The murderbot books remain a favorite series and this next installment does not disappoint.

Murderbot is sarcastic and a delight, finding human emotion amongst his wiring.

A little long for me, but overall a well paced and engaging read.

System Collapse by Martha Wells


We all love Murderbot, right? Murderbot is one of the absolute best characters to come out of SF in years. I remember when I read the description of Martha Wells’s All Systems Red and thought to myself “I’ve got to put that on hold at the library!” And I was right - it was excellent. I have eagerly awaited each new Murderbot book and also have been reading some of Ms. Wells’s other fantasy books. The Witch King was good, but my heart belongs to Murderbot.

So I was very excited when NetGalley and tordotcom gave me an eARC of System Collapse, the new Murderbot book, in exchange for an honest review.

This was stellar. Before this, Fugitive Telemetry was my favorite Murderbot book, but this one surpassed it. I was so excited to see the fallout from Network Effect and to see what else was going on on that planet. And more ART is always appreciated. This book moved the story forward while simultaneously giving us a close look at Murderbot’s emotional state and it was very satisfying.

This book is a must buy!

Another excellent Murderbot book! Fast paced, with a solid Murderbot-protects-the-humans plot that builds off of and complements the previous installment. As we get deeper into the series, I am enjoying Murderbot's increasing familiarity with the Preservation team and ART and ART's crew (and vice versa) -- there is an added level to Murderbot's interactions that are extremely satisfying, as it builds meaningful relationships and trust for the first time. Murderbot's trauma, and its effects on it, are huge in this book, much more than past Murderbot books (and that's saying something!). Wells has added a new level of depth to an already creative conceptualization of what trauma and mental illness could look like in a construct like Murderbot, providing a second layer of tension and emotional investment. Enjoyable, suspenseful, and drily funny, System Collapse lives up to and builds on the hype of the previous Murderbot books.

listen ,,,, this is book seven y'all, if you're still scrolling through looking for serious reviews then idek what to say to you 😂

if you're looking for quotes tho, lemme help:

I'm fine, Ratthi. Don't get any closer to the tentacle.
It's a growth simulator, Ratthi said. You don't have to rush, we're fine.
You're not fine, Ratthi, for fuck's sake. (For however many corporate standard years, all I got from humans was "Run in there now no matter how likely you are to get blown to tiny pieces when a quiet tactical approach has a higher percentage of success" and now it's "Oh no we're fine, we can hang out in this objectively terrifying immediately hazardous situation for however long.")

You're stalling, ART-drone said.
I am not. I can stand here and be useless without any ulterior motives, thanks.

You're upset, ART said. I had already started for the quarters section.
I was supposed to "check in regularly with my emotions" which I pretended was a thing I had any intention of doing. Yes, this is upsetting, I told it. I am upset. Are you happy now?
Delirious, ART said.

When the comm call ended, ART-drone tapped our private connection and said, SecUnit. It didn't need to tell me what it wanted, I could hear the "fucking do something" tone.

It wasn't dead, it was just catastrophically damaged. (I know, who isn't?)

ART-drone reached out a limb to Iris. My function is impaired, Iris. So is SecUnit's.
Will you shut the hell up? I said.
You shut up, it replied.


also, p.s.
this book takes place immediately after Network Effect (and I mean immediately lol). if it's been a hot minute since you read Network Effect, maybe revisit that book first, or speed-read the last twenty pages for a quick refresher.


rep - agender (it/its) mcs, achillean & queer side characters, polya bg characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook version of System Collapse by Martha Wells. This review is my honest opinion.

I love the Murderbot character. Martha Wells have delivered a wonderful series here. I've read each book and enjoyed seeing how the universe has expanded with more and more intriguing characters added in along the way. System Collapse is an extremely satisfying additional entry to this series and I've enjoyed the character development. I highly recommend this book to fans of science-fiction, especially fans of robot stories.

‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire’ pretty much sums up where we are in System Collapse, book 7 in Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries series.

