Does this story need to be read in a specific order within the series?

This short story is intended to be read after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy, as it bridges the narrative gap before the events of the subsequent full-length novel, Network Effect.

How does the perspective in this story differ from the rest of the series?

Unlike the majority of the series which is narrated by the SecUnit, this piece is told entirely from the viewpoint of Dr. Ayda Mensah, offering a human perspective on the aftermath of their shared experiences.

Home

Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

Short story Short Stories Science Fiction

Pages: 32
Published: 2021
Language: English

"Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory" is a short story in The Murderbot Diaries, set on Preservation Station in the days after Exit Strategy. For the first time in the series, the narration shifts away from SecUnit to Dr. Ayda Mensah, who is trying to resume her duties as a councilor and survey team leader while working through the trauma of her kidnapping by GrayCris. As a fellow councilor, Ephraim, presses her on the wisdom of giving the dangerous, unclassified SecUnit a place on the station, Mensah has to decide how far she is willing to go to defend it.

Prose complexity: 4/10

Reflective Emotional Thought-Provoking Bittersweet

Found Family

Martha Wells

Martha Wells (born September 1, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in anthropology in 1986. Her first novel, The Element of Fire (1993), opened the Ile-Rien sequence; she has since written the Books of the Raksura, the Emilie young-adult novels, tie-in fiction for Star Wars and Stargate, and the standalone fantasy Witch King. She is best known for The Murderbot Diaries, beginning with the novella A...

Dr. MensahProtagonist

The Preservation Alliance councilor and survey team leader, narrating for the first time in the series as she works through PTSD from her GrayCris kidnapping while defending Murderbot's place on the station.

MurderbotSupporting

The security unit at the center of Mensah's advocacy, seen for once through someone else's eyes as it quietly watches over her while she avoids dealing with her own trauma.

Ephraim (Murderbot Diaries)Supporting

A fellow Preservation council member who challenges Mensah's decision to give the unclassified, potentially dangerous SecUnit standing on the station.

All characters in Home

Frequently asked questions

Does this story need to be read in a specific order within the series?
This short story is intended to be read after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy, as it bridges the narrative gap before the events of the subsequent full-length novel, Network Effect.
How does the perspective in this story differ from the rest of the series?
Unlike the majority of the series which is narrated by the SecUnit, this piece is told entirely from the viewpoint of Dr. Ayda Mensah, offering a human perspective on the aftermath of their shared experiences.