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The Murderbot Diaries #7
System Collapse
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2023)Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.
Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.
Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.
245 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2023
About the author
Martha Wells
90 books16.9k 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+.
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April 27, 2023ANOTHER FULL-LENGTH NOVEL ENTRY IN THIS SERIES. I FEEL COMPLETELY NORMAL ABOUT THIS *gnaws my entire fist*
November 18, 2023
Murderbot is not okay. I repeat, Murderbot is (very much) not okay.
It’s easy to think of our former “mindless killing machine” with a soft spot for media entertainment and - brace for it - humans and a certain Asshole Research Transport as amazingly invulnerable, save for a bit of severe social anxiety and awkward difficulty adjusting to accepted personhood after existence as basically a disposable weapon, and now certainly PTSD. But Murderbot is not invulnerable, and emotions happen, and trauma - as much as it would like to keep that part [redacted] - wreaks its consequences on our favorite bot/human construct.
Set immediately after the end of Network Effect, System Collapse is a direct continuation of that storyline in the quest of Murderbot and a few of its favorite humans (and ART, or rather ART-drone) to rescue the abandoned colonists on the planet suffering from alien contamination from becoming indentured servants for a greedy corporation. Oh, and it’s a story of mental health struggles (but done non-didactically and non-annoyingly, which is much appreciated) and a critique of rampant capitalistic approach to life (again, somehow non-annoyingly, which quite a few authors can learn from).
And by now you’re either an established Murderbot fan or a strange person who picked up book 7 in a series without loving the hell out of its snarky supposedly misanthropic protagonist that would annihilate you if you threaten its ever-expanding list of “its” humans ( “(It was weird to have so many humans I had to give them group names.)”
I suppose what I’m saying is — I expect you’ll love it, too.
4.5 stars, rounding up (saving that half-star for eventual narration by Kevin R. Free; I can’t wait to hear his rendition of Murderbot/ART banter).
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
I was different. It wasn’t just the alien contamination. What came out was, “Something in me broke.”
It’s easy to think of our former “mindless killing machine” with a soft spot for media entertainment and - brace for it - humans and a certain Asshole Research Transport as amazingly invulnerable, save for a bit of severe social anxiety and awkward difficulty adjusting to accepted personhood after existence as basically a disposable weapon, and now certainly PTSD. But Murderbot is not invulnerable, and emotions happen, and trauma - as much as it would like to keep that part [redacted] - wreaks its consequences on our favorite bot/human construct.
(“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I had told Mensah. “I think you might know,” she had said. “You just don’t want to talk about it.”)
Set immediately after the end of Network Effect, System Collapse is a direct continuation of that storyline in the quest of Murderbot and a few of its favorite humans (and ART, or rather ART-drone) to rescue the abandoned colonists on the planet suffering from alien contamination from becoming indentured servants for a greedy corporation. Oh, and it’s a story of mental health struggles (but done non-didactically and non-annoyingly, which is much appreciated) and a critique of rampant capitalistic approach to life (again, somehow non-annoyingly, which quite a few authors can learn from).
But since the thing that happened I don’t think I’ve had an emotion that wasn’t the visual equivalent of a wet blanket crumpled on a floor.
And by now you’re either an established Murderbot fan or a strange person who picked up book 7 in a series without loving the hell out of its snarky supposedly misanthropic protagonist that would annihilate you if you threaten its ever-expanding list of “its” humans ( “(It was weird to have so many humans I had to give them group names.)”
I suppose what I’m saying is — I expect you’ll love it, too.
4.5 stars, rounding up (saving that half-star for eventual narration by Kevin R. Free; I can’t wait to hear his rendition of Murderbot/ART banter).
He turned to me. “It was a sexual discussion.”
ART said in our private feed, I told you that you didn’t want to know.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. I had an expression (I couldn’t help it) and involuntarily retreated two meters back down the corridor.
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
December 18, 2023
Warning: This book picks up DIRECTLY after Network Effect. If you are like me and read these books the minute they are released (or are lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy-- many thanks Tor and Netgalley, and I will now proceed with my completely biased review because I feel that I would be first in line to give Murderbot a hug if they would ever, ever permit it), then you should probably go back and refresh yourself if your organic parts are at all suspect. Although Wells is an author prone to detailed world-building, 'Bot is not a being that particularly cares about such details ("I asked because the humans would bug me for the information; I was as indifferent to human gender as it was possible to be without being unconscious") and as such, is often prone to gloss over details in favor of snarky commentary.
Aren't we all?
BUT, as I was saying, Wells does drop us in the action (as usual) and 'Bot is struggling with (redacted). Literally. That's not me redacting anything--that's 'Bot doing it, leaving the reader wondering what exactly is being redacted. Specific events from Network Effect? The alien intelligence? Murderbot 2.0? Who knows, because (redacted).
"I was supposed to 'check in regularly with my emotions' which I pretended was a thing I had any intention of doing... I had fifty-seven unique sources of concern/anxiety, speaking of checking in with my emotions, but nothing I could do anything about right now."
Me too, Murderbot. Me too.
Eventually, of course, all will become clear, but that's why it helps to have recently refreshed recall of Network Effect if you haven't recently re-read it, unlike me. I mean, we all have our favorite episodes, right? All Systems Red and Exit Strategy are my equivalents of Sanctuary Moon, so those don't need much refreshing for me.
Because of that delay, I spent part of this story more confused than I generally appreciate. I was also a little frustrated with 'Bot's indecisiveness and emotional struggles. Yes, you heard me; emotional struggles. But that's growth, isn't it, and that is the wonderful thing about Murderbot; how they have gone from a murdering being (so they say) to a being that just wants to numb themselves on the entertainment feed, to a being that has so many friends they need to categorize them by groups.
However, all that said, there's distinct emotional progress in this book, and I appreciate that Wells continues to evolve 'Bot beyond 'serial of the week' mentality. Similar to the other books, once the plot gets going, Wells does a nice job of tying in suspense and action and it is almost impossible to set the book down.
Many, many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for feeding my 'Bot addiction providing an advanced reader copy that I could review in a completely unbiased manner.
*****************
Love the 'Bot and want to join a re/read? Discuss the upcoming release? Nataliya, Dennis, and I lead a group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Aren't we all?
BUT, as I was saying, Wells does drop us in the action (as usual) and 'Bot is struggling with (redacted). Literally. That's not me redacting anything--that's 'Bot doing it, leaving the reader wondering what exactly is being redacted. Specific events from Network Effect? The alien intelligence? Murderbot 2.0? Who knows, because (redacted).
