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A review by caughtbetweenpages
Network Effect by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
6/5 stars, if it were possible, which should surprise literally nobody. The Murderbot diaries have taken my reading brain by storm this year and I wouldn't have it any other way. I was nervous to pick this volume up at first for several reasons. Given that the quartet of novellas that precede it wrapped up in a tremendously satisfying way, I worried slightly (VERY slightly; I trust Martha Wells' storytelling. But I've been burned before.) that this continuation wouldn't advance MB's character growth and understanding of its new role/position/circumstances. I was wrong. I also worried about the length; usually I find novellas to feel as though they're missing Something, some story element that more page time is necessary to expound upon, and the success of the MB novellas for my tastes made me worry that a novel length installment in MB's story would feel bloated or lack the pacy external plotting or the in-depth consideration of MB's identity exploration. I was SO wrong.
I was wrong and I've never been so thrilled. We get so many of my old favorite characters coming all together (ART and Ratthi, my loves!), as well as a medley of new folks who MB has Complicated and Ever-Changing Feelings About (Amena, you precious baby!). We get further expounding on SecUnit and general bot sapience and How Absolutely Fucked things are for them, and not just in the Corporate Rim. Three was a standout for me, and I hope we see more of them in the future, and I will NEVER be over Murderbot 2: 2 Killware 2 Furious, and the TargetSystem but not really since it was mind controlled by whatever that alien creature thing was and their sacrifice. Also, the agriculture bots being Huge and Scary but actually tremendously kind in their base programming will never not make me emotional. We also finally get to see some alien remnants that have been hinted at since book 1, and not only do we learn that oh my god humans should absolutely not be fucking with things they don't understand because they're super strong and dangerous in ways we don't understand, but I had the awful (read: extremely powerful though unlooked for) emotional response of "oh no, I cannot hate a thing that just wants to survive in a world that is new and scary for it", which is always something I hope I feel about an antagonist/villain, but rarely to this degree.
And of course, Mensah and MB's relationship is one of the most important things to me. The mutual care and attempts to understand one another and neither's ability to actually put to words when they're doing poorly (I say ability and I do mean willingness)... they're so the same while being so very different. I am glad MB is finally accepting of the fact that it has friends, and that Mensah is one of them. And the complexities of Bot/Bot friendships with ART and MB and the whole everything that happened there when each of their humans were put at risk!!! I'm supposed to be normal about this/them/this universe?? The more MB grows and the more it can define it self not just in contrast to the humans/bots/in-betweens it meets throughout its various shenanigans but through its own decisions it makes, the more feral I become.
I love this series. I will read any scrap of words associated with it. I am undone.
I was wrong and I've never been so thrilled. We get so many of my old favorite characters coming all together (ART and Ratthi, my loves!), as well as a medley of new folks who MB has Complicated and Ever-Changing Feelings About (Amena, you precious baby!). We get further expounding on SecUnit and general bot sapience and How Absolutely Fucked things are for them, and not just in the Corporate Rim. Three was a standout for me, and I hope we see more of them in the future, and I will NEVER be over
And of course, Mensah and MB's relationship is one of the most important things to me. The mutual care and attempts to understand one another and neither's ability to actually put to words when they're doing poorly (I say ability and I do mean willingness)... they're so the same while being so very different. I am glad MB is finally accepting of the fact that it has friends, and that Mensah is one of them. And the complexities of Bot/Bot friendships with ART and MB and the whole everything that happened there when each of their humans were put at risk!!! I'm supposed to be normal about this/them/this universe?? The more MB grows and the more it can define it self not just in contrast to the humans/bots/in-betweens it meets throughout its various shenanigans but through its own decisions it makes, the more feral I become.
I love this series. I will read any scrap of words associated with it. I am undone.