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A review by aimiller
Network Effect by Martha Wells
adventurous
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
[Stefon voice] This book has everything--tight, cinematic action sequences, developing relationships, a mystery to solve, Dan Cortez...
So this book doesn't have MTV's Dan Cortez, but it DOES have everything that I've come to love about the Murderbot novellas, all in a great amount of space. Wells doesn't luxuriate in the amount of space she has for one second--I kept saying "SO MANY THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK!" over and over again, because the hits really just keep coming and nothing stops. It's not packed in, but really perfectly paced and gives you so much to chew on. Wells is truly a master of writing action sequences that don't completely confuse me or make me zone out for pages on pages, and the tension is so high but is equally broken up by the interactions between characters that feel so real and so loving. We really watched the results of a great deal of character growth in this book--while I think you could probably read this as a standalone, it's so much richer for having read the novellas.
Anyway Ratthi is top ten favorite characters (and you can tell because... I remember his name... one tiny thing that's on me and not on Wells is just keeping straight all these damn character names... help me) and I love him and if you don't also love him by the end of the first chapter/sequence, you're wrong, thank you for your time.
So this book doesn't have MTV's Dan Cortez, but it DOES have everything that I've come to love about the Murderbot novellas, all in a great amount of space. Wells doesn't luxuriate in the amount of space she has for one second--I kept saying "SO MANY THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK!" over and over again, because the hits really just keep coming and nothing stops. It's not packed in, but really perfectly paced and gives you so much to chew on. Wells is truly a master of writing action sequences that don't completely confuse me or make me zone out for pages on pages, and the tension is so high but is equally broken up by the interactions between characters that feel so real and so loving. We really watched the results of a great deal of character growth in this book--while I think you could probably read this as a standalone, it's so much richer for having read the novellas.
Anyway Ratthi is top ten favorite characters (and you can tell because... I remember his name... one tiny thing that's on me and not on Wells is just keeping straight all these damn character names... help me) and I love him and if you don't also love him by the end of the first chapter/sequence, you're wrong, thank you for your time.