By Robin Anne Reid: This started out as a reply on the Murderbot discussion on this post. And then the reply ballooned, ending up with too many words and way too many links for a comment, so I decided to send it to Mike to see if he’d like it for a post. And then I had to grocery shop before I could finish it. I see the comments thread has grown, with a number of very good points, some of which I’ll be repeating here.

Warning for autism monologue, quotes from one of my academic essays (in rot 13 to avoid spoilers), and general tl;dr. I worked very hard to avoid spoilers, but that can sometimes be hard to evaluate since, as with terms like “gender” (heh) different people define a “spoiler” very differently.

I am in total agreement with Sophie Jane’s comment:

I think one of the things going on in the wider conversation here is that some people are mostly talking about Murderbot’s body shape and others are mostly talking about its gender. Which is causing confusion because we’re using the same words.

And, as the most recent comments indicate, there are different definitions for what looks like the same word is two different words: I had no idea that ACE was an acronym for Adverse Childhood Experience, whereas I’m very familiar with ace as a abbreviated or slant term or “asexual”!

Disclaimer: I wrote a chapter on the Murderbot series (Chapter 13: “I Came for the ‘Pew-Pew Space Battles’; I Stayed for the Autism” for the obnoxiously expensive Routledge Companion to Gender and Science Fiction. I don’t have a PDF of the chapter, but if you would like a copy for your personal use, I can send the copyedited Word doc. I’ll also post the abstract and some rot-13 excerpts (to avoid spoilers) below. Email: robinareid AT fastmail DOT com.

1. How I read Murderbot as character and first-person narrator:

From the start, Murderbot, a “Security Unit” or SecUnit (Murderbot being its self-chosen name it considers private) is clear that it has no “sex bits” (in Wells’ story verse, there are “Comfort Units” who do have sex bits and whose apparent primary function is being sex slaves; while I have no proof, I’d bet a nickel that Wells intends the echo to the Japanese term that is translated to Comfort Women” in English).

Murderbot is also clear it is not a “Combat Unit” (which are apparently similar to SecUnits but optimized for military Combat).

Murderbot is a huge fan of the story verse equivalent of soap operas (but dislikes, fasts forward through, or ignores the sex scenes and, I assume, the romantic scenes as well). It does not want to watch or read any media with SecUnits as characters (because the humans get them all wrong). As many fen do, it re-watches its favorite (The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon especially) for comfort and for fun.

Since the majority of the books in the series are in first person (though the “Diary” frame is getting looser in the later books who have sections from other characters), my experience is that I’m totally immersed in Murderbot’s perspective, sense of self, and desire to tell its own story (and to comment on its motives and story — mostly through parenthetical comments “replying” to what was just written) throughout.

I identify intensely with Murderbot and how it feels about the world, its media, and social interactions with humans (what to do with my hands! And why do they keep expecting eye contact!!). I also see that one important element of the character’s story arc is it learning to acknowledge and to deal with its depression and PTSD throughout although those terms are never used.

I read it as an autist (and asexual) because of my own autism and asexuality but have read that there are excellent interpretations of the character as being neurodivergent in different ways, or of as experiencing many of the things trans* readers do. I do not think it’s anything as simple as an allegory: Wells’s’ work is complex enough that a wide range of readers can find the character’s life to be applicable to theirs. There’s some excellent review criticism online, so I’ll include my Works Cited below as well.

In interviews, Wells talks about how her life-long experiences with her own neurodivergence, anxiety, and depression inform her characterization of Murderbot (“Hi, I’m Martha Wells and I write The Murderbot Diaries and The Books of the Raksura series. Ask Me Anything!”). She says she did not write Murderbot with autism in mind, but understands how some readers interpret the character that way.

