Exit Strategy by Martha Wells is a strong addition to the Murderbot Diaries, which has been a consistently solid 4-star series for me overall. The first book (All Systems Red) is still my favorite, but this one does a great job wrapping up the overarching story arc while delivering the action and snarky humor I’ve come to expect from Murderbot.

That said, this novella didn’t quite hit the same highs as the first one. The pacing is fast—almost too fast at times—and some of the emotional moments didn’t feel as impactful as they could have. I also found myself wanting a bit more character development or deeper exploration of Murderbot’s internal struggles.

Even with those minor issues, I still had a great time reading this. The series as a whole has been reliably entertaining, and Exit Strategy is no exception. If you’ve been enjoying the journey so far, this installment is well worth your time.