"I was supposed to 'check in regularly with my emotions' which I pretended was a thing I had any intention of doing... I had fifty-seven unique sources of concern/anxiety, speaking of checking in with my emotions, but nothing I could do anything about right now."
Me too, Murderbot. Me too.
Eventually, of course, all will become clear, but that's why it helps to have recently refreshed recall of Network Effect if you haven't recently re-read it, unlike me. I mean, we all have our favorite episodes, right? All Systems Red and Exit Strategy are my equivalents of Sanctuary Moon, so those don't need much refreshing for me.
Because of that delay, I spent part of this story more confused than I generally appreciate. I was also a little frustrated with 'Bot's indecisiveness and emotional struggles. Yes, you heard me; emotional struggles. But that's growth, isn't it, and that is the wonderful thing about Murderbot; how they have gone from a murdering being (so they say) to a being that just wants to numb themselves on the entertainment feed, to a being that has so many friends they need to categorize them by groups.
However, all that said, there's distinct emotional progress in this book, and I appreciate that Wells continues to evolve 'Bot beyond 'serial of the week' mentality. Similar to the other books, once the plot gets going, Wells does a nice job of tying in suspense and action and it is almost impossible to set the book down.
Many, many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for
*****************
Love the 'Bot and want to join a re/read? Discuss the upcoming release? Nataliya, Dennis, and I lead a group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
December 5, 2021
My book review assessment had been 96 percent that this will be five stars, so might as well rate it now. But my performance will continue to drop as I wait for it to come out. No pressure, Ms Wells.
November 20, 2023
‘Something in me broke.’
What makes Murderbot as endearing as it is engaging are the ways that, through a narrative about an autonomous robot, we think about what it means to be human. The stories are sort of a perfect balance, full of equal measures snark and heart that gives readers all the feels wrapped in a narrative exploding with action. But at the center is our rather reluctant hero—Murderbot themselves—who is so easy to empathize and often identify with but also tells us that even if we, too, would rather hide from the world and watch our favorite tv series, or hate everyone and don’t want to talk about our feelings, or even want to get up and face the world, we too could channel Murderbot and still be the incredible hero when the chips are down. I’ve followed this series with nothing but utter bliss and joy so when System Collapse released this week I knew it was one to drop everything and dive into. And I gotta say…
OH
MY
GOD
A direct sequel to Network Effect, this volume is the second full-length in the series and the least stand-alone of them all (be advised if you were thinking of jumping in fresh here: don’t). Murderbot has faced a lot, and not just the violence of battles and betrayals but also a lot of emotional hardships as well as witnessing filthy-rich corporations commit filthy crimes with no regard for human life. And while Murderbot is slowly becoming more “human-like” and exploring the emotions it does not particularly enjoy admitting to, Murderbot is about to experience one of the most human feelings of them all: trauma.
Martha Wells excels at exploring emotions and interpersonal(or non-‘people’) relationships through unique and intense storylines and this might be one of the deepest and most heart wrenching of them yet. I say “yet” because WE NEED MORE, KEEP THEM COMING PLEASE. I really enjoyed exploring Murderbot dealing with really heightened moments of vulnerability, with the text often reading ‘[redacted]’ to represent Murderbot repressing memories, feelings, etc. in a really heartfelt and empathetic exploration of mental health.
‘Am I making it worse? I think I’m making it worse.’
Not that this story is all doom-and-gloom, quite the opposite really. Murderbot still delivers plenty of deadpan humor and more snark than there are stars in the sky. I was glad I had just finished Network Effect because this is a direct continuation of those events with the Barish-Estranza Corporation on it’s way to enslave the surviving colonists in order to strip-mine the planet. I enjoy how the ‘fuck the man’ vibes of Murderbot books tend to focus on issues of environmentalism and imperialism and how its just really Big corporations being really Big assholes. Will Murderbot be able to pull themselves together and save the day while ruining rich people’s day again? Better pick up System Collapse and find out!
4.5/5
What makes Murderbot as endearing as it is engaging are the ways that, through a narrative about an autonomous robot, we think about what it means to be human. The stories are sort of a perfect balance, full of equal measures snark and heart that gives readers all the feels wrapped in a narrative exploding with action. But at the center is our rather reluctant hero—Murderbot themselves—who is so easy to empathize and often identify with but also tells us that even if we, too, would rather hide from the world and watch our favorite tv series, or hate everyone and don’t want to talk about our feelings, or even want to get up and face the world, we too could channel Murderbot and still be the incredible hero when the chips are down. I’ve followed this series with nothing but utter bliss and joy so when System Collapse released this week I knew it was one to drop everything and dive into. And I gotta say…
OH
MY
GOD
A direct sequel to Network Effect, this volume is the second full-length in the series and the least stand-alone of them all (be advised if you were thinking of jumping in fresh here: don’t). Murderbot has faced a lot, and not just the violence of battles and betrayals but also a lot of emotional hardships as well as witnessing filthy-rich corporations commit filthy crimes with no regard for human life. And while Murderbot is slowly becoming more “human-like” and exploring the emotions it does not particularly enjoy admitting to, Murderbot is about to experience one of the most human feelings of them all: trauma.
‘since the thing that happened I don’t think I’ve had an emotion that wasn’t the visual equivalent of a wet blanket crumpled on a floor.’
Martha Wells excels at exploring emotions and interpersonal(or non-‘people’) relationships through unique and intense storylines and this might be one of the deepest and most heart wrenching of them yet. I say “yet” because WE NEED MORE, KEEP THEM COMING PLEASE. I really enjoyed exploring Murderbot dealing with really heightened moments of vulnerability, with the text often reading ‘[redacted]’ to represent Murderbot repressing memories, feelings, etc. in a really heartfelt and empathetic exploration of mental health.
‘Am I making it worse? I think I’m making it worse.’
Not that this story is all doom-and-gloom, quite the opposite really. Murderbot still delivers plenty of deadpan humor and more snark than there are stars in the sky. I was glad I had just finished Network Effect because this is a direct continuation of those events with the Barish-Estranza Corporation on it’s way to enslave the surviving colonists in order to strip-mine the planet. I enjoy how the ‘fuck the man’ vibes of Murderbot books tend to focus on issues of environmentalism and imperialism and how its just really Big corporations being really Big assholes. Will Murderbot be able to pull themselves together and save the day while ruining rich people’s day again? Better pick up System Collapse and find out!
4.5/5
Read
November 15, 2023Obviously I wolfed it. I love Murderbot so.
This series is doing something fascinating, in that each instalment takes place almost immediately after the last and is entirely informed by the last--there's no sense of 'a new story starts', much as life doesn't give you that sense.. It's a roman fleuve, in fact, and you don't get many of those these days.