Murderbot is also a character who, despite having the height, bulk (especially in its armor), incredible speed of movement, high-level programming ability plus enhanced physical strength to perform its SecUnit duties (all characteristics associated with “masculinity” in Anglophone culture), and that’s not even mentioning the built-in weapons in its arms, also has a great deal of empathy (and always tries to disown the existence of its feelings) and *cares* for other characters (not limited only to human characters). Do I need to point out that empathy/sympathy/nurturing “instincts” are coded as “feminine” in Anglophone culture, as are soap operas?).

Murderbot’s empathy is strongest for all the different machine, or artificial, intelligences it interacts with (and in a space opera universe, it interacts with a wide range in terms of bots and “constructs” (which I read as cyborgs because they are constructed of organic and non-organic parts) as well as true Artificial Intelligences (see the research transport it calls ART (standing for Asshole Research Transport).

There are the Comfort Units, the Combat Units, both being humanoid cyborgs, but there are also the bots/programs piloting ships, and bots who do the loading and unloading of materials. Murderbot often acts to help, protect, or save bots, cyborgs, SecUnits, Artificial Intelligences (AIs), and humans – all the while complaining about how these events and relationships interfere with its desire to consume its favorite media in peace.

Murderbot is a cyborg not a robot, although the word is uses is “construct.” It is always analyzing the impact of its “organic” bits as well as its technical/artificial bits which is why its desire to pass as a robot is important. MB’s emotional connections are not limited only to machine intelligences. It also has sympathy for some humans, especially those caught in the corporate indentured contracts (sent off to colonize planets which may be abandoned or sold). One of its ongoing comments is how much it has learned from watching media, including its soap operas, compared to the cheap “educational” training resources provided for constructs.

Unlike a lot of sf that is based on interactions between machines built in the form of humans and humans (Asimov’s Robot novels, and Data on Star Trek) where an ongoing plot is the plight of the robots (or, in some of Heinlein’s work, sentient programs) who want to be “human,” or at least have a biological body. Wells has done something different (and intended to): “I wanted to write an AI that didn’t want to be human, and I was thinking a lot about what an AI would actually want, as opposed to what a human might think an AI would want” (Wells, “Introduction”).

This quote is in the introduction to the Subterranean edition of The Murderbot Diaries but was also posted in her LiveJournal. There are spoilers, but it’s a wonderful attempt to answer the question of how she got the idea for what was originally intended as a short story: LiveJournal post.

The gender issues (including the pronoun choices) are complicated and fascinating to think about not only in regard to the characters, and not just Murderbot, since the humans it interacts with come from different planets and cultures on those planets, many of which have very different gender systems. I agree with this reviewer:

even as Murderbot removes its shackles and starts developing a personality, it doesn’t really take on a gender in any traditional sense. It has likes and dislikes and personality traits that some might see masculine or feminine, but Murderbot doesn’t think of them that way. Murderbot is just Murderbot.

(Mullis, Steve. “Murderbot Makes a Triumphant (And Cranky) Return in Network Effect.” NPR. 20 May 2020. www.npr.org/2020/05/10/852739193/murderbot-makes-a-triumphant-and-cranky-return-in-network-effect.)

I originally defaulted to using “they/them” pronouns for Murderbot when I talked about the character because of my discomfort with “it.” I shared Liz Bourke’s discomfort and concern with Murderbot’s choice of pronouns and understand her choice to use “they/their” instead:

Murderbot consistently refers to themself as “it,” but I’m sufficiently uncomfortable with using object-pronouns for people that I can’t bring myself to do the same. I know this is inconsistent with the basic standard politeness of using people’s self-chosen pronouns. It’s a dilemma. (Bourke)

But as I was working on Chapter 13 (which involved re-re-reading the series a number of times), thinking about my own default definitions, including but not limited to pronouns in English, I became even more uncomfortable about imposing my choice of pronoun on the character. Names are important to Murderbot: its own name is self-chosen and private, as its choice to reject gendered pronouns, and how it makes its own writing choices. Not only does Murderbot give ART a name, it wipes the name of The Company that owned it from all transcripts and records, replacing it with the generic term, as Dr. Bharadwaj realizes in Network Effect (“Helpme.file, Excerpt 2”).

