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The Murderbot Diaries [Dramatized Adaptation] #6
Fugitive Telemetry (Dramatized Adaptation): The Murderbot Diaries, Book 6
The New York Times bestselling security droid with a heart (though it wouldn't admit it!) is back in Fugitive Telemetry!
No, I didn't kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn't dump the body in the station mall.
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)
Yes, the unthinkable is about to Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!
Again!
Performed by David Cui Cui, Gail Shalan, Amanda Forstrom, Aure Nash, Bradley Foster Smith, Chris Stinson, Christopher Walker, Eric Messner, Jenna Sharpe, Joel David Santner, Julienne Irons, Ken Jackson, Khaya Fraites, Michael Glenn, Michael John Casey, Nazia Chaudhry, Scott McCormick, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Wyn Delano, Yasmin Tuazon and Zeke Alton.
No, I didn't kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn't dump the body in the station mall.
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)
Yes, the unthinkable is about to Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!
Again!
Performed by David Cui Cui, Gail Shalan, Amanda Forstrom, Aure Nash, Bradley Foster Smith, Chris Stinson, Christopher Walker, Eric Messner, Jenna Sharpe, Joel David Santner, Julienne Irons, Ken Jackson, Khaya Fraites, Michael Glenn, Michael John Casey, Nazia Chaudhry, Scott McCormick, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Wyn Delano, Yasmin Tuazon and Zeke Alton.
Audible Audio
Published January 24, 2024
About the author
Martha Wells
105 books26.9k followersMartha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 23, 2024
Dramatized Adaptation Audiobook ☆☆☆☆☆
Best Murderbot murder mystery!
♡Buddy listen with my husband♡
My Husband’s Rating: 20/10 ☆ (Yes, AGAIN!) We are having so much fun listening to these together.
~ The murder investigation was even more engaging and fun via dramatized audio.
~ It was super entertaining following Murderbot during one of its most human experiences so far!
~ The life tender made us giggle. We cannot wait until the TV show! I know I’ve said that a million times, but I am so excited and ready for it!!
My original review for the novella can be found here.
Best Murderbot murder mystery!
♡Buddy listen with my husband♡
My Husband’s Rating: 20/10 ☆ (Yes, AGAIN!) We are having so much fun listening to these together.
~ The murder investigation was even more engaging and fun via dramatized audio.
~ It was super entertaining following Murderbot during one of its most human experiences so far!
~ The life tender made us giggle. We cannot wait until the TV show! I know I’ve said that a million times, but I am so excited and ready for it!!
My original review for the novella can be found here.
June 16, 2024
He’s an anti-social, lethal human-bot construct who has no desire to be human, thank you very much, but he has the biggest personality in the universe- and, trouble of the human-variety tends to land in his lap, constantly. I can’t tell you how eager I am for each new glimpse of Murderbot. The annual wait simply heightens expectation and each new installment does not disappoint.
While Fugitive Telemetry is the sixth of the series, it happens chronologically after the events fourth novella. These might all be separate adventures, but they tie together and lead into the next book so they read best in order.
During Network Effect, there was reference to an adventure that happened off page. I was so glad the author went back and wrote that story. Murderbot is on Preservation Station with temporary refugee status. He doesn’t want to go planet-side and live with Dr. Mensah and her family so, for the present, he acts as her security while she conducts government council business on the station. The threat from GrayCris corporation is still there. He tolerates the scrutiny of the humans who are not comfortable with a rogue SecUnit and follows the rules while feeling a bit at loose ends. Then a murder is discovered.
It is always amusing to see Murderbot forced to work closely with humans especially those who are scared of him or don’t like him so he purposefully antagonizes them. The investigation is conducted by station security, but they only reluctantly accept his help because Dr. Mensah requested it. So, he sets out to prove his superior sleuthing skills and does, but the problem is knotty. I loved seeing him use all his skill and programing to outwit who he was up against. The investigation included some exciting action-scenes especially the build near the end.
I've come to anticipate what the Graphic Audio production (sound affects and music) and cast will bring to this series. I really enjoyed the getting to know this version of Senior Inda (sp?) particularly when she and Murderbot are getting testy with each other. David Cui Cui and the rest of the cast delivered it well.