This one plunges us into the aftermath of the last book, where Murderbot nearly died in a very scary way, and is very much about dealing with the effects, politically and in plot terms and especially in emotional terms: basically the killer cyborg has PTSD.
Having read the whole series through [redacted] times, I had no trouble plunging in, but if you haven't read Network Effect recently, you might want to do so to refresh your memory.
As ever the supporting cast and Murderbot's narration are a joy. This really is an outstanding series (or episodic super-long book).
This series is doing something fascinating, in that each instalment takes place almost immediately after the last and is entirely informed by the last--there's no sense of 'a new story starts', much as life doesn't give you that sense.. It's a roman fleuve, in fact, and you don't get many of those these days.
This one plunges us into the aftermath of the last book, where Murderbot nearly died in a very scary way, and is very much about dealing with the effects, politically and in plot terms and especially in emotional terms: basically the killer cyborg has PTSD.
Having read the whole series through [redacted] times, I had no trouble plunging in, but if you haven't read Network Effect recently, you might want to do so to refresh your memory.
As ever the supporting cast and Murderbot's narration are a joy. This really is an outstanding series (or episodic super-long book).
August 31, 2023
dear ____ (insert name of work/friend/social obligation),
for the next little bit i am going to be UNAVAILABLE.
for the next little bit i am going to be UNAVAILABLE.
January 26, 2022
Five stars to offset Taylor, who I imagine drives the speed limit in the left lane to make sure everybody follows the rules.
July 30, 2021
5 star to offset the 1 star to offset the fake 5 star review
November 16, 2023
Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive Bookseller
I always love returning to Murderbot’s POV.
After Fugitive Telemetry was released (which bounced back to an earlier timeline in the series), I was worried we weren’t going to get any more storyline beyond Network Effect (the full-length novel). But there IS more! It’s right here!
… and it was just okay.
Truthfully I thought System Collapse dealt TOO much with the after-effects of the events in Network Effect and didn’t have as many compelling plot-advancing events as in previous books. It mostly read like a transition story… which I guess is the typical use for novellas in large series, but I’ve come to expect more impact from Wells’ shorts. This one didn’t quite stack up.
It still had the same great inner monologues and sarcasm from Murderbot. And I especially loved the passages of It trying to process Its FEELINGS from the events in NE. Introverts around the world can unite behind Murderbot as a character. Wells understands social awkwardness on a deep level and it has been a joy to see that celebrated in this series. The crew around Murderbot were also great, although I still struggle to keep all the humans straight, even after recently rereading All Systems Red where I was actively TRYING to distinguish between them. Regardless, it’s the machines and computers who are the most vibrant, anyway, and those entities were in full swing in this installment (sometimes literally).
Overall, I’m tickled to be back progressing Murderbot’s story, even though this one felt more tangential. The setup is now presumably all in place though, so I’m expecting a banger of a next novel.
Recommendations: if Murderbot has been missing from your life up to this point, your FOMO should be hard. It’s sarcastic, action-packed, reflectional, and too much fun to handle. Read it.
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, and Mike! <3
Thank you, TOR Publishers and Martha Wells for the chance to read and review an early copy of System Collapse!
Other books you might like:
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
I always love returning to Murderbot’s POV.
After Fugitive Telemetry was released (which bounced back to an earlier timeline in the series), I was worried we weren’t going to get any more storyline beyond Network Effect (the full-length novel). But there IS more! It’s right here!
… and it was just okay.
Truthfully I thought System Collapse dealt TOO much with the after-effects of the events in Network Effect and didn’t have as many compelling plot-advancing events as in previous books. It mostly read like a transition story… which I guess is the typical use for novellas in large series, but I’ve come to expect more impact from Wells’ shorts. This one didn’t quite stack up.
It still had the same great inner monologues and sarcasm from Murderbot. And I especially loved the passages of It trying to process Its FEELINGS from the events in NE. Introverts around the world can unite behind Murderbot as a character. Wells understands social awkwardness on a deep level and it has been a joy to see that celebrated in this series. The crew around Murderbot were also great, although I still struggle to keep all the humans straight, even after recently rereading All Systems Red where I was actively TRYING to distinguish between them. Regardless, it’s the machines and computers who are the most vibrant, anyway, and those entities were in full swing in this installment (sometimes literally).
Overall, I’m tickled to be back progressing Murderbot’s story, even though this one felt more tangential. The setup is now presumably all in place though, so I’m expecting a banger of a next novel.
Recommendations: if Murderbot has been missing from your life up to this point, your FOMO should be hard. It’s sarcastic, action-packed, reflectional, and too much fun to handle. Read it.
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, and Mike! <3
Thank you, TOR Publishers and Martha Wells for the chance to read and review an early copy of System Collapse!
Other books you might like:
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
August 6, 2021
5 star to offset all the offsetting stars and setting suns and all the rest of the nonsense.
September 22, 2023
This book picks up RIGHT where Network Effect left off, so I highly recommend either rereading or refreshing yourself on that book before diving in here. I feel like there's not a ton I can say that is not spoiler-y, so I'll just say that this is the first book where we see Murderbot processing their feelings and the trauma of what all they've been through with the support of their humans and ART. Thematically, this is very salient as to where we are re:late stage capitalism and worker exploitation
November 20, 2023
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/11/20/...
I love Murderbot. Always have and always will. But hate to say it: System Collapse was my least favorite book in the series so far. While it wasn’t necessarily a disaster, it was still disappointing, especially considering it was meant to follow the brilliance of Network Effect.
In this one, the Barish-Estranza corporation is up to their dastardly ways again. This time, they are sending their ships to a newly colonized planet with the intent of luring the colonists there into indentured servitude. As always, our favorite SecUnit with a heart of gold is out to foil their plans, traveling with its team of humans to the planet in an attempt to get to the colonists first and win them over to their side.
But there’s a problem. In itself, that’s not a surprise, as humans seem to have a way of mucking up everything they touch. But in this case, it is Murderbot’s own performance that is a concern. Recently, it has been experiencing memory lapses and other troubling issues. A SecUnit cannot be effective at protecting its human assets unless it is running at peak efficiency, and with a planet of colonists to save, Murderbot needs to hurry up and figure out a solution.
I suppose I should be glad that the series has managed to reach its seventh book before feeling truly repetitive. But the truth is, as Murderbot grapples with its latest predicament, I can’t help but feel like we’ve seen most of this before. Don’t get me wrong, there are some staple elements I enjoy about this series, without which it would not be truly Murderbot, such as its affinity for space soap dramas and its snarky attitude. Heck, I even love it when good old ART shows up. Unfortunately though, we are also treading familiar ground in less desirable ways.