2. The Apple + adaptation

I admit that while I’ve enjoyed Alexander Skarsgård’s acting (mostly in the adaptation of the True Blood series), I was taken aback by my response when I saw he was cast as MB. Some of that response was tied to my dislike of the latest film of his I saw (The Northman). If that version of toxic masculinity was something the show runners thought would work for the series, I’ll have a hard time viewing it! I was at the film because a medievalist friend wanted to see it, and the plot description interested me (Hamlet!), but I spent a lot of time with eyes shut and hands over ears through the graphically violent bits while thinking what a waste of the full range of Skarsgård’s acting abilities.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was thinking of MB as “androgynous” although that’s a tough term to define these days when “nonbinary” has been become more widely used by many people in the community.

One issue is whether MB’s “androgyny” is physical (the body), or involves gender presentation (which involves both an inner sense of self which is shown in behavior, dress, etc.). When I started thinking about it, I realize that my view of the character is much more focused on its narrative voice and commentary: the physical Murderbot doesn’t have much more individuality than SW Storm Troopers (yes, I know, there are times when it has to replace the armor with clothing to try to pass as an augmented human, but the clothing is usually vaguely uniform-ish: “knit grey pants, long-sleeved T-shirt, and a jacket, like the exercise clothes humans and augmented humans wrote, plus soft shoes” (All Systems Red 26).

Just going by the dictionary definition (to avoid thousands of more words), then, Murderbot (the book character) does have “masculine” and “feminine” traits (quotation marks because what is defined as “masculine” vs. “feminine” traits differ across cultures and at different historical periods: see just how ahistorical the “pink is for girls” belief is!).

Many of Murderbot’s “masculine” traits (but not all) are physical; its “feminine” traits are characteristics that motivate behaviors (generally). And as these different photos show, Skarsgård’s physicality and physical appearance can vary quite a bit: here he is first, not in a specific role, and second, as Eric the vampire in True Blood) vs. here (The Viking!).

I love the casting for the important roles of Dr. Mensah and Dr. Gurathin (who is an augmented human — meaning major technological implants in his brain). *Points to their honorifics and admits I may be one of the few giggling happily about how many of the characters in the series are academics, or if not employed at a university, are engaged in research activities, WOOT!

But what I ended up most concerned about is how much of Murderbot’s narrative voice (first-person narrative is incredibly difficult to ‘translate’ to the visual medium of film) and its sense of self, its interiority, the phenomenology of the character is likely to be lost in the adaptation.

Still, I have to admit that I sometimes think a fandom weakness is some of the pre-judging of adaptations based minimal evidence: I’m willing to wait and see how it turns out (and heck, even if I hate it, I can take comfort in hoping Martha Wells was paid a whole lot of $$$ for the rights!).

Abstract for Chapter 13:

This chapter discusses Martha Wells’ popular and prizewinning series, The Murderbot Diaries, in the context of recent changes and conflicts around autism. Drawing on reviews by marginalized readers, personal experience living as a queer autist, and disability studies, Reid explores Wells’ narrative about a Security Unit, Murderbot, who frees itself from its governing module and embarks on investigations of corporate crimes. Murderbot’s first-person narrative shows its difficulties with human expectations that it have a gender and navigate complicated social and emotional interactions with humans. The series narrative arc shows Murderbot attempting to discover what it wants to do as a free agent and subverts conventions of space opera by showing an AI who does not want to be, or to be like, humans, preferring interactions with other programmed beings or immersing itself in its favorite media. The chapter concludes with by noting the need to work with disability studies to consider all forms of neurodivergence in order to develop new tools and skills to read work by Wells and other science fiction authors in new and complex ways.

Rot 13 decoder for spoilers

First two paragraphs of the chapter: an overview of Wells’ series and a summary of the major storylines.

