Doesn't Murderbot tell you all you really need to know to want to read this book? Martha Wells is consistently funny with a dry, sarcastic humor that is just right. Murderbot continues his usual antics of saving the humans and corrupting other bots, and will hopefully go on to more adventures.

Another great entry into the Murderbot Diaries series with an adventure not only on a planet (Murderbot hates planets), but within said planet (literally the worst possible place to be for our favorite construct). Murderbot's going through a mystery crisis, there's spooky abandoned tunnels, and a race against time/corporates. Solid adventure, as usual, with a fun media twist.

Murderbot is back, and while they are not in fighting form, they are still gunning and punning. The relationships Murderbot keeps forming are all wonderful. It was a quick, easy read that was a bit heavyhanded with some of it's GET IT? IT'S MURDERBOT features. As much as I love Murderbot the character, Wells sometimes relies too heavily on repetition for characterization. Also, I cannot tell you what happens in these books to make it so the plots and, like, 75% of all the side characters just leak out of my head, but alas. As soon as I'm done, the plot is immediately forgotten. And this added even! more! side characters! So, you know.

I will always read murderbot book and love them. This is no exception. Martha Wells hits it out of the park again.

Anything by Martha Wells automatically goes to the top of my to-read list, and this much-anticipated release did not in any way disappoint. Amazing!

<strong>System Collapse brings us another full-length Murderbot adventure! </strong> ➽ It’s book 7 in the Murderbot Diaries but also the eagerly awaited <strong>direct sequel to Network Effect</strong> 👀 While not as long as its predecessor there is a lot going on and many interesting themes explored. It’s <strong>always difficult to pick a favorite from the series, but System Collapse comes close</strong> and makes me excited for the future of the series, as there are more books to come and there is SO much potential for them 💗

<strong>The conflict with Barish-Estranza is far from over, as they try to seize the remaining colonists </strong>➽ Meaning, we don’t leave the Lost Colony’s system that was the main setting for Network Effect, as <strong>Murderbot – together with ART’s crew – is once again trying to save humans from the corporates</strong>. Barish-Estranza is determined to trick the remaining colonists into a predatory ‘work contract’ with whatever means necessary.

Murderbot is joined by <strong>Ratthi</strong> (my favorite Preservation human), <strong>Iris</strong> (ART’s favorite human) and <strong>Tarik</strong> (ART’s newest crew member) as they venture planet-side to warn the colonists of their dangerous fate. I loved the crew dynamics, it was great to <strong>finally get to know Iris a bit better</strong>, especially as she’s ART’s favorite. Her interactions with Murderbot were great, especially as both of them mean so much to ART. <strong>Perihelion/Peri/ART</strong> is also along with the ride as a drone, which made me happy as it’s one of my favorite characters and its dry humor makes for some great banter with Murderbot! <strong>I also love Ratthi and his unwavering support, so I was glad that he got the spotlight again</strong>!

We see a bit of Mensa, Thiago and Amena as well, but they’re not really in focus this time. I <strong>hope in the future we’ll see more of Amena</strong> again – the ending definitely makes this a possibility – as&nbsp; I loved her friendship with our favorite SecUnit! Speaking of Secunits, <strong>Three is present, but not involved in the main action, so we only get small glimpses into its dynamic with Murderbot</strong>. I know lots of people were excited for more Three content, but there isn’t much – that being said I see lots of potential for future books to focus on this! A <strong>character that surprised me was Tarik</strong>, the most recent addition to ART’s crew and a specialist at dealing with corporations, as he’s got a past with them. He had hidden depths and now I’m excited to slowly get to know the rest of ART’s crew as well!

<strong>The story had a lot of good discussion about feeling helpless and your mental health catching up with you.</strong> ➽ Murderbot has always been a relatable character for me and the way <strong>mental health was approached in this book meant a lot to me</strong>! This isn’t called System <em>Collapse</em> for nothing, as Murderbot experiences glitches and irregularities in its parameters which leads to a lot of [redacted] incidents. It has always been 100% confident in providing security, as opposed to dealing with social situations and the anxiety that comes with them.

This book raises the question: <strong>what do you do if you can no longer adequately perform the one thing you feel confident in?</strong> The subtle shifts in Murderbot trying to desperately keep up with its function and protect its humans, while feeling on the edge of a mental breakdown (I can relate) were so well-written. I loved that the authors explored the meaning of helplessness and how <strong>Murderbot’s existence has always been conditional on it being useful for security</strong>. Now that it’s struggling, Murderbot is scared of the humans no longer wanting to work with it. There are now so many humans that care for it, but it’s tough to believe that there’s unconditional support when you have Murderbot’s background.

