Fabulous new entry in the Murderbot chronicles. It so rewarding to see Murderbot evolve and grow while retaining that air of dark humour and fatalism. This new chapter reunites Murderbot and ART for double the feels. Martha Wells has hit another one out the park.

The Murderbot Diaries is my absolute favorite series, and this new novel completely lives up to my expectations. While it says it can stand alone, I absolutely recommend reading the four novella series that came first, starting with All Systems Red. Partially because things will be more clear with character backgrounds and partially because it’s an amazing series and should be read.

After the events of Exit Strategy, our beloved (but don’t tell it that) SecUnit is working as security for Preservation Station’s scientific endeavors, and has been acting as Mensah’s security as well. But then an old friend shows up (it’s ART, what other old friends does SecUnit have?) and things rapidly go sideways.

This new novel has everything I love about the original series: Murderbot murder-botting, saving people but grumpily, and occasionally being forced to confront its own personhood and the fact that maybe other people care about it?

There are also a couple new characters that I absolutely loved but don’t want to mention to avoid spoilers. Also one of Mensah’s offspring is along for the ride, and she is a very well written teenager and of course Murderbot is unwillingly fond of her.

I can not recommend this book and the whole series enough!

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells 05/05/2020 Macmillan-Tor/Forge

Martha Well’s series of addictive novellas about a rogue SecUnit on a journey of self-discovery who just wants to watch Sanctuary Moon in peace won Hugo and Locus awards and created a devoted fan base. Her new Murderbot novel, Network Effect, is her first full-length work, and it’s going to make fans very happy. Some old characters who up, including ART, the ship-running AI that helped Murderbot in the novellas, kidnaps Murderbot to save its crew from raiders.

Along the way, it will have to do the one thing it hates more than anything else–deal with feelings for others. Not that it cares about its friends, but Murderbot totally cares about its friends. In a lot of ways, Muderderbot resembles a noir PI, tough on the outside, but even tougher when it comes to protecting people it cares about. Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ll see of our favorite bot, but there are other strings here that the author could pull, including the robot revolution that Murderbot is consciously (or unconsciously) setting up.

I always say I need more Murderbot in my life and Martha Wells has delivered. This was just a joy to read. If you have read and enjoyed the novellas then run, don't walk, to get this book in your life and if you started with this one and loved it then you absolutely must read the others.

This is one of those books well worth the wait. I dove into this series without hesitation and the conclusion, so far, reached in this full length novel make me want to reread the whole series! If you like anything about artificial intelligence, dray sarcasm, or the reluctant building of familial relationships, then you will love this series. I do not think you will need to read the first four novellas before this book, but why deprive yourself of some of the greatest wit in the universe? This is one of those books that may not be for everyone, but there are moments I think anyone can enjoy.

This was everything I wanted from a full length Murderbot novel and then some. Also, apparently there is going to be another novel coming out next year? Heck yes!

The problem with writing reviews for books I really love is that I just want to yell “IT’S GOOD NOW READ IT!”
So that is what this is. Network Effect is good! Now read it!

But if you haven’t already read the novellas first, maybe start there because one of the pleasures of this novel is the continuation of Murderbot’s character and friendship arcs. And if you HAVE read the novellas and if, like me, some of your favorite parts of the series are Murderbot cringing through interpersonal relationships, shooting first and talking (as a grudgingly distant) second, regretfully having a body, going off to have an emotion in private, and being a total asshole, but affectionately, then stop reading this and go read Network Effect instead.

Okay, thanks bye.

Well well well Murderbot. Just when I thought I heard the last of you, and my poor heart was mending from breaking, you come back into my life in not just a novella, but a full length freaking novel? How will I ever get over this new loss?!

But seriously. I thoroughly enjoyed a full length version of the sarcastic Murderbot. The shorter novellas will always have a special place in my heart, but I enjoyed expanding on MBs life as he deals with a teenager and ART. Oh ART, how I love you too.

And even though the pub and NetGalley granted an ARC, I did end up listening to the audio because that is the best for Murderbot, and as always it was superb.