Va Znl 2020, Znegun Jryyf eryrnfrq Argjbex Rssrpg, gur svefg abiry va gur Zheqreobg Qvnevrf frevrf. Gur frevrf, nf bs gur jevgvat bs guvf puncgre, pbafvfgf bs svir abiryynf, n fubeg fgbel, naq gur abiry. Zheqreobg, gur cebgntbavfg bs gur frevrf, vf n plobet Frphevgl Havg (FrpHavg) jub serrf vgfrys sebz vgf tbireabe zbqhyr orsber gur riragf va gur svefg abiryyn, Nyy Flfgrzf Erq (2017). Zheqreobg’f qenzngvp aneengvir bs frys-rznapvcngvba naq fhofrdhrag srryvatf bs njxjneqarff nf vg yrneaf gb artbgvngr gur culfvpny naq fbpvny havirefr, vf obgu pevgvpnyyl nppynvzrq naq jvqryl cbchyne. Jryyf’ abiryynf unir orra svanyvfgf sbe nyy gur znwbe FS njneqf naq unir jba bar Nyrk, bar Arohyn, gjb Uhtb, naq gjb Ybphf njneqf. Ure abiry Argjbex Rssrpg jba gur Ybphf naq Arohyn Njneqf sbe Orfg Abiry (“Znegun Jryyf”).

Gur frevrf onynaprf npgvba cybgf jvgu punenpgre qrirybczrag, cevznevyl Zheqreobg’f. Gur znwbe fgbelyvarf fubj ubj Zheqreobg’f qrfgehpgvba bs vgf tbireabe zbqhyr yrnqf gb vgf fhofrdhrag jbex vairfgvtngvat pbecbengr pevzrf. Gurfr pevzrf vapyhqr vyyrtnyyl npdhvevat nyvra erzanagf, n cebprff juvpu bsgra vapyhqrf zheqre, naq rkgrafvir rkcybvgngvba bs uhznaf nf haqre na vaqragherq ynobe flfgrz. Zheqreobg punatrf nf vg orpbzrf zber vaibyirq va vairfgvtngvat pbecbengr pbybavnyvfz naq pbeehcgvba, npdhvevat arj fxvyyf, obgu grpuavpny naq rzbgvbany. Vg vagrenpgf jvgu ebobgf, plobetf (vapyhqvat bgure FrpHavgf), Negvsvpvny Vagryyvtraprf (NVf), naq uhznaf – nyy gur juvyr pbzcynvavat nobhg ubj gurfr riragf naq eryngvbafuvcf vagresrer jvgu vgf qrfver gb pbafhzr vgf snibevgr zrqvn va crnpr. Ol gur raq bs Argjbex Rssrpg, Zheqreobg unf sevraqf naq n snzvyl bs pubvpr. Bar bs vgf zbfg fvtavsvpnag eryngvbafuvcf vf jvgu n cbjreshy NV gung ehaf n havirefvgl erfrnepu genafcbeg irffry anzrq NEG ol Zheqreobg, gur yrggref va gur anzr fgnaqvat sbe “Nffubyr Erfrnepu Genafcbeg,” jubfr npgvivgvrf naq eryngvbafuvc jvgu vgf uhzna perj vapyhqr inevbhf nggrzcgf gb fhoireg pbecbengr rkcybvgngvba bs uhzna ynobe.

Three paragraphs on the issue of reading the series from the position of marginalization (citing review and my own queer and autistic experience)s

