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twistykris's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I simply love Murderbot, ART, and their escapades to saving humans from being mauled, mangled, and murdered, while Murderbot ALSO tries to navigate its PTSD and trauma regarding an event from a previous book.
These books just hit me differently; I can go from laughing because Murderbot tells ART to go fuck itself, and then a minute later, I'm on the verge of tears because Murderbot is just simply not okay. And then I'm in shock and cheering becauseMurderbot tells another SecUnit with a malfunctioning governor module "come with us." I also loved the ending where we get another bot who ART doesn't like?? and Murderbot knowing it wants to continue traveling with Art is just SO wonderful and assures me we're getting another installation of this series.
I have listened to the audiobook for every Murderbot book and Kevin R. Free continues to be just an absolute delight to listen to. He portrays all of the voices well, especially Murderbot's dry, sarcastic tone. However, there were certain parts I wish I had a physical or digital copy to actually read and follow along with- I think it would have been helpful for me to visualize the coding language Murderbot uses to communicate with another more archaic unit. One reason to just buy the series, ehehe...
These books just hit me differently; I can go from laughing because Murderbot tells ART to go fuck itself, and then a minute later, I'm on the verge of tears because Murderbot is just simply not okay. And then I'm in shock and cheering because
I have listened to the audiobook for every Murderbot book and Kevin R. Free continues to be just an absolute delight to listen to. He portrays all of the voices well, especially Murderbot's dry, sarcastic tone. However, there were certain parts I wish I had a physical or digital copy to actually read and follow along with- I think it would have been helpful for me to visualize the coding language Murderbot uses to communicate with another more archaic unit. One reason to just buy the series, ehehe...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Slavery
Minor: Trafficking, Death, and Murder
abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, Medical trauma, Violence, War, and Trafficking
devynreadsnovels's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Colonisation, Cursing, Medical content, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
divine529's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
It's pretty much a given at this point that if there's a new Murderbot book, I'm going to love it. I loved this, but it wasn't an absolute 100% favorite, not because it wasn't fantastic, but because some of the pacing/choices some of the characters made didn't sit right with me.
That aside, I live and breathe for Murderbot as a character always and seeing It struggle the way it did in this book was a whole thing for me to experience - essentially It's working through it's trauma and is not having a good time. ART is also one of my favorites always and ART and MB's dynamic is everything.
I love seeing the evolution of the humans' relationships with each other and with the bots throughout the books and it was no different here.
This book deals a lot with colonization of a specific planet and seeing the politics involved in all of that was so interesting, but also infuriating.
All in all, another fantastic Murderbot book.
That aside, I live and breathe for Murderbot as a character always and seeing It struggle the way it did in this book was a whole thing for me to experience - essentially It's working through it's trauma and is not having a good time. ART is also one of my favorites always and ART and MB's dynamic is everything.
I love seeing the evolution of the humans' relationships with each other and with the bots throughout the books and it was no different here.
This book deals a lot with colonization of a specific planet and seeing the politics involved in all of that was so interesting, but also infuriating.
All in all, another fantastic Murderbot book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery and Colonisation
Minor: Murder, Death, and Trafficking
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This does a lovely job at expanding the story from the end of Network Effect. The cast of characters is well chosen, though I did wish for more Three, and I really like Murderbot's emotional journey through the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Gun violence, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
babudarabu's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Trafficking, Slavery, and Murder
julesadventurezone's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was shipped to me early by mistake and I couldn't not read it immediately.
This book reads a bit like an ongoing panic attack by our resident SecUnit. Murderbot is doing worse than usual, poor dear.
The book makes the choice to chop down the now rather massive ensemble cast to four plus MB for the majority of the book, which is smart and I appreciate it, but also I was a little sad that we got so little Three content. Also i don't think in terms of compelling core team nothing will reach Amena & ART & Murderbot. Which is a lot of words to say that the relationships at the core of this book were somewhat less compelling than the ones in Network Effect.
In terms of steps up I found the happenings easier to follow (especially the intersystem communication).
I also liked the story very much, especially the team frantically making a documentary and the very tense escape through the dark at the end.
The book makes the choice to chop down the now rather massive ensemble cast to four plus MB for the majority of the book, which is smart and I appreciate it, but also I was a little sad that we got so little Three content. Also i don't think in terms of compelling core team nothing will reach Amena & ART & Murderbot. Which is a lot of words to say that the relationships at the core of this book were somewhat less compelling than the ones in Network Effect.
In terms of steps up I found the happenings easier to follow (especially the intersystem communication).