This story follows immediately after the events of Fugitive Telemetry, when our favorite telenovella-loving, risk-averse snarky SecUnit had *just* *again* saved the hapless humans from certain doom. But the danger isn’t over. The Barish-Estranza Corporation is determined to extract whatever value they can out of the lost colony planet, and if there’s nothing else, indentured labour can be coerced from the planet’s denizens. As usual, intrigue ensues, and because humans can’t help being their emotionally and physically fragile selves, it falls on Murderbot to soldier on keeping them out of harm’s way.

The only problem is, there’s something going on with Murderbot’s files and memory, something that is causing them to lose memory files and become dangerously unstable. As the situation with Barish-Estranza reaches a boiling point, our hero is going to have to reckon with the trauma of recent events in a way they have never had to do before.

I never imagined it would be possible to identify more with an unnamed, nongendered, nonhuman robot protagonist than with many of the human protagonists of other books. But I’m not alone in that, if the legions of Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries fans are anything to go by. It’s hard to say that any of the books in this incredibly excellent series was less than the others, but if I had to pick a favorite, System Collapse would be it. Martha Wells dials up the intense action in this book but gives Murderbot plenty of room for the character growth she so skilfully explores.

SecUnit’s detestation of confrontation, their nihilistic worldview, their reluctance to deal with their emotional issues are all things most of us can identify with. And if this bot can teach us anything, it’s that despite the problematic world it’s still possible to live with authenticity and find our own niches in society. It doesn’t hurt that that Murderbot serves us this lesson wrapped up in a whole lot of entertaining badassery as well.

With gratitude to Tor Publishing and Net Galley for the e-ARC of this book.

Also posted on Goodreads and on Facebook.

Okay, well, did I have any real idea about what was going on in this one? Not really. This wasn't helped by a week-long reading hiatus after being 40% in so yeah some of that could be chalked up to forgetfulness of where we were and what had come before but really do we ever actually know what's going on in these books outside of Murderbot bemoaning its existence and humans humaning around it? Not generally. At least I don't. I can barely remember what goes on in the background of Murderbot's surroundings except it involves being on planets and evil corporations and possibly some alien activity and way too many supporting characters I can't keep track of.

At this point I'm really just reading these books for the wee moments of banter (and ART) and silliness amongst all the rest. And we had some good amounts of that in this one. Plus a weird little side issue with Murderbot's memory which is concerning.

Will I read on? Of course. Will I ever generally know what is happening plot-wise and where things might be going? Of course not. And I'm good with that.

This is the seventh book in the MurderBot series and the first that I have read, rather than listened to. While the book is every bit as good as the others, I do recommend the audio versions. Kevin R. Free (the reader) does such a perfect job as the “voice” of MurderBot — it really adds to the experience. Luckily, after listening to him for the first six, I can hear his voice as I read anyway.

MurderBot is not quite itself as a result of his memory splintering and his frequent reboots after the disastrous events (alien contamination writ large and gooey) of the last book — Network Effect. Nevertheless, he has a big part to play when a separatist group is found on the planet (having removed themselves before the contamination took hold of *some* of the settlers) and the Barish-Estranza corporation has come to “offer” all settlers an employment contract (read opportunity for slave labor) off planet. What could go wrong?

I love the bot-humor — ART (the supremely intelligent and capable bot pilot with a fierce attachment to his “humans” and MurderBot’s “friend”) is deliciously sarcastic. I love MurderBot’s continually evolving understanding of himself — the weird part organic / mostly inorganic construct designed to kill. Funny, good action, well-paced, and full of constantly applicable ethical dilemmas such as arise when naivete meets evil. I love the new (to me and I think to the world) portmanteau term “argucussion” from argument + discussion. I think we all have a few of those.