It doesn’t help that System Collapse is essentially an extension of the story from Network Effect, but dealing with the fallout isn’t quite as enthralling. There’s a distinct lack of interesting content to keep the plot going, but of course, when it comes to lengthy expositions, there are plenty. Even Murderbot’s problems with its performance feel like a diversion, a way to inject additional drama into a situation that is crying out for more meaningful action.
However, to be fair, with each volume, we witness the layers peeling back to reveal more of Murderbot’s humanity, which I genuinely appreciate. System Collapse might have ventured into too familiar territory and lingered there a bit too long in places, but when it comes to character development, it does things right. This aspect alone makes picking up this sequel worth it.
As the Murderbot Diaries universe continues to expand, System Collapse proved to be a mixed bag for me. While I am still a huge fan of the series with an incredible fondness for the main character, the plot of this newest installment left me wishing for a bit more oomph. But while it might not reach the heights of its predecessors, the exploration of character depth remains the best reason to keep journeying with Murderbot. Can’t wait for the next book with just as much excitement.
I love Murderbot. Always have and always will. But hate to say it: System Collapse was my least favorite book in the series so far. While it wasn’t necessarily a disaster, it was still disappointing, especially considering it was meant to follow the brilliance of Network Effect.
In this one, the Barish-Estranza corporation is up to their dastardly ways again. This time, they are sending their ships to a newly colonized planet with the intent of luring the colonists there into indentured servitude. As always, our favorite SecUnit with a heart of gold is out to foil their plans, traveling with its team of humans to the planet in an attempt to get to the colonists first and win them over to their side.
But there’s a problem. In itself, that’s not a surprise, as humans seem to have a way of mucking up everything they touch. But in this case, it is Murderbot’s own performance that is a concern. Recently, it has been experiencing memory lapses and other troubling issues. A SecUnit cannot be effective at protecting its human assets unless it is running at peak efficiency, and with a planet of colonists to save, Murderbot needs to hurry up and figure out a solution.
I suppose I should be glad that the series has managed to reach its seventh book before feeling truly repetitive. But the truth is, as Murderbot grapples with its latest predicament, I can’t help but feel like we’ve seen most of this before. Don’t get me wrong, there are some staple elements I enjoy about this series, without which it would not be truly Murderbot, such as its affinity for space soap dramas and its snarky attitude. Heck, I even love it when good old ART shows up. Unfortunately though, we are also treading familiar ground in less desirable ways.
It doesn’t help that System Collapse is essentially an extension of the story from Network Effect, but dealing with the fallout isn’t quite as enthralling. There’s a distinct lack of interesting content to keep the plot going, but of course, when it comes to lengthy expositions, there are plenty. Even Murderbot’s problems with its performance feel like a diversion, a way to inject additional drama into a situation that is crying out for more meaningful action.
However, to be fair, with each volume, we witness the layers peeling back to reveal more of Murderbot’s humanity, which I genuinely appreciate. System Collapse might have ventured into too familiar territory and lingered there a bit too long in places, but when it comes to character development, it does things right. This aspect alone makes picking up this sequel worth it.
As the Murderbot Diaries universe continues to expand, System Collapse proved to be a mixed bag for me. While I am still a huge fan of the series with an incredible fondness for the main character, the plot of this newest installment left me wishing for a bit more oomph. But while it might not reach the heights of its predecessors, the exploration of character depth remains the best reason to keep journeying with Murderbot. Can’t wait for the next book with just as much excitement.
October 8, 2023
NEW MURDERBOT!!! As soon as I heard it existed, I headed over to NetGalley to request a copy and here we are!
This book takes place just after Network Effect, which is where I wanted to be, more on that later. Here we find our favorite, freed SecUnit and its working with ART. However, Murderbot seems to be having some issues other than the task which they have set their mind to. Murderbot is experiencing things like self-doubt and anxiety and it is a pleasure to behold. Not that I'd wish anything bad would happen to it, it's just that I love its human qualities and I'm glad to see more of them.
That's all I'm going to say about the plot. It's fun and fast-paced with some humming tension as the situation seems to get more dire by the second. With its addiction to Sanctuary Moon and other media still intact, it's not startling to realize that Murderbot seems to be taking some behavior clues from these shows, all in a bid to learn how to better deal with itself, really KNOW itself. I think this aspect is the thing I love most about Murderbot.
I found this a much better story than the previous entry, Fugitive Telemetry, which felt like a tale told completely out of order. I expected to see Murderbot working with ART as that was the situation we left them in at the end of Network Effect. Sadly, that was not the case and it resulted in my least favorite Murderbot story yet. I'm still here though, and I'm glad I stayed because this was the story I was anticipating and I'm glad Martha Wells gave it to us!
All hail Murderbot!
*I received an e-ARC of this book from Tor via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
This book takes place just after Network Effect, which is where I wanted to be, more on that later. Here we find our favorite, freed SecUnit and its working with ART. However, Murderbot seems to be having some issues other than the task which they have set their mind to. Murderbot is experiencing things like self-doubt and anxiety and it is a pleasure to behold. Not that I'd wish anything bad would happen to it, it's just that I love its human qualities and I'm glad to see more of them.
That's all I'm going to say about the plot. It's fun and fast-paced with some humming tension as the situation seems to get more dire by the second. With its addiction to Sanctuary Moon and other media still intact, it's not startling to realize that Murderbot seems to be taking some behavior clues from these shows, all in a bid to learn how to better deal with itself, really KNOW itself. I think this aspect is the thing I love most about Murderbot.
I found this a much better story than the previous entry, Fugitive Telemetry, which felt like a tale told completely out of order. I expected to see Murderbot working with ART as that was the situation we left them in at the end of Network Effect. Sadly, that was not the case and it resulted in my least favorite Murderbot story yet. I'm still here though, and I'm glad I stayed because this was the story I was anticipating and I'm glad Martha Wells gave it to us!
All hail Murderbot!
*I received an e-ARC of this book from Tor via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
November 24, 2023
So, this is the 7th Murderbot book - 5 of them are novella length, one a long novel and this is kind of in between in word count. It is very much part of a series. I saw the series being called a roman fleuve, which yeah it is, but it is science fiction about a bot/construct specialized in combat and security who clandestinely fred itself from corporate ownership and got to make its own decisions and as consequence now has a LOT of social anxiety while picking friends and figuring out what it wants to do along the way.
