Network Effect
Murderbot Diaries Book 5.0
ISBN 9781250229854
eISBN 9781250229847
ASIN B07WZ7SB5D
I have been slowly working my way through this series. It has only been a week since I read book 4, and a few months before that book 3, but it had been almost 2 years between it and each earlier volume. The series came highly recommended from an author I love. I read this volume over a few days. It was so hard to put down. To quote C.S. Lewis
“No tea cup is big enough nor book long enough for me to be satisfied.”
The earlier stories in this series were novellas but this was the first full length novel in the series and it was amazing. All of the stories to date are excellent reads. Prior to reading that first book I had never heard of Martha Wells, but author Arthur Slade mentioned his on social media. And specifically, he mentioned that first book, which he had just finished. I have read a few books over the years that Art has plugged and have never been disappointed. And that was the case that time as well.
I bought and read book 1 while sitting in PICU after my son had spinal surgery. When I picked it up, I did not realize that it was part of a series. Let alone this long. A series, but it gives me several more books to look forward to that year, or at least that was the plan. It is in many ways a classic science fiction tale. It reminds me of stories I read a lot of in my youth but only pick up from time to time now. The description of this fifth instalment is:
“It calls itself Murderbot, but only when no one can hear.
It worries about the fragile human crew who've grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.
It tells itself that they're only a professional obligation, but when they're captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.
Drastic action it is, then.”
Our hero or anti-hero depending on your perspective was formerly property. But It has ties to certain humans. And in this one It realizes some of those humans mean something to Itself. Specifically some with closer biological ties. In this one we also encounter a transport ship from an earlier story. And Murderbot realizes it had relationships with both biologicals and other synthetics. But the main story is about a group being captured, but captured for a purpose. And not just to help Murderbots from the ship AI, but also to help in a rescue mission. This go sideways on so many different levels. And It is an epic story to read!
There is some great action, and since Murderbot has learned and grown a lot since hacking it’s governor module. And he gives the ability to do that to another Sec Unit when looking for an alley. But after a couple forced reboots, and possible viral infection, Murderbot is not performing at peak abilities and that scale goes up and down throughout the adventure. Things look particularly bleak.
I said it before but this book and series remind me of James Bolivar diGriz, Slippery Jim aka The Stainless Steel Rat. And as you can tell from the first, it is a thinking book. Not just fluff to entertain. That feeling was even stronger with each offering in the series. I especially love Murderbot’s conversations with another Sec Unit, with a cloned killware version of himself, and with a particular youth.
The story in some ways reminds me of the Stainless Steel Rat Series by Harry Harrison. And in other ways it reminds me of Starship Troopers by Heinlein. The action and mystery reminds me of the Rat. And the deep reflective internal dialogue of Rico. Another great read in an excellent series. I can easily recommend this book and series.
Books by Martha Wells:
The Murderbot Diaries:
0.1 Obsolescence
0.5 Compulsory
1.0 All Systems Red
3.0 Rogue Protocol
4.0 Exit Strategy
5.0 Network Effect
7.0 System Collapse
8.0 Platform Decay
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