NETWORK EFFECT by Martha Wells (a Murderbot novel) is an absolutely fabulous work of science fiction that I am highly recommending. So, too, are its readers on Goodreads where it has 1000's of ratings, averaging 4.5, where affection for the snarky main character are readily apparent. In addition, this title is a LibraryReads selection and both Booklist and Publishers Weekly have given NETWORK EFFECT a starred review. In fact, Wells' earlier titles (shorter novellas) in this series have won or been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards – pretty impressive!

Readers of speculative, futuristic fiction will really enjoy the action packed adventures involving a sentient murder machine who is programmed to protect its humans, despite being frequently annoyed and puzzled by their actions. The descriptive prose and dialogue are crisp and often humorous. For example, Murderbot refers to "a subjective eternity that was actually 1.2 seconds long" and comments that "though it was tempting, 'advance planning sucks' seems to be the wrong lesson to take from that whole incident." When asked about looking angry, he notes, "'That's just something my face does sometimes.' [with an immediate aside to the reader:] This is why helmets with opaque face plates are a good idea." Whether attempting to thwart a kidnapping, investigating possible alien contagion, or using sophisticated programming and drone technology to take out various Targets, this A.I. SecUnit is extremely entertaining.

The publisher categorizes NETWORK EFFECT as a standalone novel – and that is how I read it, but having the background from earlier titles in the series would make this one even more enjoyable. Thankfully, it appears that Macmillan is lifting its embargo on new release eBooks for libraries, including Tor titles, so let’s hope that many more readers will be able to enjoy NETWORK EFFECT and others in the Murderbot series.

Links in live post:
https://libraryreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/May-2020-Final.pdf https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/82715-macmillan-abandons-library-e-book-embargo.html

More adventures with Murderbot is exactly the kind of sci-fi fun we could all use. The progression of Murderbot coming to terms with its freedom from the governor module that keeps units like itself a servant to whomever holds a contract with them is much more realized and moving in this full length novel.

It's the kind of hopeful story that this year could use, and it shows that we can all come together through the most difficult of times. Murderbot may be the most human non-human character around. Its relationship with other humans, as well as a transport ship it nicknamed ART, is quite emotional.

The story is also packed with plenty of action, and the last few chapters had me glued to the page. My only concern is that you can't fully appreciate this without reading the previous novellas, but since they're just as much fun, there's no reason to keep anybody from just grabbing the entire series. You won't be disappointed.

Network is the first full length novels in the murder bot series . You will love this if you love the novellas . Full of action and heart felt connections between found families . Plus Murderbot and all his thoughts on everything

The first four Murderbot novellas excelled in the short form, following a familiar but
successful pattern. Our sarcastic hero, SecUnit (aka Murderbot), gets itself and its human charges out of some sticky situations, decides to investigate the cause of those situations, causing more danger, until the villains are defeated. I found all four very satisfying, like episodes of a beloved television show. But would this work in long form? Will Murderbot suffer the fate of the countless TV shows that failed to deliver when expanded to the big screen. Fear not, fans of media, Martha Wells delivers.

The long form allows Wells to take us to the intersection of two realms that until this point Murderbot has kept separate: PreservationAux and the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland. The latter may sound unfamiliar but it is the employer of the beloved A*****e Research Transport, ART, from Artificial Condition. SecUnit's return to ART's deck is at first unwelcome, and in fact involuntary. But soon the two old friends are working together to defeat a common foe. As in previous installations in the series, SecUnit must use its brain (processing power) as well as its brawn, for built-in energy weapons are only effective in some circumstances. The hacking, wise-cracking, head-smacking hero continues to struggle with its own existential dilemma while rescuing humans, fighting off drones and killware, and sneaking in a few episodes of "Sanctuary Moon" and "World Hoppers." To reveal any more would spoil the surprises that Wells has crafted in this hilarious cybernoir classic.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Murderbot! I´ve been an avid reader of fantasy for many years, but am relatively new to scifi. But I´ve read all of Murderbot so far and I enjoy them so much, of course Wells is an amazing author and I´ve read several of her fantasy novels before and enjoyed them very much. Looking forward to more Murderbot next year! Hope he comes on Netflix (or some other network)! :D

Murderbot continues to be AWESOME in this new stand-alone book by Martha Wells. When this entertainment loving Bot came into my life I was SUPER excited to keep reading so when I learned that Martha Wells was putting out a novel-size book on Murderbot I was very happy and this book didn't disappoint. A lot of favourites make a comeback (ART!!!) with some new characters thrown in. It fills in the time between the last short story nicely while also giving us a satisfying ending (??? I mean, I'd read more about Murderbot any day of the week). Martha Well's writing is great and I love the way the characters speak and interact with one another. If you're into science fiction then you can't go wrong with the Murderbot books,

An excellent new installment in the Murderbot story. Loved spending time with familiar faces, including some unexpected characters.