This installment of the Murderbot Diaries follows on from the events of Network Effect. In this installment, Murderbot begins to reckon with its trauma. It gets to know ART's humans and finds new ways of working together. I enjoyed exploring ART's iterations and seeing Murderbot on a planet (it's right not to like planets). It took me a minute to get into this one, but once the characters settled into place, it was an excellent adventure. Thanks for Netgalley, Tordotcom and Martha Wells for the advanced copy

If you love the murderbot series then you’ll be happy to know not only is there a new installment to continue the story coming out next month but it’s going to be another full sized novel. This one takes place right after Network Effect, and Murderbot is dealing with the fallout/trauma from that. Doing my best to be vague for those of you who aren’t caught up or haven’t started this series yet. These are such fun bite sized scifi stories, they are fast paced, funny, heart warming most of the time. Highly recommend there very easy scifi to digest and perfect for fantasy readers.

4.5/5⭐

I think this is my favorite Murderbot adventure since All Systems Red. Not that there's ever been a bad Murderbot book, but after coming off of the most "fine" installment in the series, Fugitive Telemetry, it's nice to be really excited about the direction this story is moving in again.

System Collapse picks up shortly after the events of Network Effect, so if it's been a while since you read that one, you might want a refresher before jumping into this one. Murderbot, ART, and their respective humans are trying to help the colonists of a partially-terraformed planet avoid becoming indentured to a corporation called Barish-Estranza, but not all of the colonists know who to trust or what exactly it is that they want for themselves.

Meanwhile, Murderbot is not doing okay. But good luck getting it to talk about its emotions.

I love what Martha Wells is doing with the character of Murderbot. A sarcastic construct that wishes to not be perceived could end up being so one-noted and repetitive, but Wells is allowing our snarky SecUnit to grow in such a beautiful way, even if it resents that growth every step of the way.

Pretty minor complaint, but the weakest part of this series for me has always been the human characters (Mensah aside), especially since Murderbot spent a few books jumping around from place to place. I'm glad this installment had it stay with the same group of humans as Network Effect for the most part, as I feel like I actually got to know some of them beyond just their name. Obviously, Murderbot is the heart of these books, but its love for its humans really adds a lot to its character. So I think actually getting to know those humans better enhances the reading experience.

Absolutely loved this installment and I can't wait to see what's next!

System Collapse is the newest installment of the Murderbot Diaries Series. We are picking up where Network Effect ends. B-E is not happy that Peri and the crew have halted their opportunity of taking over the planet so now they are after the people instead. Murderbot and its humans are desperate to keep the colony from signing their lives away into slave labor but Murderbot is a little distracted with its own problems. This was a pretty solid installment in the Murderbot Diaries. I fully enjoy getting to hear that sentient robot’s inner monologue. ART is by far my favorite secondary character and I love the continued friendship that unfolds in this book. If you haven’t already started this series, there’s still time to catch up! All of the books are fast paced and easy to get sucked into; this one included!!

Another great addition to the series! I do recommend rereading Network Effect before picking this up, or at least reading a recap online, since this does pick up right after that story.

I didn't reread anything lol so it took me a little white to situate myself back into this world and what was going on. Murderbot really goes through it in this one in regard to mental health and trauma and having to process and come to terms with everything that has happened in previous installments. I really enjoyed how Martha Wells explored that and how that particular subplot developed throughout the book.

The first half was a bit slow to start, but things soon picked up and the usual tension and danger made themselves known. I loved loved loved the second half here, how it progressed, and the twists and action bits along the way. Murderbot interacting with the team and ART was wonderful as usual and there were quite a few scenes where the stakes were high and they all had to work together.

This latest full-length book in the must-read series is seriously entertaining. SecUnit is shown working more and more within the teams of humans and as a contributing team player. He is valued and appreciated and held in great esteem among his colleagues (who would have guessed?). He continues to have his hero moments that display his character and loyalty - which confound him being only a human-robot construct but which delight his colleagues and reading audience.

I give this book 4.5 stars because some of the narrative portions (setting the scene, explaining the context) seem wordy and slow, as if there were a word count that was required to "finish" the story.