I also liked the story very much, especially the team frantically making a documentary and the very tense escape through the dark at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Murder, Death, Colonisation, Blood, Body horror, Trafficking, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! System Collapse, by Martha Wells, is the seventh installment in The Murderbot Diaries, though only the second full-length novel in this series (and even at that, it's still short!). Wells' latest installment was easily another five-star Murderbot diary entry for me.
We pick up after the events of Network Effect, with Murderbot, ART and our combined Preservation/University/Colonist crews royally stuck. ART's wormhole drive is still out of commission, Preservation back-up ships haven't arrived, and our current corporate-villain Barish-Estranza is attempting to subvert their efforts to free the colonists and/or set them up for independence (by instead attempting to convince the colonists to sign away their own freedom as contract, read: slave, labor). And on top of this giant mess, we have a highly traumatized Murderbot still coping with the final events of Network Effect.
Throughout the first half we know something significant happened that has divided Murderbot's sense of self into before and after, but the event itself is redacted from Murderbot's entry. Our generally sarcastic but self-assured Murderbot is now deeply uneasy, compulsively checking its risk assessment module and performance reliability, frequently drifting into thought and forgetting its surroundings, and, most shocking, doubting its ability and worth at every turn. For anyone who has lived experienced with panic attacks or panic disorder, Murderbot's distress is painfully real. It spends a majority of the book's mission attempting to function while processing past events. Each installment in this series manages to explore a new facet of personhood, belonging and self-awareness, and this was perhaps the most emotional journey yet. Ultimately, System Collapse is a deeply satisfying conclusion to the events of Network Effect and I highly recommend to all Murderbot readers.
We pick up after the events of Network Effect, with Murderbot, ART and our combined Preservation/University/Colonist crews royally stuck. ART's wormhole drive is still out of commission, Preservation back-up ships haven't arrived, and our current corporate-villain Barish-Estranza is attempting to subvert their efforts to free the colonists and/or set them up for independence (by instead attempting to convince the colonists to sign away their own freedom as contract, read: slave, labor). And on top of this giant mess, we have a highly traumatized Murderbot still coping with the final events of Network Effect.
Throughout the first half we know something significant happened that has divided Murderbot's sense of self into before and after, but the event itself is redacted from Murderbot's entry. Our generally sarcastic but self-assured Murderbot is now deeply uneasy, compulsively checking its risk assessment module and performance reliability, frequently drifting into thought and forgetting its surroundings, and, most shocking, doubting its ability and worth at every turn. For anyone who has lived experienced with panic attacks or panic disorder, Murderbot's distress is painfully real. It spends a majority of the book's mission attempting to function while processing past events. Each installment in this series manages to explore a new facet of personhood, belonging and self-awareness, and this was perhaps the most emotional journey yet. Ultimately, System Collapse is a deeply satisfying conclusion to the events of Network Effect and I highly recommend to all Murderbot readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Murder, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Trafficking
bookcheshirecat's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
5.0
“I could have asked what ‘or worse’ meant but there was only so much I could take and I thought I’d hit my limit about, I don’t know, four years ago.”
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review! The quotes are taken from the Arc and are subject to changes!
System Collapse brings us another full-length Murderbot adventure! ➽ It’s book 7 in the Murderbot Diaries but also the eagerly awaited direct sequel to Network Effect 👀 While not as long as its predecessor there is a lot going on and many interesting themes explored. It’s always difficult to pick a favorite from the series, but System Collapse comes close and makes me excited for the future of the series, as there are more books to come and there is SO much potential for them 💗
The conflict with Barish-Estranza is far from over, as they try to seize the remaining colonists ➽ Meaning, we don’t leave the Lost Colony’s system that was the main setting for Network Effect, as Murderbot – together with ART’s crew – is once again trying to save humans from the corporates. Barish-Estranza is determined to trick the remaining colonists into a predatory ‘work contract’ with whatever means necessary.
Murderbot is joined by Ratthi (my favorite Preservation human), Iris (ART’s favorite human) and Tarik (ART’s newest crew member) as they venture planet-side to warn the colonists of their dangerous fate. I loved the crew dynamics, it was great to finally get to know Iris a bit better, especially as she’s ART’s favorite. Her interactions with Murderbot were great, especially as both of them mean so much to ART. Perihelion/Peri/ART is also along with the ride as a drone, which made me happy as it’s one of my favorite characters and its dry humor makes for some great banter with Murderbot! I also love Ratthi and his unwavering support, so I was glad that he got the spotlight again!