In a series like this, some parts of it will be more crucial than others. This is not a high-intensity (relatively to plot. All the books are action heavy. Yes, all!) book, it is the aftermath, psychologically and dealing with minor stuff like oh yeah what happens to the population of that planet now (just some hundred, at most a few thousand people...) and more worldbuilding and more (glorious) stuff on how those people (human and not. The non human are just chef's kiss..) deal with each other. It is not an ideas book, but it is a really well done element of a truly original series which focus on action with a lot of thought and care to the characters and worldbuilding. And it is really really well done, Martha Wells is just fully in control of the story. It is not a mind blowing story or a series crucial point, but so worth it (I voted for another book, Children of Memory for the goodreads reader choices awards for sf and I am not changing my vote. Because CoM goes deeper, in ambition and ideas about personhood and consciousness. This is just as good technically but it stays, intentionally, more at the surface).
Going on a side commentary, Martha Wells is writing HARD science fiction. By my interpretation of "hard" which is knowledge there about how things actually work, and some thought( or a lot of thought) about possible futures and trying to make the science and engineering compatible with what is currently known about scientific possibilites and extrapolate into, not only cars, but traffic jams of the future. People kind of dismiss the Murderbot series as "space opera" or "light" but honestly her worlbuilding, establishing is just so good to me, so very "hard", defined, consistent, subtle. It is not in your face, but the details (the terraforming here. How machines would talk to other machines across coding differences) they are all so very believable, deep. Wells has some tricks I think: she evades defining things too much by having Murderbot not caring or being interested, she infodumps when she wants by having Murderbot relate something to (probably) a soap opera it watched. Not unique to this book within this series, but the series is so good all around at it, and it gets so often dismissed I wanted to point it out. It is more than good, "hard sf" enough for me.
Plotwise, well this is action oriented, as all previous books. I am not totally convinced of a plot lever point .
Also, fangirling warning, OMG, it is again fantastic fanservice. Good fanservice, not snarking about that, it is a bad thing at all. Shipping with real ships and I love it, this is my favorite ship. . I wanted more Three by the way, not enough of it but what there was, was great (trying to loan its suit! ahhhhhhh...)
In a series like this, some parts of it will be more crucial than others. This is not a high-intensity (relatively to plot. All the books are action heavy. Yes, all!) book, it is the aftermath, psychologically and dealing with minor stuff like oh yeah what happens to the population of that planet now (just some hundred, at most a few thousand people...) and more worldbuilding and more (glorious) stuff on how those people (human and not. The non human are just chef's kiss..) deal with each other. It is not an ideas book, but it is a really well done element of a truly original series which focus on action with a lot of thought and care to the characters and worldbuilding. And it is really really well done, Martha Wells is just fully in control of the story. It is not a mind blowing story or a series crucial point, but so worth it (I voted for another book, Children of Memory for the goodreads reader choices awards for sf and I am not changing my vote. Because CoM goes deeper, in ambition and ideas about personhood and consciousness. This is just as good technically but it stays, intentionally, more at the surface).
Going on a side commentary, Martha Wells is writing HARD science fiction. By my interpretation of "hard" which is knowledge there about how things actually work, and some thought( or a lot of thought) about possible futures and trying to make the science and engineering compatible with what is currently known about scientific possibilites and extrapolate into, not only cars, but traffic jams of the future. People kind of dismiss the Murderbot series as "space opera" or "light" but honestly her worlbuilding, establishing is just so good to me, so very "hard", defined, consistent, subtle. It is not in your face, but the details (the terraforming here. How machines would talk to other machines across coding differences) they are all so very believable, deep. Wells has some tricks I think: she evades defining things too much by having Murderbot not caring or being interested, she infodumps when she wants by having Murderbot relate something to (probably) a soap opera it watched. Not unique to this book within this series, but the series is so good all around at it, and it gets so often dismissed I wanted to point it out. It is more than good, "hard sf" enough for me.
Plotwise, well this is action oriented, as all previous books. I am not totally convinced of a plot lever point .
Also, fangirling warning, OMG, it is again fantastic fanservice. Good fanservice, not snarking about that, it is a bad thing at all. Shipping with real ships and I love it, this is my favorite ship. . I wanted more Three by the way, not enough of it but what there was, was great (trying to loan its suit! ahhhhhhh...)
November 8, 2023
*3.5 stars
Taking off right where Network Effect left off, Murderbot must once again save their humans, this time from the greedy Barish-Estranza corporation intent on exploiting the colonists and tricking them into indentured servitude.
Not only must Murderbot fight against the corporation and the alien-contaminated bots left on the planet, but also against its own leftover trauma. Faced with nightmares and memory gaps, Murderbot worries their lapses will harm the crew, leaving them feeling more helpless and human than ever before.
Although I was glad to be back with Murderbot and the crew, I was a little disappointed with System Collapse. It feels like it wanted to tell a novella length story in a novel-length format. It wasn't until at least halfway through the book that the plot really picked up and I was interested in what was going on.
My favorite parts, as always, were Murderbot's internal dialogue and its complex feelings towards its human crew. And their interactions with ART, of course! I just wish there had been more dialogue and conversations. We get hints that Murderbot isn't mentally well, and I wished we'd spent more time exploring that.
If you're a big Murderbot fan, I'd still suggest picking up this book. It's fun to be back with favorite characters and learn what happened after the events of the last novel. I just hope the next book has a more interesting plot and digs down into character development.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
Taking off right where Network Effect left off, Murderbot must once again save their humans, this time from the greedy Barish-Estranza corporation intent on exploiting the colonists and tricking them into indentured servitude.
Not only must Murderbot fight against the corporation and the alien-contaminated bots left on the planet, but also against its own leftover trauma. Faced with nightmares and memory gaps, Murderbot worries their lapses will harm the crew, leaving them feeling more helpless and human than ever before.
Although I was glad to be back with Murderbot and the crew, I was a little disappointed with System Collapse. It feels like it wanted to tell a novella length story in a novel-length format. It wasn't until at least halfway through the book that the plot really picked up and I was interested in what was going on.
My favorite parts, as always, were Murderbot's internal dialogue and its complex feelings towards its human crew. And their interactions with ART, of course! I just wish there had been more dialogue and conversations. We get hints that Murderbot isn't mentally well, and I wished we'd spent more time exploring that.
If you're a big Murderbot fan, I'd still suggest picking up this book. It's fun to be back with favorite characters and learn what happened after the events of the last novel. I just hope the next book has a more interesting plot and digs down into character development.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
October 31, 2023
4.0 Stars
Series Review Video: https://youtu.be/T_f3pauxCUM
If you have made it this far into the Murderbot series, then you probably know what you are getting yourself into. This book gives you what you would expect.
This one did not have the most interesting plot but, as always, I just enjoyed spending time with the character of Murderbot. Their internal musings were the right balance of amusing as itself. At this point in the series, I wish there was more advancement in the plot. However this series is meant to be more episodic. It's a limitation of the series, but also its strength.