All in all, it read fast and exciting. It was over quickly, but was a fully-developed complex story for all that. The Murderbot world is futuristic space and the characters and situations feel right in that backdrop. The author has made a complex, fascinating hero in Murderbot. I heartily recommend this series to sci-fi lovers.
I rec'd the eARC from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Update: I did a re-read with the audio edition. Kevin R Free was dazzling as usual as the series narrator. Love his Murderbot and the way he distinguishes the rest of the cast as well as the variations in the scenes including the dry wit that fills the books.
While Fugitive Telemetry is the sixth of the series, it happens chronologically after the events fourth novella. These might all be separate adventures, but they tie together and lead into the next book so they read best in order.
During Network Effect, there was reference to an adventure that happened off page. I was so glad the author went back and wrote that story. Murderbot is on Preservation Station with temporary refugee status. He doesn’t want to go planet-side and live with Dr. Mensah and her family so, for the present, he acts as her security while she conducts government council business on the station. The threat from GrayCris corporation is still there. He tolerates the scrutiny of the humans who are not comfortable with a rogue SecUnit and follows the rules while feeling a bit at loose ends. Then a murder is discovered.
It is always amusing to see Murderbot forced to work closely with humans especially those who are scared of him or don’t like him so he purposefully antagonizes them. The investigation is conducted by station security, but they only reluctantly accept his help because Dr. Mensah requested it. So, he sets out to prove his superior sleuthing skills and does, but the problem is knotty. I loved seeing him use all his skill and programing to outwit who he was up against. The investigation included some exciting action-scenes especially the build near the end.
I've come to anticipate what the Graphic Audio production (sound affects and music) and cast will bring to this series. I really enjoyed the getting to know this version of Senior Inda (sp?) particularly when she and Murderbot are getting testy with each other. David Cui Cui and the rest of the cast delivered it well.
All in all, it read fast and exciting. It was over quickly, but was a fully-developed complex story for all that. The Murderbot world is futuristic space and the characters and situations feel right in that backdrop. The author has made a complex, fascinating hero in Murderbot. I heartily recommend this series to sci-fi lovers.
I rec'd the eARC from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.
Update: I did a re-read with the audio edition. Kevin R Free was dazzling as usual as the series narrator. Love his Murderbot and the way he distinguishes the rest of the cast as well as the variations in the scenes including the dry wit that fills the books.
January 17, 2024
Murderbot solving a murder case. What's not to love?
These books just get better with every reread.
Enjoyment 10/10
Concept 10/10
Execution 10/10
Writing 10/10
Plot & Logic 10/10
Pacing & Structure 10/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Characters 10/10
Intrigue 9/10
World Building 8/10
Audio Performance 10/10
Rating: 4.84/5
These books just get better with every reread.
Enjoyment 10/10
Concept 10/10
Execution 10/10
Writing 10/10
Plot & Logic 10/10
Pacing & Structure 10/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Characters 10/10
Intrigue 9/10
World Building 8/10
Audio Performance 10/10
Rating: 4.84/5
August 9, 2026
***zondag 9 augustus 2026 | audiobook***
Narrated by David Cui Cui. Featuring David Cui Cui as Murderbot and Gail Shalan as Indah.
⭐4.5 (rounded up) - I really really like it.
This is kind of a standalone story in the Murderbot series. I love that kind of stuff though. This adaptation is, again, done very well. I do think some of the voices sound 'too young'. But if that is my only complaint.
Sidenote: I am in a very strange state of mind these last few months which makes reading new stories difficult. So I am glad that a nice adaptation of a story I have already listened to multiple times fills some need in me. Especially when I can finish it in one day while doing my chores!
Narrated by David Cui Cui. Featuring David Cui Cui as Murderbot and Gail Shalan as Indah.
⭐4.5 (rounded up) - I really really like it.
This is kind of a standalone story in the Murderbot series. I love that kind of stuff though. This adaptation is, again, done very well. I do think some of the voices sound 'too young'. But if that is my only complaint.
Sidenote: I am in a very strange state of mind these last few months which makes reading new stories difficult. So I am glad that a nice adaptation of a story I have already listened to multiple times fills some need in me. Especially when I can finish it in one day while doing my chores!
