Murderbot is back! This time, our favourite TV show binging, definitely not emotionally compromised SecUnit is getting their own full length novel. And while the heart and soul of the novellas are still present (don’t tell Murderbot I talked about “heart and soul”. They’ll think I’m being disgustingly emotional), there are a few execution errors that keep it from hitting the target’s center mass.
Murderbot just wants to keep binge watching their favourite shows and for their humans to stay alive. But in a universe filled with greedy corporations seeking to snatch up resources and hide misdeeds of the past, Murderbot very rarely gets what they want. So when the daughter of a previous client is kidnapped, Murderbot is understandably cranky and feeling like a bit of murder might solve the problem. Stuck deep in corporate space, Murderbot will have to untangle the mess they find themselves in with the “help” of some human associates and not-friends from the past.
Let’s start with what has always been the best part of this series: Murderbot. It feels odd to say that a story told entirely through the POV of an artificial intelligence is one of the most human and relatable stories of the last decade, but it’s the truth. Murderbot is that part of every human that puts up walls to protect themselves, but deep down has a heart of marshmallow fluff, no matter how much it might disgust them to admit it. Murderbot is also the part of every human that stays up late on a work night, binge watching their favourite show on Netflix. It’s these bits of character that make a story of AIs engaging in snark and space battles utterly addictive and relatable.
Network Effect takes the emotional journey (again, please don’t tell Murderbot I used the phrase “emotional journey”) that started in The Murderbot Diaries novellas, and builds from there. Whether Murderbot is mourning the death of a not-friend or sensing emotional turmoil in their clients, we see the depth of Murderbot under the sarcasm and armoured exterior. Wells’ capability to craft such a complex and compelling character is nothing short of masterful.
The part that didn’t work so well in this novel is the pacing and the density of the story. With the story being told from Murderbot’s POV, there is a lot of internal thought processing and much of the action is told versus shown. While typically, “telling, not showing” would be considered a cardinal sin in a novel, it works in this setting because Murderbot is hardly going to be giving us flowery descriptions while they annihilate their targets. But in the format of a full length novel, this style starts to feel real dense, real fast.
This leads into the pacing problems. The story starts off with a tense showdown, but after that we get a lot of backstory and a lot of talking to figure out what is going on. While this sets up for a much more action packed ending, it can get tiresome to slog through the first half. Network Effect is one of my most anticipated novels of 2020, and while I can normally read a 350 page book in a day or two, this one took me a week to finish. As excited as we all are for a full length Murderbot novel, it feels like some of the magic from the quick and quippy novellas was lost.
At the end of the day, going on a murdery space adventure with a sardonic killer AI is great fun. Murderbot will make you laugh and punch you in the feels a fair few times (definitely don’t tell Murderbot if they punch you in the feels. They may then choose to punch you in the face). Though it suffered from some growing pains, Network Effect is still a stellar story and I will always look forward to more Murderbot adventures.
Network Effect is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of May 5th 2020.
Will you be picking up Network Effect? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Murderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel.
You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you’re a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you’re Murderbot.
Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.
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I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.
When Murderbot’s human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.
Drastic action it is, then.
After Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy this is the series that I’m really fond of. I’ve recommended it to most of my friends and they loved it too. I just we had more of Dr. Mensah in the book. She is one of my favourite character in the series.
I’ve written a review on my blog, if you want to check it out. https://www.jaydeepparmar.in/2020/06/network-effect-by-martha-wells-book.html
Anyway, eagerly waiting for the sixth book – Fugitive Telemetry.