That said, I would not miss a single chance to enjoy MurderBot / SecUnit's story - the series is excellent and without parallel in my decades of reading experience. SecUnit is evolving in each story and strengthening th0se relationships with humans (ugh!) - to the delight of the readers. The action is well-designed and at times, intense. A satisfying read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the advance digital copy. Pub date is November 14, 2023. I already can't wait for the next!

Murderbot has returned in another full length novel that will leave you with all of the emotions that the others have given you. This book takes place right after the events of book 5, Network Effect and Murderbot is in trouble.

Murderbot, or Secunit as it is known to the humans, is struggling. After the events of Network Effect, it is essentially suffering from PTSD, and not managing it well. Murderbot is feeling inadequate and not it’s usual self. Murderbot finds that is second guessing all of the decisions and thinks it is putting the humans in danger. There are things that have happened that make Murderbot afraid that something is very wrong, but it is just emotions and their lack of understanding that is making it feel all of the feels. It can no longer hide in a corner and watch its serials in quite. Even ART wants to help and feels protective of Murderbot as do all of the humans around him. It is not easy for Murderbot right now, but with help it manages to get everyone to safety.

Murderbot is such an interesting character. It is through its voice and emotions that this book explores trauma and the aftermath of powerful emotions that even many humans struggle with. This story is a further exploration of what it means to be human and how those concepts lead to understanding ourselves as well as others.

But don’t despair, this book is not all about emotions. There is lots of action, fighting and snark from all of the characters that keep this a very fast paced and exciting read. I was a bit confused at the start, as I struggled with trying to remember the events of Network Effect, but once I got past that, it was just as good as the other books. The writing is as always suburb and I just love all of the banter between the characters and Murderbot’s thoughts are just priceless.

This is a great addition to the series. It has been fun following Murderbot’s exploits and watching the emotional development of a very endearing character. If you have enjoyed the other books in this series, then this is a book you will not want to miss.

This installment of Murderbot's adventures picks up right after, Network Effect and continues the storyline from that book. It is not a great entry point to the series but if you have made it this far and enjoyed Murderbot and it's group of reluctantly adopted humans then this one will not disappoint. You definitely need to read the others in the series first though, so if you haven't do that first. Murderbot will grow on you quickly and you'll be ready for this one in no time!

This is the seventh entry in the Murderbot Diaries series and takes place directly after the events of the fifth, Network Effect. For clarity, book six, Fugitive Telemetry, took place chronologically between books four and five. Okay, now that we have the timeline out of the way, to the review!

System Collapse absolutely lives up to what we have come to expect from The Murderbot Diaries, while also continuing to develop Murderbot's character and relationships. The events of Network Effect were traumatic, and Murderbot was already traumatized, but this trauma was a little different than before. This was Murderbot living it's worst nightmare, and the effect is more visceral than the usual day to day horror of having been a secunit under control of the Company. Murderbot is, for the first time in it's life, truly unsure if it is able to protect its humans. This is bad, because protecting its humans is both extremely important to it and its literal job, what it gets those excellent currency cards for.

ART is still stationed at the infected planet from Network Effect, and its crew is attempting to negotiate for the independence or at least freedom of the humans who have been living on the planet all this time. Now that they are no longer infected with the alien remnant, those humans have broken into further factions, complicating the process. Not to mention the rumor that there may be a completely separate settlement on the other side of the planet, who broke off from the original before the infection even occurred. Murderbot is to go along on the exploratory crew to discover if there is any truth to this, and act as security. But it's having flashbacks and stress as the least-liked part of itself- its human neural tissue- has not recovered from being captured by infected humans on this planet once already. What if these new humans are also infected? What if it cannot save its friends?

As we have seen time and again, and as Murderbot is finally, slowly, starting to learn, its humans care about it. Its friends, even if it won't use that word, care about it, and don't expect it to be able to do it all. ART cares about it, and won't abandon it, (and in this book gets some fun development that takes advantage of the fact that it is truly an AI in a way that Murderbot isn't) and it can admit when things are not okay.