June 13, 2025
3.5 stars. I actually think the story was ok, kinda weaker than the others but most of my dislike of this was wasn’t actually the book’s fault so I want to be fair.
I wish I had known that this is written 6th but actually takes place between 4 and 5. It was extremely off-putting to feel like we were backpedaling on progress especially since book 5 ended on a high note that I was looking forward to seeing what happened next. But I had no idea lol, my bad I guess.
Also I’m not reading anymore dramatized versions of this series. Idk why I thought book 2 dramatized was fine but this one felt like I was listening to a narrator instead of listening to an awkward robot complaining and swearing.
I wish I had known that this is written 6th but actually takes place between 4 and 5. It was extremely off-putting to feel like we were backpedaling on progress especially since book 5 ended on a high note that I was looking forward to seeing what happened next. But I had no idea lol, my bad I guess.
Also I’m not reading anymore dramatized versions of this series. Idk why I thought book 2 dramatized was fine but this one felt like I was listening to a narrator instead of listening to an awkward robot complaining and swearing.
February 7, 2025
I thought, maybe I was not paying attention enough. I thought, perhaps I skipped a book. Why else would I be this confused?
As it turns out, there is no continuation from book 5 and ART is nowhere to be found. Slightly disappointing.
As it turns out, there is no continuation from book 5 and ART is nowhere to be found. Slightly disappointing.
Read
July 8, 2024i liked the sounds & immersion effects, but kevin r. free has narration supremacy
April 27, 2025
Back to the short adventures. I think this one took place before 5. A bit of a mystery this time.
October 11, 2025
Basic Plot: Murderbot solves a murder.
This was short, but lots of fun. A locked-room style mystery on.a space station, with all kinds of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.
This was short, but lots of fun. A locked-room style mystery on.a space station, with all kinds of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.
August 26, 2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
"I'm experiencing an emotion, but it's okay because I'm hiding it from everyone."
Just a quick heads-up: Fugitive Telemetry is officially book 6 in The Murderbot Diaries, but chronologically it takes place before book 5 (Network Effect). I felt a bit disconnected at first, but after a quick Google search cleared that up, everything immediately clicked into place!
Plot & Pacing:
This installment is a classic sci-fi whodunit set on Preservation Station. Even though it's a shorter novella, the pacing was spot on. The plot was tight, and I honestly couldn't guess who the killer was until the very end.
Cast & GraphicAudio Performance:
• David Cui Cui: Remains the absolute perfect voice for Murderbot. His dry humor, cynical timing, and constant irritation toward humans were brilliant as always.
• Gail Shalan as Commander Indah: I recognized her voice within the first few seconds (she also voices Danika Fendyr in Crescent City!). While I wasn't the biggest fan of her wolf-form delivery in CC, she was fantastic here as the stern, authoritative Commander Indah.
Character Dynamics:
It was great having Gurathin and Ratthi back. The interaction and friction between them and Murderbot is always one of my favorite elements of the series.
A super fun, engaging listen overall!
"I'm experiencing an emotion, but it's okay because I'm hiding it from everyone."
Just a quick heads-up: Fugitive Telemetry is officially book 6 in The Murderbot Diaries, but chronologically it takes place before book 5 (Network Effect). I felt a bit disconnected at first, but after a quick Google search cleared that up, everything immediately clicked into place!
Plot & Pacing:
This installment is a classic sci-fi whodunit set on Preservation Station. Even though it's a shorter novella, the pacing was spot on. The plot was tight, and I honestly couldn't guess who the killer was until the very end.
Cast & GraphicAudio Performance:
• David Cui Cui: Remains the absolute perfect voice for Murderbot. His dry humor, cynical timing, and constant irritation toward humans were brilliant as always.
• Gail Shalan as Commander Indah: I recognized her voice within the first few seconds (she also voices Danika Fendyr in Crescent City!). While I wasn't the biggest fan of her wolf-form delivery in CC, she was fantastic here as the stern, authoritative Commander Indah.
Character Dynamics:
It was great having Gurathin and Ratthi back. The interaction and friction between them and Murderbot is always one of my favorite elements of the series.
A super fun, engaging listen overall!
June 20, 2026
The Murderbot Diaries [Dramatized Adaptation] #6
Fugitive Telemetry [Dramatized Adaptation]
Martha Wells
More of the same. Somehow I just can’t warm to this story.