Zheqreobg’f ibvpr naq fgbel erfbangr jvgu ernqref jub rkcrevrapr znetvanyvmngvba naq bccerffvba nybat zhygvcyr nkrf bs vqragvgvrf (Obhexr 2019; Pnuvyy 2017; QrAveb 2018 naq 2019; Xraq 2018 ; Yvcgnx 2018; Zhyyvf 2020). Juvyr erivrjref rzcunfvmr ubj eryngnoyr gur punenpgre vf, gurl rzcunfvmr gung arvgure gur svefg-crefba aneengbe, abe gur frevrf, vf n fvzcyr nyyrtbel: “Zheqreobg vfa’g . . . n fgnaq-va sbe nal bgure bccerffrq tebhc, nf zhpu nf fbzr bs hf zvtug frr bhefryirf va vgf bhgfvqre-fgnghf, ungerq bs nyyl pbaqrfprafvba, naq ‘abg nccyvpnoyr’ traqre” (Abeqyvat 2021). Juvyr V nterr gung Jryyf’ jbex pnaabg or erqhprq gb n bar-qvzrafvbany nyyrtbevpny ernqvat, V oryvrir vg vf cbffvoyr gb cebqhpgviryl ernq ure jbex va gur pbagrkg bs fbzr bs gur punatvat qvfpbhefrf nebhaq nhgvfz fhpu nf traqre naq frkhnyvgl; ubj gb vagrenpg jvgu uhznaf naq qrny jvgu rzbgvba; naq fgebat nggnpuzragf gb zrqvn.

V ernq Zheqreobg nf na nhgvfgvp punenpgre orpnhfr V nz na nhgvfg jub fgebatyl vqragvsvrf jvgu gur punenpgre’f ernpgvba gb naq rzbgvbaf nobhg vgf rkcrevraprf. Zl vagrecergngvba qenjf ba zl yvirq rkcrevrapr nf n dhrre nhgvfg nygubhtu V znxr ab pynvz bs orvat ercerfragngvir bs nal bgure, yrg nybar nyy bgure, crbcyr jub ner dhrre naq/be jub ner nhgvfgvp. V fcrag arneyl fvkgl lrnef bs zl yvsr jbaqrevat jul V jnf nyjnlf qbvat rirelguvat jvgu uhznaf jebat jvgu gur erfhyg gung zl erfcbafr gb zbfg vagrenpgvbaf jnf gur oheavat qrfver gb or yrsg nybar gb ernq zl fpvrapr svpgvba naq snagnfl. Zl svefg zrzbel bs orvat qvssrerag jnf jura zl svefg-tenqr grnpure gbyq zr V ernq gur jebat jnl. Nppbeqvat gb snzvyl fgbevrf, V yrnearq gb ernq ng ntr 3 naq, jura V fgnegrq svefg tenqr, grfgrq nf ernqvat ng gur sbhegu-tenqr yriry. Gur erfhyg jnf ahzrebhf grnpure-cevapvcny-cnerag zrrgvatf gb qvfphff gur “ceboyrz,” juvpu V gubhtug jnf zr – fcrpvsvpnyyl, zl erfvfgnapr gb yrneavat cubavpf naq zl qvfyvxr bs gur “Qvpx naq Wnar” ernqref, obgu bs juvpu jnfgrq gvzr V pbhyq fcraq ernqvat erny obbxf.

Zl vanovyvgl gb zrrg gur fbpvny fgnaqneqf bs zl crref tbg jbefr nsgre svefg tenqr nygubhtu V ortna gb erprvir nccebiny sebz zl grnpuref sbe orvat dhvrg, fcraqvat n terng qrny bs gvzr ernqvat, naq grfgvat jryy. Gurve nccebiny zrnag gung zl crref va whavbe uvtu naq uvtu fpubby fnj zr nf n grnpure’f crg. Bhgfvqr gur pynffebbz, V erfragrq orvat gbyq gung “tveyf” qvq abg ernq fpvrapr svpgvba (juvpu V qvq naq fgvyy qb) naq rira zber erfragrq orvat gbyq gung “tveyf” jrer fhccbfrq gb trg zneevrq naq unir puvyqera (juvpu V arire jnagrq naq arire qvq). Ubjrire, gur bcgvbaf sbe “oblf” jrer ab orggre, nf V yrnearq sebz jngpuvat zl lbhatre oebgure orvat ohyyvrq ol uvf pynffzngrf. Guvatf tbg orggre va pbyyrtr jura V sbhaq fpvrapr svpgvba (FS) snaqbz. Jura V jnf bssvpvnyyl qvntabfrq nf ba gur nhgvfz fcrpgehz ng gur ntr bs 62, va 2017, arneyl svsgrra lrnef nsgre V yrnearq nobhg Nfcretre’f sebz gur zrqvn naq fgnegrq qbvat zl bja erfrnepu, jubyr cnegf bs zl yvsr fhqqrayl znqr zber frafr