The Murderbot Diaries has become my favorite science fiction series. I have been anxiously awaiting a full-length novel after the four excellent novellas Wells has given us so far, and Network Effect did not disappoint. This entry gives us more time with our beloved Murderbot and its human charges (and some other friends I won't spoil here). I devoured this book over the course of two days and now I must sadly wait until 2021 for the next installment—but if it is as good as this one (and I guarantee it will be, given how great the ride has been thus far), it will be worth the wait. If you want to meet one of the most beautifully human nonhuman characters in SFF, Murderbot is just what you need.

In its first full-length novel adventure, Murderbot is thrust right back into the fire on a rescue mission that immediately goes awry. Expanding from the usual novella length of previous installments, this was a bit all over the place for me and I can’t say that it benefits from the extra room. The story is similar to previous, tighter Murderbot tales, but the proceedings get so bogged down by technical mumbo jumbo that I had a difficult time following the action.

Murderbot is at its best when the characters and their complicated relationships are at the forefront. In that respect, I really enjoyed the return of my favorite character, ART, Murderbot’s snarky sparring partner from a previous novella. This relationship, coupled with Murderbot’s dealings with some new (but familiar) allies makes for a compelling new wrinkle. Qualms aside, I’ll happily join up on Murderbot’s next mission, setting sail next year with a new novella.

I think this fifth outing really cements Murderbot as one of my all-time favorite characters in any medium. And a full-length Murderbot book is really the best thing to come out of 2020.

A 350 page book (rather than the ~150sih page novellas we've gotten so far) is a dream to all Murderbot fans – the story has so much more room to grow, and we get to see so many more dimensions to the characters we've met in earlier novellas. The return of ART is nothing short of delightful, and the friendship between MB and ART grows in some really complex and intriguing ways. It was nice to get to see more from the humans – in previous books, they've all kind of blurred together, but now they're given pages to develop more distinctive personalities.

I am already so eager for the next novella, Fugitive Telemetry next year – it looks like it's gonna be a bit of a murder(bot) mystery, and I hope we get to see some of our favorite humans and bot sidekicks return.

I was so excited that Murderbot finally got a full length novel, and I was not disappointed either. This was just as funny, exciting and thrilling as the novellas. If you have not yet read the novellas, that is ok, you don’t really need to, but it does help, especially when it comes to Murderbot’s backstory and its relationship with ART, another AI that was in one of the novellas.

Murderbot hasn’t changed much in the few months living with humans. I continue to love how the humans accept and trust that Murderbot, or SecUnit, will always be there to protect them, even if they don’t completely understand its view of the world. Murderbot still mostly wants to be left alone, to watch serial shows and brood a bit. But it does look out for the humans and even cares for them in its own way, although don’t use the f-word (feelings). Murderbot is still sarcastic and quite astute in its assessment of humans and their strange behavior.

The plot of this novel was quite good, but there were a couple of slow parts, and then I was confused a bit towards the end, when some weird and technical stuff happened. But lots of action with alien sentient killware, space raiders, explosions, catastrophic failures of all kinds, and lots of sarcastic thoughts and comments by both Murderbot and ART. The over all theme of personhood and friendship is still there and Murderbot is getting closer to understanding what it wants out of life, besides sitting in a corner and watching tv by itself.

The Murderbot diaries are some of the best in science fiction today. The novellas are short and easy reads and so much fun. I think this is the only science fiction stories I have read with a smile on my face almost the entire time. I love them!

I have been a fan of the Murderbot series for years and this installment may be the best one yet. It is full of action, plot twists, hard science fiction, and is laugh-out-loud funny. I don't want to spoil any plot details by writing more about the book. However, I will say that I will be encouraging everyone to read this. Actually, I will be encouraging everyone to read books 1-4 first so they can get the fullest enjoyment out of Network Effect.