Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Network Effect

I love this book! I had it for the full check-out period and listened to it for a grand total of 23 hours in that time-- I just kept running it back because I wanted to hear it over and over. The narration is as always stellar and the longer format of this one let ideas sit a little bit longer and weave together in a really fun and exciting way.

Content Warnings

michaelcattigan's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

pedanther's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

Content Warnings

karin_goodreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

5.0

The Murderbot Diaries' first full novel! Murderbot needs to deal with its crew getting mixed up in a space kidnapping, taking on a strange planet and its colony, while keeping everyone (~~mostly~~) intact and alive. An old friend from the past makes a return with a urgent help request. Murderbot just needs to get through all of it in one piece (mentally, emotionally & physically)... how challenging can it be?

It could be one more weird anomaly in this unending cycle of what the fuck.

I am so entangled in this universe that leaving is impossible (not that I'd even want to do that). I feel like someone grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me so hard that my brain got bounced around.
What the fuck? I was NOT prepared for all of these emotions and the raw reality of learning to live. This was more than I could even dreams of - Murderbot, its crew, ART with its crew, space adventures and a fuckton more! (So much happened in here I swear.)

I hate it when humans and augmented humans ruin things for no reason. Maybe because I was a thing before I was a person and if I’m not careful I could be a thing again.

Well, the adventures were overshadowed by the amount of emotional damage that every other page of this book decided to hit me with. I was genuinely worried and crying by the last chapters, it's not even funny (the book is funny tho). Nevertheless, the writing, the characters, the plot and all the dynamics are to die for! I am thrilled to continue the series and get to witness even more of Murderbot's journey! <3

I don't want to not see you again.

Content Warnings

xta_07's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Murderbot is a wonderful, unconventional reluctant hero.
(Confession time: that moment, when the humans or augmented humans realize you’re really here to help them. I don’t hate that moment.)

Overall I really have enjoyed every entry into this series. However, I think I like the novella size a lot better. The writing is really dry and I get why, because Murderbot is extremely dry. But, I struggled to get through portions of this, and I had to reread several paragraphs. I can see why this book had to be longer though, as it really delves into what it means to be human, and what it means to care about another being.

“No hugging,” I warned her. It was in our contract.

Where this book really shines is the relationship between ART, Murderbot and their humans. In the words of Murderbot: the ending really made me have an emotion.

Content Warnings

palmkd's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Murderbot stole my heart back with the first story and I am here for whatever mess it finds itself in next. This time you could argue it was not Murderbot's fault, but you should read what happened and decide for yourself. This story definitely builds on past events and I strongly recommend reading the series in order. As always, I love the snark and am really enjoying the dynamic between Muderbot and the humans, especially it's humans.
Featuring past characters and introducing some new chaos, this was a solid addition to the Murderbot Diaries.

Content Warnings

maeverose's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

The beginning was good, it dragged a bit in the middle for me but picked up in the last third and I ended up liking it a lot

I loved the almost horror-esque moment at the end.

I love Murderbot

I love it’s reactions to people’s concern for it, and I love that we got to see so much emotional character development in this book. I would give Murderbot the whole world if I could.

I love ART

I love their ‘relationship’ and I’m curious if it really will remain purely platonic or not. Murderbot seems very ace-coded so I assume it will but the way they kept using parallels to romantic relationships is making me wonder.

I already like 3

There are an unnecessary amount of characters and that leaves us with a lot of them being underdeveloped. I do wish I had a better sense of each of their personalities.

I’m gonna have to re read the first book because I don’t remember if they ever fully explained alien remnants. I know they were brought up in the first book but it’s been over a year since I read that one and I’m a little lost on what the alien remnants are exactly. I wanna know more. They seem to be both organic and code? They can infect AI like a computer virus but also humans like a viral infection.. how does that even work? Do the characters even know?

Content Warnings

max_pink's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.25

4.25 Stars

Murderbot faces platonic angst, teenagers, and some truly unsettling body horror. Absolutely my jam, even I got pretty lost in the technical stuff.

Kevin R. Free is a wonderful narrator.

Content Warnings

More...