A Review of Platform Decay, by Martha Wells

I enjoyed this as I enjoy all Murderbot stories, but it is structured differently and I’m not sure it’s an improvement.

A quick explainer for the uninitiated: Murderbot is a SecUnit, which is a "construct"—a manufactured human-robot combination that leans toward robot. In the distant future, humanity has spread through space, and most of it is controlled by authoritarian corporations. In previous stories, Murderbot broke away from its owner-corporation (Murderbot is an ‘it’) and aligned itself with the free planet, Preservation, and with the AI-driven starship, Perihelion, nicknamed "Art." It recently accepted the position of security officer aboard Perihelion, and as far as we know, this story is its first in that position.

It starts with action—Murderbot and Three (another free SecUnit) are infiltrating an immense toroid space station. The narrative offers no initial explanations of why they are doing this; rather, the explanations come in dribs and drabs while the action keeps the reader interested. You don't get the full story until the final ten or so pages, followed by a final twist right at the end.

The story has the classic Murderbot first-person narration: wit and cynicism along with an underlying affection for, and dedication to, its friends and crew. As usual, the plot moves swiftly with one action set piece after another. Each situation is more dangerous—and presents a different problem—than the one before it. And all poor Murderbot wants is to keep its charges safe and rendezvous with the rescue shuttle.

Ever-escalating stakes are typical of a Murderbot book, but this series entry is different in some ways and I'm not sure those differences work. In previous stories, you had enough buildup to the action that saved the day that you were much more invested in the emotional toll should Murderbot fail. With this story, you don't even start to grasp the stakes for the first twenty or so pages. Here author Wells tries a new technique that does not provide the emotional heft of previous entries.

Still, it's a very good story and better written than almost anything else out there, so I do recommend it. But I prefer the old structure.