<strong>Throughout the series, we’ve also seen Murderbot’s PTSD symptoms and anxiety/depression</strong>. In fact, this is what I related to so much and why it’s my ultimate comfort character! System Collapse dives a bit deeper into this trauma in a way I won’t name here, as it’s a bit spoilery. Murderbot <strong>has come a long way since All Systems Red and I think that’s why <em>now</em> is the time that its trauma is resurfacing to this degree</strong>. It’s more settled and paradoxically that’s the moment everything it tried to bury strikes. The ending and its <strong>meaning for mental health support moved me to tears</strong>

I will never not love Martha Wells or Murderbot, but I have to say I was just a tiny bit apprehensive after I realized this book was (1) a novel instead of a novella (where I think Murderbot works best) and (2) picked up where Network Effect left off (my least favorite of the Murderbot books. And while I still maintain that books 2-4 and 6 are her best, System Collapse is another excellent addition to the Murderbot series. More please!

I think Murderbot is simply the BEST! System Collapse is a wonderful full-length addition to the sci-fi series. To get ready for System Collapse, I reread Fugitive Telemetry because I wanted everything to be fresh in my mind. However, this new book takes up immediately where Network Effect leaves off (book #5). So, I quickly reread Network Effect and then read System Collapse which was a great reading experience.
System Collapse is a pivotal book in the series that you won't want to miss. All the characters are coming to terms with what happened in book #5 and they're not ok, Murderbot included. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I highly recommend this series to everyone I talk books with.

As always Murderbot is amazing. This installment made me so happy. I love watching them, dare I say... Evolve? This is one of my favorite sci-fi series of all time, and never fails me.

This review is absurdly late, for which I sincerely apologize. I was so excited to get the ARC for System Collapse from NetGalley, but just as I finished reading it, I got a new job and between wrapping up my life, moving across the country, and starting over in a new city, writing and submitting a review completely slipped off my mental radar.

System Collapse by Martha Wells continues Murderbot’s adventures in the aftermath of the events of Network Effect. As ART’s crew and the members of Preservation Station’s team race to stay ahead of Barish-Estranza and safeguard the colonists on the planet, they learn of another community of colonists that split off from the main group in the wake of previous contamination events and may still be living out of communication range. With a small team investigating the possibility of a hidden community of colonists, Murderbot must process its recent traumas and determine what path it wants to take moving forward.

Overall, I liked the book. Nothing beats the initial quartet of novellas, but I truly enjoyed seeing more of ART’s crew and some of the original characters from Preservation. As might be expected following its experiences in Network Effect, Murderbot is not dealing well, but is still pushing forward and doing its job with trademark snark. I love the way the events of the book (no spoilers) felt like such a natural evolution of Murderbot’s relationship with media and storytelling, both in relation to others and to its own sense of personhood. It’s a natural through line for the series that just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to see where the series will go from here.

The MurderBot Diaries is a Season’s Pass for me. I will ride ALL THE RIDES.

I love MurderBot’s inner dialogue.
I love that he ‘freed’ other SecUnits.
I love how hard MB works to keep humans alive, and his exasperation when they don’t make it easy.
I love the Human/Bot interactions as each learn how to be in relationship with each other.

I just love everything about it, and I can’t wait until the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this ARC.

While I have enjoyed the Murderbot Diaries, this was the first one I read instead of listened to and I found myself having a harder time following the story and staying with it. It was still good, and I love Murderbot, but personally, I really enjoy the audio version of this series.

Murder Bot strikes again! This series is consistently so good, so snarky, and SO FUNNY! Cannot wait for the television adaptation!

3.5

Systems Collapse is the seventh installment of my favorite genderless asexual robot. Not entirely too sure why this didn't quite work for me but I seem to have fallen out of love with the series and perhaps Martha Wells in general. Objectively, it's a good book but it just didn't quite capture my attention. For some reason seven books deep, we still are reading yet another transition story and beyond the nice character growth from Murderbot, I wasn't really invested in anything at all. It was just... okay.

Thanks TOR for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always thrilled to get another entry in the Murderbot series, and this is no exception! Gripping, brilliant, funny, engrossing sci fi. The whole series is highly recommended.