I would recommend this one to fans of Murderbot. If you've never read the series, I would recommend starting back with All Systems Red.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Series Review Video: https://youtu.be/T_f3pauxCUM
If you have made it this far into the Murderbot series, then you probably know what you are getting yourself into. This book gives you what you would expect.
This one did not have the most interesting plot but, as always, I just enjoyed spending time with the character of Murderbot. Their internal musings were the right balance of amusing as itself. At this point in the series, I wish there was more advancement in the plot. However this series is meant to be more episodic. It's a limitation of the series, but also its strength.
I would recommend this one to fans of Murderbot. If you've never read the series, I would recommend starting back with All Systems Red.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
December 24, 2023
I have to give this one a disappointed 3 and a half stars rounded up to 4 for the last quarter of the book. Before that it dragged.
The planet they were on was a hard world to build and engage the reader with. The shocks didn't seem to hit as hard as they could have.
It began to come together near the end and we saw the Sec Unit, Art and crew we've come to love in all their snarky, sassy glory.
Kevin R. Free's narration was a pleasure to hear.
The planet they were on was a hard world to build and engage the reader with. The shocks didn't seem to hit as hard as they could have.
It began to come together near the end and we saw the Sec Unit, Art and crew we've come to love in all their snarky, sassy glory.
Kevin R. Free's narration was a pleasure to hear.
November 13, 2023
Okay, well, did I have any real idea about what was going on in this one? Not really. This wasn't helped by a week-long reading hiatus after being 40% in so yeah some of that could be chalked up to forgetfulness of where we were and what had come before but really do we ever actually know what's going on in these books outside of Murderbot bemoaning its existence and humans humaning around it? Not generally. At least I don't. I can barely remember what goes on in the background of Murderbot's surroundings except it involves being on planets and evil corporations and possibly some alien activity and way too many supporting characters I can't keep track of.
At this point I'm really just reading these books for the wee moments of banter (and ART) and silliness amongst all the rest. And we had some good amounts of that in this one. Plus a weird little side issue with Murderbot's memory which is concerning.
Will I read on? Of course. Will I ever generally know what is happening plot-wise and where things might be going? Of course not. And I'm good with that.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
At this point I'm really just reading these books for the wee moments of banter (and ART) and silliness amongst all the rest. And we had some good amounts of that in this one. Plus a weird little side issue with Murderbot's memory which is concerning.
Will I read on? Of course. Will I ever generally know what is happening plot-wise and where things might be going? Of course not. And I'm good with that.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
November 21, 2023
I was so looking forward to reading this and I really wanted to love it… I didn’t, though, since I was dropped right into the middle of the action - of the aftermath of “Network Effect”, an earlier novel in the series, which I don’t remember at all.
I felt confused for a long time because there were lots of references to the earlier book that I simply didn’t get. I finally got somewhat into the flimsy excuse for a story at around the half-way mark - and still felt let down by Murderbot's anti-climatic “redacted” event and a story that felt like an “extension”, an add-on.
“System Collapse” should have been published as part of “Network Effect” because as it is, it’s just like Wells recovered the “missing chapters”.
Yes, I knew part of that before even starting to read this one but I don’t re-read and an author should make an effort to get me up to speed.
Three out of five stars - and even those feel slightly generous. Meh.
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I felt confused for a long time because there were lots of references to the earlier book that I simply didn’t get. I finally got somewhat into the flimsy excuse for a story at around the half-way mark - and still felt let down by Murderbot's anti-climatic “redacted” event and a story that felt like an “extension”, an add-on.
“System Collapse” should have been published as part of “Network Effect” because as it is, it’s just like Wells recovered the “missing chapters”.
Yes, I knew part of that before even starting to read this one but I don’t re-read and an author should make an effort to get me up to speed.
Three out of five stars - and even those feel slightly generous. Meh.
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June 9, 2021
Book doesn't exist yet. 1 star to offset the fake 5 star review
November 14, 2023
Murderbot is not all there
In my review of Rogue Protocol I described Murderbot as "the adorably cuddly ball of barbed-wire that she naturally is". But Murderbot's bristling exterior has been breached. In Network Effect Murderbot encountered alien remnant contamination, which did something -- she's not quite sure what -- to her.
Short bookkeeping note here: although Network Effect is nominally book 5 and Fugitive Telemetry book 6 in The Murderbot Diaries, the chronological order and, in my opinion, best reading order is Fugitive Telemetry followed by Network Effect followed by System Collapse. We thus begin System Collapse where Network Effect left off. Murderbot, ART, ART's crew, and some of Murderbot's friends from Preservation Authority are still on or near the unnamed planet where Murderbot and several others were compromised by alien contamination, from which Murderbot mostly rescued them.
As usual in a Murderbot novel, there are two plots. The ostensible plot is the pew-pew space battle plot, except in this case it takes place mostly on the planet's surface, so it is not, strictly speaking a "space" battle. But always, the more important and interesting plot is what's happening to Murderbot herself. At the center of both plots is an issue that has been central to The Murderbot Diaries at least since book 3, Rogue Protocol, and arguably since book 1: corporate slavery. Corporation Rim, the powerful governing entity in the background, permits and condones indentured servitude that is, in every effective way, a form of chattel slavery. Murderbot has repeatedly shown us how much she hates this. As the publisher's blurb tells us
System Collapse is a good extension of The Murderbot Diaries. It also hints, I believe, at the direction we can expect in future books.
I thank NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advance reader copy. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
In my review of Rogue Protocol I described Murderbot as "the adorably cuddly ball of barbed-wire that she naturally is". But Murderbot's bristling exterior has been breached. In Network Effect Murderbot encountered alien remnant contamination, which did something -- she's not quite sure what -- to her.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I had told Mensah.She is definitely not 100%, and she knows it. In fact, her knowing it is something like 80% of the problem -- Murderbot is suffering from that oh-so-familiar-to-humans problem, a failure of self-confidence. She needs help, and her relationships, always an uncomfortable subject for Murderbot, with "her" humans and with ART are essential.
“I think you might know,” she had said. “You just don’t want to talk about it.”
Short bookkeeping note here: although Network Effect is nominally book 5 and Fugitive Telemetry book 6 in The Murderbot Diaries, the chronological order and, in my opinion, best reading order is Fugitive Telemetry followed by Network Effect followed by System Collapse. We thus begin System Collapse where Network Effect left off. Murderbot, ART, ART's crew, and some of Murderbot's friends from Preservation Authority are still on or near the unnamed planet where Murderbot and several others were compromised by alien contamination, from which Murderbot mostly rescued them.