Fugitive Telemetry [Dramatized Adaptation]
Martha Wells
More of the same. Somehow I just can’t warm to this story.
August 5, 2026
Murderbot has really been keeping me sane this year. This audiobook was so fun to listen to and really brought the characters to life
December 30, 2024
These radio drama style adaptations are fun. I like that I can know who is speaking without the said tags. The sound effects and music fill the production out nicely.
I marked this as character driven rather than story driven. I, for one, enjoy the stories, however, I think it is Murderbot and the other nonbiological characters that is what I hear other readers remark on most when talking about what they like about thus series. It gets me thinking about detective shows. Often it is the main character that draws the audience, like Monk or Psych or Magnum P. I.
One of the draws of Murderbot is that it is trying to figure out who it is and what it wants. People who know what they want may not find Murderbot identifiable. I know, this is not news to those who have read the other five installments.
Fugitive Telemetry finds Murderbot working with human security to solve a crime. The challenge is to find ways to work with others who trust it as much as it trusts them. This means Murderbot must find a way to operate and solve without the systems and resources it has come to rely on in the corporate surveillance zones.
I hear a couple points in this story.
- Developing trust with people who are different from yourself means having to move beyond prejudices, even those one doesn’t realize they have.
- Privacy means more work to find bad actors. But it can still be done using intelligence to solve the mystery rather than watching everyone all the time. And the benefit of privacy is worth it.
This is one of the less violent installations. I found the action worked for me without epic damage to our hero.
I marked this as character driven rather than story driven. I, for one, enjoy the stories, however, I think it is Murderbot and the other nonbiological characters that is what I hear other readers remark on most when talking about what they like about thus series. It gets me thinking about detective shows. Often it is the main character that draws the audience, like Monk or Psych or Magnum P. I.
One of the draws of Murderbot is that it is trying to figure out who it is and what it wants. People who know what they want may not find Murderbot identifiable. I know, this is not news to those who have read the other five installments.
Fugitive Telemetry finds Murderbot working with human security to solve a crime. The challenge is to find ways to work with others who trust it as much as it trusts them. This means Murderbot must find a way to operate and solve without the systems and resources it has come to rely on in the corporate surveillance zones.
I hear a couple points in this story.
- Developing trust with people who are different from yourself means having to move beyond prejudices, even those one doesn’t realize they have.
- Privacy means more work to find bad actors. But it can still be done using intelligence to solve the mystery rather than watching everyone all the time. And the benefit of privacy is worth it.
This is one of the less violent installations. I found the action worked for me without epic damage to our hero.
February 11, 2024
This review is for the Graphic Audio version of Fugitive Telemetry.
Still fun but flawed. As in a previous Murderbot book, the reader for Murderbot again mispronounced the word "dingy" as in "the corridor was dingy." It's not pronounced dingy with a hard "g" - "American pronunciation - Sounds like -din·jee"
Again, another cast member said something that SecUnit said in the audio book and it didn't make sense for someone else to say it. Etc. Etc. - - mistakes that could be cleaned up in editing / production. These things pull the listener out of the story. These graphic audio productions are products. Instead of selling us listeners flawed products, why not make an effort to clean up the production before selling these audio productions to us?
The audio book by Kevin Free is better if only comparing production quality. Also, he has the talent to make distinctive voices that don't leave listeners wondering who is speaking. The graphic audio production is fun because of the sound effects, but flawed because not enough effort was made to fix errors.
5* for the writing by Martha Wells - 2* for the flawed graphic audio product sold - 3* average
Still fun but flawed. As in a previous Murderbot book, the reader for Murderbot again mispronounced the word "dingy" as in "the corridor was dingy." It's not pronounced dingy with a hard "g" - "American pronunciation - Sounds like -din·jee"
Again, another cast member said something that SecUnit said in the audio book and it didn't make sense for someone else to say it. Etc. Etc. - - mistakes that could be cleaned up in editing / production. These things pull the listener out of the story. These graphic audio productions are products. Instead of selling us listeners flawed products, why not make an effort to clean up the production before selling these audio productions to us?