It does get there, and it is good, and in the mean time we get exciting and creepy underground shenanigans and fights with a Corporation and a home video. It's all so good. I can't wait for the next one.

Series Info/Source: This is the 8th book in the Murderbot Diaries series. I got an ebook of this through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This is the eighth book in the Murderbot series. I really enjoyed this book a ton. It picks up right where the sixth book leaves off (remember "book" 7 actually went back in time).

Murderbot is with its humans from Preservation on a newly colonized planet trying to help the residents escape enslavement from the Barish-Estranza corporation. However, things get complicated when Murderbot and crew find out that there is another secret colony of humans on the planet that no one knew about.

This was incredibly well done. I enjoyed so much about this book. A lot of this story focuses around Murderbot having something wrong with itself and trying to figure that out. Of course the main storyline is the humans from Preservation working with Murderbot and ART's crew to prevent the humans from this planet from being taken into corporate slavery.

Some of the story is very creepy as they explore an abandoned terraforming station, and then the action really picks up when they find out that Barish-Estranza may have beat them to the unknown human colony. I enjoyed watching Murderbot try to deal with its problems and enjoyed all the action and mystery. Murderbot continues on its mission to give SecUnits a choice as well. I also continue to really enjoy watching Murderbot interact with its humans; in every book Murderbot seems to learn something new.

I think the only thing I struggled with was that the sixth book came out so long ago that I didn't remember all the characters very well. This improved as I got into the book, but I was somewhat confused for the first couple of scenes.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this and I think it was one of my favorite Murderbot books so far. I would highly recommend this series, especially if you enjoy sci-fi that delves into what it means for AI to become sentient. I am eagerly awaiting the next Murderbot book!

This is book seven in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells and I've only read the previous book. This is a series that, by all accounts, I should really enjoy. But it also seems to be a series that really requires some information that most likely came out in the first couple of books. I really feel like I'm missing some crucial information about our primary character.
The Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet that is having problems. They have also sent more Sec-Units, including our protagonist, Murderbot. Murderbot has been around long enough to know that no corporation, Barish-Estranza included, does anything just to be nice. They will want payment of some kind, and if the colonization of the planet is a bust and there will be no resources on which to capitalize, they'll find something else. And right now, the only thing on the planet with any value is the humans - they'll be good labor for the next project.

Murderbot's job is to go in and rescue those colonists - from their dire situation as well as from becoming indentured servants. It should be a snap - except Murderbot is suffering from the mechanical AI equivalent of PTSD from his/its recent jobs. Can the robot figure out what's wrong and fix itself in time to save the humans? (Do they even deserve saving?)

While I found this to be a bit of a slow read, I did find myself much more interested here than with the previously read book in the series. Murderbot's internal struggle was interesting. I would temper that, though, with the fact that I still just don't know who this character is. Without having read the previous books, the characters (is there more than just Murderbot who spans the series?) are still a bit of an enigma to me. This is not the sort of book which you can pick up mid-series and quickly catch up on the characters and the situations.

I'd like to read more Martha Wells but I do think I need to read this series from the beginning if I'm going to read any future books in the series. This would be my recommendation to others as well.

Looking for a good book? System Collapse by Martha Wells is the 7th book in the Murderbot Diaries series. It is not a book to pick up mid-series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a spoiler free, honest review given in exchange for a digital ARC from Netgalley.

System Collapse starts right where Network effect ends so you may need to reread it before beginning this one or it might be a bit confusing at first.
The snark and banter are there which always supply some of my favorite moments. I also feel like Wells has done such a great job tying in all the elements of the previous stories to create a dire situation that really spotlights the effects of a late stage capitalist driven society and extreme worker exploitation. There is also further exploration and development in regards to the relationships and role Murderbot is creating for itself within the Preservation society.
Overall, if you enjoyed Network Effect and want to continue your journey with our sarcastic bot then I highly recommend picking this up.