Martha Wells continues to impress me, in exploring humanity and what we believe makes a person a person, and why someone might reject that. As someone who adored Network Effect, I was thrilled to find that System Collapse takes place immediately after the events of the novel, following Murderbot, ART and their crews as they deal with the fallout of the previous novel. There is something amiss with Murderbot, following an event only listed as "redacted", and of course, their crews' mission to help abandoned colonists is complicated by unforeseen issues.

It was really refreshing to see Murderbot struggling, when despite their consistent self-doubt, they almost always pull off the daring rescue or mission that is in store for them. Fans of the Murderbot series won't be disappointed!

I have been recommending that new readers read Network Effect and then System Collapse immediately afterward, as Fugitive Telemetry chronologically occurs after those two books and it seems to make for better continuity.

Another outstanding release in one of my all-time favourite series!
Murderbot is the most realistic and relatable character I've ever read and I can't get enough of it's adventures!

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
✅ well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
✅ nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
✅ page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down

Network Effect was my least favourite of the series but this direct sequel to it was a pleasant surprise.

Dear Martha Wells,

Murderbot is back!! Yay!!

System Collapse takes place immediately after the events of Network Effect (the previous book in the series, Fugitive Telemetry, covers events before Network Effect). Here’s a hint: a recap of Network Effect is very helpful when going into System Collapse if you’re anything like me and can’t remember much of what happened (there have been so many books filling my brain since then). In a pinch, this Wikipedia synopsis will help. I admit I was a bit lost at first (see previous). But, once I read that Wiki entry and a couple of Goodreads reviews of the earlier book, I felt oriented and that made this book much easier to follow.

Murderbot and ART and various of its humans have returned to the planet with the alien contamination from Network Effect and are trying to convince the colonists to leave and not sign up for indentured servitude with the Barish-Estranza Corporation. Murderbot is struggling because of redacted. Yes, that’s what it says in the text. For a good portion of the book, the SecUnit is not letting on what redacted is. We only know it has something to do with what happened before and it has made its humans (and ART) concerned about it and whatever happened has made has made Murderbot feel unreliable and a liability to the team.

SecUnit and a subset of it’s crew, together with ART-drone (it’s all ART but ART can split off into various different iterations) go to a remote area of the planet where there may be separatists who are unaware of what has been going on and who will be vulnerable to Barish-Estranza. While there, Murderbot is challenged to begin to face the trauma of its experience in Network Effect and what that means for it going forward. Plus, things get dicey with Barish-Estranza and Murderbot is called upon to use its knowledge of human behaviour (learned from all of its media-watching experience, particularly his beloved Sanctuary Moon) to protect an ever-increasing number of humans under its care. We also catch up with Three and other characters readers have come to know and like over the course of the series.

I adore the SecUnit and its reluctant but complete devotion to its humans and ART. I love the sarcasm and the way Murderbot refers to “I had an emotion” or “I made an expression” which both reminds me its not a human but also that its something very close to human. I love the way Murderbot shies away from emotions but feels them anyway, especially for people like Dr Mensah and Iris but also for its buddy, ART. I also love that those beloved human characters appreciate SecUnit for who it is, value its input and skill and treat it with respect. Murderbot’s dry humour is the best and it had me smiling and/or laughing out loud throughout the story.

I had an actual gun, one of ART’s projectile weapons, but we knew from experience how many shots it took to down an enraged ag-bot, and getting up right on its processor for a point-blank impact was not something anybody wanted me to try to attempt, especially me.

I feel a bit like Iris and Dr Mensah about SecUnit myself actually.

Murderbot ends the story in a good place – physically and mentally and ready for more adventures.

The best thing I can say about System Collapse is that it made me want to re-read (or re-listen) to the entire series again from start to finish and I’m planning to do just that soon – maybe over the Christmas break.

Definitely recommended (but remember what I said about the Network Effect recap). Grade: A

Regards,
Kaetrin

I will always and forever be grateful to Tor for letting me read the Murderbot series. It’s endlessly entertaining. Murderbot is the grumpy AI robot that I hope the future holds. They are funny, loyal, fearless and poignant. This book like all the others in this series delivers a fast paced adventure and the same character growth we’ve become accustomed to with Murderbot. I for one, always recommend this series to everyone who asks for a sci-fi recommendation. It’s always well received. I’ll continue to convert people as much as possible!