My two personal favorite paragraphs about how Murderbot becomes aware of its own emotions and how it deals with them:

Zheqreobg unf vagreanyvmrq gur vqrn gung FrpHavgf unir ab srryvatf naq zhfg yrnea gb npxabjyrqtr gung vg qbrf srry rzbgvbaf, rira sbe fhpu zvabe guvatf nf gur pybguvat vg pubbfrf va Ebthr Cebgbpby. Zheqreobg znl qvfyvxr univat srryvatf sbe naq nobhg bguref, ohg vgf aneengvir fubjf vg unf gurz, vapyhqvat, ohg abg yvzvgrq gb, natre ba orunys bs gubfr vg rzcnguvmrf jvgu, fhpu nf Nlerf naq gur bguref jub unq fb srj pubvprf gung gurl fbyq gurzfryirf vagb gjragl lrnef bs vaqragherq freivghqr (Ebthr Cebgbpby). Rira zber fvtavsvpnagyl, Zheqreobg pna rzcnguvmr jvgu nyy gur bgure obgf naq NVf vg rapbhagref guebhtubhg gur frevrf, qrirybcvat vgf rguvpny yvzvgf va ertneq gb nfxvat sbe pbafrag sebz genafcbeg obgf engure guna bireevqvat gurve cebtenzzvat. Jura Zheqreobg vairfgvtngrf gur zvavat snpvyvgl jurer vg jrag ebthr naq xvyyrq pyvragf va Negvsvpvny Pbaqvgvba, vg qvfpbiref gung gur PbzsbegHavgf ng gur snpvyvgl npgrq gb gel gb cebgrpg gur uhznaf jura n znyvpvbhf cebtenz pnhfrq gur qrnguf. Zheqreobg fcraqf bire svir ubhef pbyyrpgvat gur vasbezngvba, vzntvavat ubj gur PbzsbegHavgf gevrq gb uryc, naq creprvivat gurve ynfg zbzragf bs yvsr:

Bar ol bar gur svyr qbjaybnqf unq fgbccrq. Bar unq fvtanyrq gung vg jbhyq gel gb qrpbl FrpHavg nggragvba njnl sebz gur bguref, naq guerr npxabjyrqtrq. Bar unq urneq fpernzf sebz gur pbageby pragre naq qviregrq gurer gb gel gb fnir gur uhznaf genccrq vafvqr, naq gjb npxabjyrqtrq. Bar unq fgnlrq ng gur ragenapr gb n pbeevqbe gb gel gb ohl gvzr gb ernpu FrpFlfgrz, naq bar npxabjyrqtrq. q, Bar ercb egrq ernpuvat FrpFlfgrz, gura abguvat (116).
Bar bs gur zbfg fvtavsvpnag fprarf gung erirnyf Zheqreobg’f tebjvat yriry bs njnerarff bs vgf rzbgvbaf bpphef va Rkvg Fgengrtl, nsgre Zheqreobg erfphrf Qe. Zrafnu. Jura Zrafnu nfxf nobhg vgf sbaqarff sbe gur fubj Fnapghnel Zbba, Zheqreobg “npghnyyl [srryf] gur betnavp gvffhr va [vgf] onpx naq fubhyqref erynk,” ohg gura gevrf gb nafjre gur qbpgbe’f dhrel nf gb jul vg jbhyq jngpu n fubj nobhg uhzna ceboyrzf. Va beqre gb nafjre Qe. Zrafnu’f dhrfgvba, Zheqreobg npprffrf vgf nepuvirq zrzbel bs jngpuvat gur fubj naq ernyvmrf gung vg jnf gur svefg bar vg jngpurq nsgre qrfgeblvat vgf tbireabe. Vg gryyf Qe. Zrafnu gung naq pbapyhqrf, “[Fnapghnel Zbba] znqr zr srry yvxr n crefba.” Zheqreobg srryf gung erirnyvat fb zhpu zrnaf vg jnf “ybfvat pbageby bs [vgf] bhgchg.” Vg qbrf abg funer vgf arkg eriryngvba nygubhtu gur “jbeqf xrcg jnagvat gb pbzr bhg. Vg tnir zr pbagrkg sbe gur rzbgvbaf V jnf srryvat, V znantrq abg gb fnl” (115–16). Juvyr gur rkgreany npgvba bs guvf fprar vf Zheqreobg znantvat vgf erfphr bs Qe. Zrafnu, gur vagreany npgvba pragref ba oynzvat vgf “fghcvq uhzna arheny gvffhr” naq ungvat rirelguvat vg vf srryvat orpnhfr gurl ner “rzbgvbaf nobhg erny uhznaf vafgrnq bs snxr barf” (116).