As usual in a Murderbot novel, there are two plots. The ostensible plot is the pew-pew space battle plot, except in this case it takes place mostly on the planet's surface, so it is not, strictly speaking a "space" battle. But always, the more important and interesting plot is what's happening to Murderbot herself. At the center of both plots is an issue that has been central to The Murderbot Diaries at least since book 3, Rogue Protocol, and arguably since book 1: corporate slavery. Corporation Rim, the powerful governing entity in the background, permits and condones indentured servitude that is, in every effective way, a form of chattel slavery. Murderbot has repeatedly shown us how much she hates this. As the publisher's blurb tells us
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.That's the main subject of the pew-pew non-space battle plot. To fight them, Murderbot has to discover a new ability.
System Collapse is a good extension of The Murderbot Diaries. It also hints, I believe, at the direction we can expect in future books.
I thank NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advance reader copy. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
November 23, 2023
3.5 stars rounded down for the middiest of mid reads I can remember. I became a somewhat enthusiastic fan of Murderbot after binging the first 4 novellas, but the series kinda lost its luster and momentum with me with the full-sized novel in Network Effect. Then we went back in time strangely with the next novella that has left very little trace in my memory before returning to the present time directly after Network Effect with this one.
And what an awkward transition it was into the new story -- the beginning of System Collapse is one of the clunkiest starts to a sequel I've ever experienced with just way too many human names bandied about for characters that are basically indistinguishable. But thankfully it didn't take overly long before we set off on a new mission that got me settled in more comfortably and feeling like I was reading something closer to a Murderbot plot from the earlier books. I still enjoy the way Wells writes Murderbot's POV, with lots of sardonic inner monologue and copious use of parentheticals, which is a fantastic touch that so few writers do.
We also got plenty of Murderbot interacting with other non-human intelligences, and that also continues to be engaging for me. However, I just wasn't really engaged by this particular plot, and I found everything pretty hard to visualize. The humans continue to feel un-compelling, and so I don't really care if Murderbot can keep them alive, and I can't muster emotion to care about Murderbot's own emotional investment in keeping them alive. For such a short book it took me 5 days to get through it since I rarely found myself eager to pick it up.
I do think this short-novel length of 240 (slim) pages seems like possibly an ideal size for a full Murderbot adventure to play out without overstaying its welcome. It was ok and besides the beginning I generally enjoyed my time with it, but I fear it will be yet another book from the series that leaves barely any kind of mark in my memory. I guess Murderbot is just kind of drifting away from being something that holds my interest.
And what an awkward transition it was into the new story -- the beginning of System Collapse is one of the clunkiest starts to a sequel I've ever experienced with just way too many human names bandied about for characters that are basically indistinguishable. But thankfully it didn't take overly long before we set off on a new mission that got me settled in more comfortably and feeling like I was reading something closer to a Murderbot plot from the earlier books. I still enjoy the way Wells writes Murderbot's POV, with lots of sardonic inner monologue and copious use of parentheticals, which is a fantastic touch that so few writers do.
We also got plenty of Murderbot interacting with other non-human intelligences, and that also continues to be engaging for me. However, I just wasn't really engaged by this particular plot, and I found everything pretty hard to visualize. The humans continue to feel un-compelling, and so I don't really care if Murderbot can keep them alive, and I can't muster emotion to care about Murderbot's own emotional investment in keeping them alive. For such a short book it took me 5 days to get through it since I rarely found myself eager to pick it up.
I do think this short-novel length of 240 (slim) pages seems like possibly an ideal size for a full Murderbot adventure to play out without overstaying its welcome. It was ok and besides the beginning I generally enjoyed my time with it, but I fear it will be yet another book from the series that leaves barely any kind of mark in my memory. I guess Murderbot is just kind of drifting away from being something that holds my interest.
December 13, 2023
Sad to say, I think the Murderbot series is losing steam.
This is a fun little book, focusing on some follow-up events right after the end of Network Effect. Murderbot is of course a strong narrator whose voice is always a pleasure to read, and there are moments of laugh-out-loud humor. Murderbot’s perspective on humans is always fun too, casting an entertaining outsider light on human behavior (particularly in groups) that winds up feeling more real than we see in most novels. The science-fictional setting also feels well-grounded, and I appreciate the critique of corporate-run society, exploring the inhumanity of the resulting behavior while pegging responsibility firmly on the system rather than individual cackling villains.
However. . . .
I read these books for the characters. Books 1-4 gave Murderbot a highly emotional growth arc, in which it learns to connect with people and find its place as an independent being for the first time. The humans in those novellas also had to grow and adapt, finding themselves way over their head upon being thrust into violent situations and learning that their most dangerous piece of equipment in fact had feelings (loathe as Murderbot is to admit this) and a personality. Book 5 perhaps had less character growth, but it was still present, and being the first full-length novel in the series gave it room to shine with a more complex plot and additional point-of-view characters.
Then we had a sidequel adventure in Book 6, which was fun but unremarkable, and now this book, which is dominated by largely meaningless action and in which the characters have pretty much stalled out. It’s another adventure on the planet from Network Effect, but at this point in the series it’s hard to feel anything is at stake. Also, Murderbot’s current posse is made up of humans well-prepared for their situation, and there’s no meaningful interpersonal drama or relationship development.
In fact, the most interesting developments that could be happening here—Murderbot’s having to mentor the newly rescued SecUnit Three, or some sort of exploration of its relationship with ART following the events of the last book—don’t, as the posse is cut off from communications for most of the novel. Even the one genuinely new plot event winds up unexplored.
I suspect the biggest problem is that Murderbot has just reached the limit of the development appropriate to its character (and perhaps the other characters have too). Sure, there’s an attempt at exploring trauma, but it’s so half-hearted it seems hardly worth the mention: Honestly, other than the narrative requiring some new personal challenge I wasn’t sure why Murderbot would be having this problem at all, given how much it’s been through without consequence and the fact that the events in question don’t really stand out in comparison.
At any rate, I’m sure I will keep reading these books, as they are fun and smart and funny. But where earlier volumes were emotionally moving, this was just mild entertainment, and I’ll be going into the next with lowered expectations. Much as we all love Murderbot, perhaps this character has reached the end of its story and ought to be allowed to ride off into the sunset… er, galaxy.
This is a fun little book, focusing on some follow-up events right after the end of Network Effect. Murderbot is of course a strong narrator whose voice is always a pleasure to read, and there are moments of laugh-out-loud humor. Murderbot’s perspective on humans is always fun too, casting an entertaining outsider light on human behavior (particularly in groups) that winds up feeling more real than we see in most novels. The science-fictional setting also feels well-grounded, and I appreciate the critique of corporate-run society, exploring the inhumanity of the resulting behavior while pegging responsibility firmly on the system rather than individual cackling villains.
