objections.
Many of the elements that were so enjoyable in previous books return, like the bracketed asides, which comprise almost a tenth of the word count. Its interactions with other artificial intelligences continue to be entertaining. Its approach to problem-solving is as unusual as ever, and rooted in the intelligent and imaginative use of its abilities. Plus, the former murderbot gives us a unique perspective on ourselves, for example our tendency to have machines mimic our behaviours for our comfort, and also to turn them into ruthless killing machines.
But although it is still good, readers may struggle to retain much memory of it as distinct from the earlier books. It's very much more of the same. There isn't a new hook, or a radically different type of environment (the SecUnit doesn't like planets). It's interesting to see it deal with the discomfort of being around people who know its true nature, and it is always pleasant company, but if at the end I had realised that I had already read this book it wouldn't have been a huge surprise.
Part of the appeal of the Tordotcom line of novellas was that they were cheap enough to be impulse buys, and it's possible that the higher prices for this series have raised my expectations for it. Still, people who enjoyed previous volumes are likely to enjoy this one too, while those who haven't read the previous books will probably enjoy it even more. The real-time updates on the SecUnit's threat assessment module prove to be an excellent dramatic device: it's a constant thrill to see it realise that there is danger afoot, then scramble in response. Stephen Theaker ***
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