The audio book by Kevin Free is better if only comparing production quality. Also, he has the talent to make distinctive voices that don't leave listeners wondering who is speaking. The graphic audio production is fun because of the sound effects, but flawed because not enough effort was made to fix errors.
5* for the writing by Martha Wells - 2* for the flawed graphic audio product sold - 3* average
June 19, 2024
Oh joy! another murderbot diary performed by David Cui Cui and the talented voice actors of Grapho Audio http://www.graphicaudio.net
This time there’s not only a murder but smuggling and, wait for it, human trafficking. Murderbot, filled with wry wit and tons of internal dialogue, is tasked with investigating the murder, etc. He’s inventive and curious. Interestingly, he becomes more ‘human’ with each adventure. There’s a good amount of interaction with the humans and robots around him, each voiced by a different member of the cast. Clangs, and bang, and murderous battles with machines are clearly audible.
Yes, the performance isn’t perfect, but no humans or robots are!
For more on this audio performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
This time there’s not only a murder but smuggling and, wait for it, human trafficking. Murderbot, filled with wry wit and tons of internal dialogue, is tasked with investigating the murder, etc. He’s inventive and curious. Interestingly, he becomes more ‘human’ with each adventure. There’s a good amount of interaction with the humans and robots around him, each voiced by a different member of the cast. Clangs, and bang, and murderous battles with machines are clearly audible.
Yes, the performance isn’t perfect, but no humans or robots are!
For more on this audio performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
May 31, 2026
3/5 Stars : Another humorous adaptation of Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries! If you’ve made it to book 6, I think it’s safe to say you are enjoying the series. More Sanctuary Moon, more smart a** remarks, more robot fighting, more awesome! I enjoy learning about other bot types more too! On to the next one!
January 14, 2025
I'm not sure what happened with the GraphicAudio final file, but it misses pieces and some fragments have switched places, which wasn't confusing for me, because I already read the book, but it was certainly annoying
July 1, 2025
*new word alert*😆
blorp
blorpped
I got the bag to blorp itself along the haul...
Maybe a bit less in terms of drama since it is a murder mystery within the main story arc but not necessary to it. Still love Murderbot.
blorp
blorpped
I got the bag to blorp itself along the haul...
Maybe a bit less in terms of drama since it is a murder mystery within the main story arc but not necessary to it. Still love Murderbot.
May 17, 2026
A whodunit or whatdunit for Hercule Murderbot. Poor MB: all he wants to do is watch 'Sanctuary Moon' on his feed but, once again, he's dragged into the affairs of humans. To solve a murder MB has to save some humans and fight off a fairly formidable foe in another engaging adventure.
August 19, 2025
3.75 🌟
I love Murderbot obviously, I did not enjoy this new crew. Meh. Could’ve done without them. Not as exciting as the other jobs. Overall still decent enough, but definitely my least favourite so far.
I love Murderbot obviously, I did not enjoy this new crew. Meh. Could’ve done without them. Not as exciting as the other jobs. Overall still decent enough, but definitely my least favourite so far.
December 13, 2025
I love Murderbot so much.
And I absolutely love David Cui Cui and the whole cast for this dramatized audiobook but it is so hard to tell when Murderbot is talking to itself or to another person and that is definitely a little frustrating.
And I absolutely love David Cui Cui and the whole cast for this dramatized audiobook but it is so hard to tell when Murderbot is talking to itself or to another person and that is definitely a little frustrating.
February 11, 2024
I love reading the books then listening to them!
January 27, 2024
I really enjoy these Graphic Audio versions and this is my favorite of the series.
August 24, 2024
Jolly baby…lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2024
Since the previous book ended with a plan which did not involve a murder mistery, I assume that this part is just a short break from the main storyline we're going through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2024
4.7 stars
Enjoyed this one much more than the last. Easy to 'see,' and the humor was excellent.
Enjoyed this one much more than the last. Easy to 'see,' and the humor was excellent.
June 17, 2025
Loved this installment where MB assists Port Authority investigate a murder that might be related to a threat against Mensa's safety.
December 30, 2025
Love this Graphic Audio series!!
June 17, 2026
Remember, always read "Fugitive Telemetry" before "Network Effect" so you stay in chronological order. My favorite voice was poor Tech Turol. He always sounded hilarious. This was fun
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews