Even though I haven't read the other books in The Murderbot Diaries, I saw this ARC and thought it would be a great opportunity to give this series a try!

I found System Collapse was a surprisingly engaging read for someone who doesn't know much about the series. Murderbot, the AI protagonist, is witty, vulnerable, and unexpectedly relatable. Despite the name, it’s not just a cold machine —it’s a character full of humor and emotional depth, struggling with its identity and place in the world, which is something anyone, regardless of age, can connect with. Very glad that I didn't get Terminator or Battlestar Galactica vibes with this one!

The writing is sharp, and the humor balances out the more serious themes. The world-building and the emotional pull of Murderbot’s journey kept me interested throughout. I appreciated the way Wells explores loneliness and the desire for connection, which is something I think we can all relate to at some points in our lives.

While some of the tech jargon went over my head, the character-driven story made it easy to follow. I’m now curious to read the earlier books and see how Murderbot’s journey unfolds.

If you're into sci-fi, or just want a story with heart and humor, System Collapse is well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Murderbot continues its journey in personhood in this installment of the justly popular series by Martha Wells. Many of our favourite characters return with Murderbot as they try to rescue the colonists from the Barish-Estranza corporation.

I happily went and bought hardcover and eaudiobook versions of the story. I greatly enjoy Kevin R Free's narration, he wonderfully conveys the snark!

Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about this installment in the Murderbot series. To me, it felt very different than anything in the series before. System Collapse had big shoes to fill as the story to come next chronologically after Network Effect, and though I was initially wary, I've come around to it. In the other stories, there has been both a mystery component and an action component. This story had a mystery component, but it was resolved about midway through the story, and thought the story opens with an action scene there isn't very much action throughout the rest. System Collapse is more about Murderbot's and Preservation Alliance's stories. The series has also had good characters, but this story puts them and the society they've built front and center. While I hope future Murderbot books aren't all written in the same way, I'm glad this one exists.

I love Martha Wells’ Murderbot books, but System Collapse ultimately didn’t quite work for me. I think it might’ve been tighter at the novella length like the earlier books, or more fleshed out with a longer plot. This way, it felt like there was a certain amount of filler, where I’d have tightened up e.g. the opening. Admittedly part of that gives Murderbot the time to talk about redacted and build up the curiosity about that, but honestly I kept just reading that as being evasiveness about the events of Network Effect anyway…

Overall, the plot felt pretty thin. There were some nice moments, like Murderbot’s realisation of how to reach the colonists — and the fact that that helped boost Murderbot’s performance. Important development does happen here, too: more glimpses of ART’s crew, a little peek at what Three might do now, some aftermath from Network Effect for the colonists, and of course, Murderbot’s obvious need for trauma therapy (which has been a long time coming).

I just… hoped for a bit more when promised another novel in the series, and perhaps that’s also part of my rating here. Here’s hoping for more of Murderbot and ART soon (and perhaps, maybe, a few more glimpses of Three, and the other newly freed SecUnit).

6.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2025/01/31/system-collapse-by-martha-wells-review/

Yes, Murderbot is back, and more Murderbotty than ever. And as you may have guessed from the description, this is its weakest adventure yet. There’s a long setup to be patient through, and even when we get to the adventure itself, there’s not a whole lot of action or suspense to go around. Don’t get me wrong—it’s still the same old Murderbot. Mostly.

Some things have changed over the course of its seven books. Honestly, it’s been long enough that I can’t even remember all of them. Maybe just the vibe has changed. Or maybe nothing has at all, and my perception of what Murderbot was has distorted.

Either way, it’s a good, solid, Murderbot-themed, mystery-action-scifi mashup, with humans and media, but comparably weak story. And thrill. Not bad, but not up to snuff. A middling Murderbot—or Middlebot—tale. I mean, yeah, I’d probably recommend it, but not at $12. For a somewhat quick, comparably middling adventure such as this, I feel like that’s a bit too steep. Maybe try to find it on sale, or at your local library.

Enjoyed this one but not quite as much as the others. As always I love following along in Murderbots mind as it is attempting to navigate human company. Also loved the mental health aspect :)

I absolutely love Martha Wells and her creation, Murderbot. System Collapse was such a fantastic long-form story within this world, deepening the complexity of Murderbot's character and the universe it inhabits. The way Wells explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it means to be human is fascinating, especially through Murderbot’s lens as a robot with human-like emotions and questions of self-worth. The narrative is gripping, the humor sharp, and the philosophical questions—What is a person? What is a robot?—continue to make me reflect long after finishing. I can’t wait for the next installment!

Who doesn't love Murderbot? I'm serious - I have recommended these books to so many people and everyone has loved them!

This was another solid chapter in the Murderbot series. If you read these as soon as they come out, you may need to go back. The books happen right after the last one - it reminds me of the stories that were published in magazines piece by piece (serial novels?? I don't know, my brain is glitching). There's a mystery here, and Murderbot and their crew are going to figure it out, and then things go crazy because of course they do, and they have to figure it out. It seems formulaic, and maybe it is, but it 100% works because these books are so fun! Tor continues to publish incredible authors.

Incredible read. I love this series and this one did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

As always, Martha Wells delivers! I absolutely love seeing Murderbot grow as an individual and navigate its relationships with others. This novella runs a bit longer than the others, which gives us even more Murderbot to enjoy.
This installment feels like a shift in terms of pacing, with what felt like fewer "action-packed" sequences and more time spent with characters. I like this shift which feels like we're seeing more character development for the series itself as Murderbot begins to take charge of its direction/life.

Our favorite SecUnit returns for another installment of the Murderbot Series. In the previous novel, SecUnit is caught up in alien intrigue, causing them to face their biggest challenge and, as a result, cause them to doubt their abilities. This PTSD carries over into this novel and is a main background focus. Gone is the overconfident SecUnit who can seemingly defeat foes almost by magic. Now, SecUnit second-guesses their every move.

The story begins when a pre-corporation rim colony is discovered, only to have a corporation swoop in and attempt to woo them to their side. The University is only interested in their freedom and self-choice rather than a lifetime of slave labor to a faceless corporation. It would seem to be a straightforward decision that one would not want to be a corporate slave, but this is a pre-corporation rim colony, and they are unaware of the troubles. After taking out a chaotic agricultural bot, SecUnit, a copy of ART, and his human companions venture to the other side of the planet to look for more survivors. When they find the colony, the corporation has gotten their first. Can they convince them of the horrors of Corporation life? If anyone can show the damage a corporation can do to an individual, SecUnit can.

Another fun installment. The PTSD suffered by SecUnit was heartbreaking. Normally, they would be able to hack, blast, or talk their way out of situations, but here, they are vulnerable, compromised, and not feeling confident. For a robot, their experiences are always very relatable.

Fantastic! I LOVE this series and recommend it to so many readers at my library. Even though I've gotten an advance reader copy from Netgalley, I've still purchased a copy for my own shelf as well as my high school library. Recommending the snarky, grumpy Murderbot is easy in a high school library.

The Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships and a load of SecUnits to a newly-colonized planet in danger. Unfortunately the B-E version of rescue is shipping the colonists off to become indentured labour. Murderbot, the rogue sec-unit/cyborg who dismantled its own governor chip to become autonomous, is developing some kind of fault akin to PTSD. Can it figure out what's wrong with itself in time to help save not only the colonists they know, but also the separatists who haven't a clue what's happening? Murderbot ad some of its humans travel halfway around the planet hoping to reach the separatists before a Barish-Estranza extraction team can whisk them away. Unfortunately, B-E beats them to it, and they not only have more fire-power but they also have more sec-units, killing machines that will do exactly as their humans tell them to do. Murderbot's quirky voice is what makes these books so good. I've always been a sucker for self-deprecating dark humour.

Still in love with Murderbot…

I started the Murderbot Diaries series with Fugitive Telemetry, which was, back then, the latest book in the series. But I fell in love with Murderbot anyway, even though starting at the end can be, and in that case was, problematic. However, having started with Fugitive Telemetry, which really WAS a murder mystery set on a space station, I assumed that that the whole series would be like that. So, when I received a review copy of the newest book in the series, System Collapse, I kept waiting for the dead body. But there wasn’t one! Once I figured that out, though, and also learned that System Collapse more directly follows the second previous book, Network Effect, rather going in strict publication order, I loved System Collapse too.

On its surface, System Collapse is an adventure/thriller set on a “possibly-alien-contaminated lost colony planet”. (We all know how much Murderbot loves planets…) And it can be read simply on that level and be a lot of fun.

But in my opinion, a couple of the best things, one trivial and one not, about this series are Murderbot’s fine touch in snark (unserious, but awesome), and Murderbot’s ongoing growth as an independent actor with feelings (serious stuff). Emotions can be both good and bad however, and therein hangs a good chunk of the real story as Murderbot works through events from the past – and also shows a fine touch of avoidance from time-to-time with its media consumption habit. And, of course, also simultaneously fighting the bad guys and keeping its humans/friends alive. In the end, things work out for the good guys, the nasty Barish-Estranza corporation gets a major boop on the nose, and Murderbot may or may not have started a Sec Unit revolution.

If I had any complaint about System Collapse it would be that author Martha Wells doesn’t provide enough (any?) background information, and even though I had read the previous book, I was still a bit lost at the beginning. As with Wells’ Witch King, though, once I figured out what was going on, I loved it. So, even though I might want to take off a half-a-star for the early confusion, I can’t do that on this site, so am rounding up to five. Finally, I really hope the next book is coming soon, and my thanks to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy.