We see a bit of Mensa, Thiago and Amena as well, but they’re not really in focus this time. I hope in the future we’ll see more of Amena again – the ending definitely makes this a possibility – as I loved her friendship with our favorite SecUnit! Speaking of Secunits, Three is present, but not involved in the main action, so we only get small glimpses into its dynamic with Murderbot. I know lots of people were excited for more Three content, but there isn’t much – that being said I see lots of potential for future books to focus on this! A character that surprised me was Tarik, the most recent addition to ART’s crew and a specialist at dealing with corporations, as he’s got a past with them. He had hidden depths and now I’m excited to slowly get to know the rest of ART’s crew as well!
“You should stop worrying. Yeah, I’ll just code a patch to stop feeling anxiety, wow, why didn’t I think of that earlier. (That was sarcasm, I have too much organic neural tissue for that to work.) (Of course, I’ve already tried it.)”
The story had a lot of good discussion about feeling helpless and your mental health catching up with you. ➽ Murderbot has always been a relatable character for me and the way mental health was approached in this book meant a lot to me! This isn’t called System Collapse for nothing, as Murderbot experiences glitches and irregularities in its parameters which leads to a lot of [redacted] incidents. It has always been 100% confident in providing security, as opposed to dealing with social situations and the anxiety that comes with them.
This book raises the question: what do you do if you can no longer adequately perform the one thing you feel confident in? The subtle shifts in Murderbot trying to desperately keep up with its function and protect its humans, while feeling on the edge of a mental breakdown (I can relate) were so well-written. I loved that the authors explored the meaning of helplessness and how Murderbot’s existence has always been conditional on it being useful for security. Now that it’s struggling, Murderbot is scared of the humans no longer wanting to work with it. There are now so many humans that care for it, but it’s tough to believe that there’s unconditional support when you have Murderbot’s background.
Throughout the series, we’ve also seen Murderbot’s PTSD symptoms and anxiety/depression. In fact, this is what I related to so much and why it’s my ultimate comfort character! System Collapse dives a bit deeper into this trauma in a way I won’t name here, as it’s a bit spoilery. Murderbot has come a long way since All Systems Red and I think that’s why now is the time that its trauma is resurfacing to this degree. It’s more settled and paradoxically that’s the moment everything it tried to bury strikes. The ending and its meaning for mental health support moved me to tears
“It would technically be fiction, but the kind of fiction that was true in all the ways that mattered.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Murder, and Slavery
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was lucky enough to receive an early review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The story follows directly after the events of Network Effect and those events have noticeably left Murderbot with PTSD. But, of course, it doesn’t have time to deal with it, let alone watch media and ignore it as another crisis needs diverting. Only, Murderbot isn’t sure it’s up to the task.
The thing about this series is that I’m always left wanting more. This was no exception. There’s something comforting about Murderbot’s anxiety, misanthropy, and existential dread that makes me feel less alone. That and it’s hilarious.
I loved reading about how trauma affected Murderbot and its growing panic that it could no longer function as a SecUnit. Its insecurities and involuntary reactions escalate as the human situation on planet gets more dire. Everything is dire.
But ART is there! And their friendship is amazing and snarky and good for both of them. And Ratthi! Plus, a couple of ART’s humans that are fun to get to know. Iris is particularly great. And more panic-inducing SecUnits! I love reading about Murderbot interacting with new humans/constructs almost as much as I love it interacting with its favorite humans and ART.
Honestly, this book was such a good time. I loved that ART was in it so much, the humor is perfect, and the action sequences are great. Murderbot’s character growth from book to book is fantastic.
Overall, it felt like coming home and was exactly what I wanted from this series. I can’t wait for it to come out on audio so I can listen to Kevin R. Free narrate it!
The story follows directly after the events of Network Effect and those events have noticeably left Murderbot with PTSD. But, of course, it doesn’t have time to deal with it, let alone watch media and ignore it as another crisis needs diverting. Only, Murderbot isn’t sure it’s up to the task.
The thing about this series is that I’m always left wanting more. This was no exception. There’s something comforting about Murderbot’s anxiety, misanthropy, and existential dread that makes me feel less alone. That and it’s hilarious.
I loved reading about how trauma affected Murderbot and its growing panic that it could no longer function as a SecUnit. Its insecurities and involuntary reactions escalate as the human situation on planet gets more dire. Everything is dire.
But ART is there! And their friendship is amazing and snarky and good for both of them. And Ratthi! Plus, a couple of ART’s humans that are fun to get to know. Iris is particularly great. And more panic-inducing SecUnits! I love reading about Murderbot interacting with new humans/constructs almost as much as I love it interacting with its favorite humans and ART.
Honestly, this book was such a good time. I loved that ART was in it so much, the humor is perfect, and the action sequences are great. Murderbot’s character growth from book to book is fantastic.
Overall, it felt like coming home and was exactly what I wanted from this series. I can’t wait for it to come out on audio so I can listen to Kevin R. Free narrate it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Murder, and Trafficking
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