This internal journey and growth are what I so love about the character: the ‘action’ sequences are interesting to read thought I always get confused trying to follow fights. I think Wells does a brilliant job of showing how a being whose thought processes are affected by cyber elements perceives the scene- and how, later on in the series, Murderbot begins to credit its organic parts [it does not use the word “human” for its organic bits!) which contribute to its ability to remember and process information more than it had realized).

Works Cited

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Bagatell, Nancy. “From Cure to Community: Transforming Notions of Autism.” Ethos, vol. 38, no. 1, 2010, pp. 33–55.

Bourke, Liz. “Liz Bourke Reviews Artificial Condition and Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells.” Locus. 26 April, 2018. https://locusmag.com/2018/04/liz-bourke-reviews-artificial-condition-and-rogue-protocol-by-martha-wells/.

Bourke, Liz. “Murderbot’s Inconvenient Emotions: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.” Tor.com. 2 October 2019. www.tor.com/2018/10/02/book-reviews-exit-strategy-by-martha-wells/.

Cahill, Martin. “Meet Your Favorite Depressed A. I. Since Marvin in All Systems Red.” Barnes and Noble, 2 May 2017. www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/meet-favorite-depressed-since-marvin-systems-red/.

Cooper, Kate, Laura G. E. Smith, and Ailsa J. Russell. “Gender Identity in Autism: Sex Differences in Social Affiliation with Gender Groups.” Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, vol. 48, no. 12, 2018, pp. 3995–4006. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-018-3590-1.

Dekel, Mikhal. “Austen and Autism: Reading Brain, Emotion and Gender Differences in Pride and Prejudice.” Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies, vol. 10, no. 3, 2014. www.ncgsjournal.com/issue103/dekel.html.

DeNiro, Anya Johanna. “Exploring Queer Friendship in Martha Wells’ Artificial Condition.” Tor.com. 13 May 2019. www.tor.com/2019/05/13/exploring-queer-friendship-in-martha-wells-artificial-condition/#more-455874.

DeNiro, Anya Johanna. “Life Lessons from a Murderbot: Reading All Systems Red as a Trans Woman.” Tor.com, 21 March 2018. www.tor.com/2018/03/21/life-lessons-from-a-murderbot-reading-all-systems-red-as-a-trans-woman/.

Garcia, Eric. We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation. Houghton Mifflin, 2021.
Josephs, Cassie. “Murderbot: An Autistic-Coded Robot Done Right.” Tor-Com, 21 June 2022. www.tor.com/2022/06/21/murderbot-an-autistic-coded-robot-done-right/.

Kend. “The Murderbot Diaries 1–3 by Martha Wells.” The Imaginaries, 12 July 2018. www.imaginaries.net/blog/murderbot.

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