More Murderbot, please!

Love the entire Murderbot series! The snarky attitude, the emotional depth--I became immediately addicted. Murderbot is more human than, well, some humans. Would love another series...or perhaps a spin-off/side series? Big hugs to Martha Wells for doing the work of writing, and creating such a gem!

System Collapse by Martha Wells. The second Murderbot novel feels structurally closer to the novellas than the previous Murderbot novel, and at this point the recommendation is "if you like Murderbot, you'll like this Murderbot". Unlike the rather static-feeling Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse does push things onwards from Network Effect in an interesting way, both literally (conflict de-escalation through documentaries!) and in Murderbot's character development and how it narrates its story. We quickly learn that Murderbot is not working at full capacity, and that it is keeping something from us about how this happened, and while the reader is used to the quirks and selectiveness of Murderbot's narration, this withheld information immediately puts the reader off balance, adding an extra layer of tension to both the conflicts and the crew relationships that are both staples of this series. Of course Murderbot and friends save the day with the power of love and justice - not that Murderbot itself puts it quite that way.

It took me until I was 35% of the way through System Collapse to figure out what wasn’t working for me. I thought maybe it had been too long since I read Fugitive Telemetry and I was fuzzy on the details or maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace because I wasn’t getting the usual Murderbot thrill of joy but it finally clicked: Murderbot is who it is because of a lack of filter. Anything it is thinking and feeling the reader gets complete access to. It doesn’t always tell the humans what it’s thinking and Murderbot is usually a little more open with ART, but as the reader, we get the full range. When you start throwing in REDACTED and Murderbot is vague about what’s going on, it’s just not the same. It feels like Wells took away the most compelling facet that makes this series so unique.

Murderbot does finally get around to opening up at 40% but this just highlights how closed down it has been until this point about something that, while embarrassing, is entirely acceptable considering what it has been through.

After 50% System Collapse is everything I wanted it to be. Murderbot has a personality again and the dialogue (internal and external) is perfect. While I was expecting System Collapse to be about Murderbot working with ART’s team for the first time it’s actually more a direct sequel to Network Effect. We’re still on a planet (Murderbot’s favourite place to be) cleaning up the situation from last time.

We also get to meet Holism in the end - it’s not for long and it’s only a taste but its interactions with ART might be even better than Murderbot and ART together - who knew that was possible?

There’s a lot to love about System Collapse - I mean, it is part of the Murderbot Diaries - and while I wish it didn’t take half of this already too short book to get into it, I will never get tired of Murderbot being Murderbot. The parts about Three coming into itself were interesting, as were the moments when Murderbot is trying to decide how to act with other SecUnits. It’s a very interesting conversation about free will and rights and it’s handled with all the tact one would expect from Murderbot. I have never been so excited to be approved for an arc but now I’m just sad that I will have so much longer to wait until I can get my hands on another book in this series.

Oh Murderbot, how I LOVE you so!
This is another fantastic adventure for Murderbot and ART.
I love Three and hope to see more of them.
As usual, the dynamic between Murderbot and ART is superb. I laughed out loud many times. I don’t see how the show can live up to these books.
I have three problems with this book-
1) I am confused about the timeline. When did Fugitive Telemetry occur? This book seems to be a direct sequel to Network Effect so I guess Fugitive Telemetry happened before that one? Or after this one? Did I miss something? It doesn’t really matter to me in the end, but it did throw me off at first.
2) I wish the books were longer so I could spend more time in this universe.
3) Now I must wait what feels like forever for the next one. DAMN IT! There is going to be another one right?!?!?!

Thanks to #Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

PS. After reading the book, I immediately listened to the audiobook. These books on audio are my favorite bedtime stories right now (it used to be the killer sirens novellas on audiobook by Mira Grant).

Overall, we enjoyed this installment in The Murderbot Diaries. Full disclosure: We are big Murderbot fans.

Picking up right after the events of Network Effect, we're reunited with Murderbot as it works through some of the aftermath of those events. In System Collapse, we get more of the Murderbot we love and a new mystery to solve. There's lots of action and we get some more depth into side characters. We continue to see Murderbot explore and build relationships with its friends. While a little bit long-winded, it was still a quick read. We definitely recommend System Collapse to Murderbot fans. Martha Wells doesn't disappoint in resolving the conflict in this story. We can't wait for the next installment in the series.

Another wonderful installment in one of my favorite series! These books are always such quick reads and somehow manage to feel cozy despite the amount of violence. Wells does a great job of mixing intense action with a comforting vibe is pretty amazing.

Even though it’s not my top pick, it's still a super enjoyable read that I’d recommend to anyone. Can’t wait for the next one!