However. . . .
I read these books for the characters. Books 1-4 gave Murderbot a highly emotional growth arc, in which it learns to connect with people and find its place as an independent being for the first time. The humans in those novellas also had to grow and adapt, finding themselves way over their head upon being thrust into violent situations and learning that their most dangerous piece of equipment in fact had feelings (loathe as Murderbot is to admit this) and a personality. Book 5 perhaps had less character growth, but it was still present, and being the first full-length novel in the series gave it room to shine with a more complex plot and additional point-of-view characters.
Then we had a sidequel adventure in Book 6, which was fun but unremarkable, and now this book, which is dominated by largely meaningless action and in which the characters have pretty much stalled out. It’s another adventure on the planet from Network Effect, but at this point in the series it’s hard to feel anything is at stake. Also, Murderbot’s current posse is made up of humans well-prepared for their situation, and there’s no meaningful interpersonal drama or relationship development.
In fact, the most interesting developments that could be happening here—Murderbot’s having to mentor the newly rescued SecUnit Three, or some sort of exploration of its relationship with ART following the events of the last book—don’t, as the posse is cut off from communications for most of the novel. Even the one genuinely new plot event winds up unexplored.
I suspect the biggest problem is that Murderbot has just reached the limit of the development appropriate to its character (and perhaps the other characters have too). Sure, there’s an attempt at exploring trauma, but it’s so half-hearted it seems hardly worth the mention: Honestly, other than the narrative requiring some new personal challenge I wasn’t sure why Murderbot would be having this problem at all, given how much it’s been through without consequence and the fact that the events in question don’t really stand out in comparison.
At any rate, I’m sure I will keep reading these books, as they are fun and smart and funny. But where earlier volumes were emotionally moving, this was just mild entertainment, and I’ll be going into the next with lowered expectations. Much as we all love Murderbot, perhaps this character has reached the end of its story and ought to be allowed to ride off into the sunset… er, galaxy.
November 17, 2023
I was already pretty sure I was over this series, but it's been two years and they're short so I gave it a chance. Alas, I just didn't really care about anybody or anything in this novella. It might have been good, but 7 books into a series I want some sort of forward momentum or characters to care about besides a sassy AI-bot and I have never gotten that. But it's good to know for sure that this series is not really my thing any longer.
November 22, 2023
Please give us a release date… I’m going through Murderbot withdrawals!
“Sometimes humans can’t help but let emotion bleed through into the feed.” -Murderbot
“Sometimes humans can’t help but let emotion bleed through into the feed.” -Murderbot
November 28, 2023
Well, that was most pleasing and I will be reading it again very soon. A very useful purchase and it will join my “comfort re-reading" queue immediately.
I was fortunate to be warned that System Collapse follows directly after Network Effect. From the very first page, I was dumped right back into the politics of a newly rediscovered planet with alien remnant contamination. Perihelion (aka ART) and its personnel vs Barrish Estranza corporation, with the addition of the Preservation citizens and our beloved Murderbot.
Murderbot is learning in this module that having human neural tissue is both a plus and a minus. Yes, it can let you learn (from experience or from media) but it can also fuck with you via the imagination. Although imagination can be a wonderful source of ideas and creative solutions, it can also incapacitate its wielder by envisioning horrific possibilities.
As Murderbot fights with its current worries, it never forgets its responsibilities to the humans. It may not “have" to obey them, but it definitely wants to keep them alive and undamaged. It seems to have come to terms with the fact that they want to take care of it, too. And it is also accepting the sheer number of humans that it now feels protectively about.
You'd never guess it from the length of time I fooled around with this novella, but these books read really fast. Now I begin the wait for the next installment. My performance assessment rating may drop several percent until the publishing schedule is announced.
I was fortunate to be warned that System Collapse follows directly after Network Effect. From the very first page, I was dumped right back into the politics of a newly rediscovered planet with alien remnant contamination. Perihelion (aka ART) and its personnel vs Barrish Estranza corporation, with the addition of the Preservation citizens and our beloved Murderbot.
Murderbot is learning in this module that having human neural tissue is both a plus and a minus. Yes, it can let you learn (from experience or from media) but it can also fuck with you via the imagination. Although imagination can be a wonderful source of ideas and creative solutions, it can also incapacitate its wielder by envisioning horrific possibilities.
As Murderbot fights with its current worries, it never forgets its responsibilities to the humans. It may not “have" to obey them, but it definitely wants to keep them alive and undamaged. It seems to have come to terms with the fact that they want to take care of it, too. And it is also accepting the sheer number of humans that it now feels protectively about.
You'd never guess it from the length of time I fooled around with this novella, but these books read really fast. Now I begin the wait for the next installment. My performance assessment rating may drop several percent until the publishing schedule is announced.
December 15, 2023
System Collapse
Murderbot Diaries #7
Martha Wells
I wish these books were longer. All of the Murderbot books are wonderful but short. I forget so much by the time the next book comes out too!
This takes up where the last one ends. Still looking for the colonies. The SecUnit is having what appears to be flashbacks but SecUnit doesn't have memories like this in storage. Is it contamination? Hacking? Is the SecUnit compromised? Lots of inner dialogue and dialogue with ART.
Action, suspense as the crew face three SecUnits from B-E that are trying to take hostages for slaves. ART and SecUnit work together so well!
Deep subjects and humor mixed with great characters make the Murderbot series one of my favorites!
Murderbot Diaries #7
Martha Wells
I wish these books were longer. All of the Murderbot books are wonderful but short. I forget so much by the time the next book comes out too!
This takes up where the last one ends. Still looking for the colonies. The SecUnit is having what appears to be flashbacks but SecUnit doesn't have memories like this in storage. Is it contamination? Hacking? Is the SecUnit compromised? Lots of inner dialogue and dialogue with ART.
Action, suspense as the crew face three SecUnits from B-E that are trying to take hostages for slaves. ART and SecUnit work together so well!
Deep subjects and humor mixed with great characters make the Murderbot series one of my favorites!
December 2, 2023
I love MurderBot so do not expect an impartial review.
System Collapse is a much better story than Fugitive Telemetry. Solid SciFi. Political intrigue. Lots of entertainment media. ART is back. MurderBot gets to do MurderBot things. All in all, very satisfying.
System Collapse is a much better story than Fugitive Telemetry. Solid SciFi. Political intrigue. Lots of entertainment media. ART is back. MurderBot gets to do MurderBot things. All in all, very satisfying.
August 9, 2021
5 star to add to all the other stars because I really like stars...
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