Once things accelerated, I just wanted to read it and be surprised so I’ll try and keep it that way. The plot is far too involved to attempt to describe without giving away spoilers. Thankfully the story kicked into gear, grabbed me and off we went. Heresy I know but I woke up thinking, another chapter and either it works or I will stop. I had started the book late in the evening and went to bed feeling slightly sick that Murderbot wasn’t working for me. I felt as if I were drowning yet at the same time spending a lot of time trying to concentrate and determine what direction was “up.” Plus since Murderbot is, as usual, telling the story in first person, we’re in its head (a lot) with way too many parentheses and an overload of snark. From an action sequence that made little sense to some draggy scenes that seemed random. But whereas in that story, after the initial wham bam start, things slowed down a bit and some gentle backstory and world building was done, here we got tossed in I-still-don’t-know-what then suddenly there’s what turned out to be a little bit of a set up for one of the new characters and a tiny bit of catch up between Murderbot and Dr. And once again as in “All Systems Red,” the action begins in media res. Many of the past characters from the four Murderbot novellas are here again plus new characters are introduced. Yes, I spent the first roughly 50 pages feeling simultaneously overwhelmed. To say I was initially not sure how well this novel was going to work for me would be a regrettable statement but true. To say I’d been eagerly waiting would be an understatement. Our favorite sarcastic SecUnit is back and being as snarky as ever it was. The Murderbot novel we’ve all been waiting for.

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. I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

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.Ĭome for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. Murderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel, Network Effect. Jayne B Reviews / B- Reviews / Book Reviews Artificial Intelligence / First-Person / futuristic / robots / Sci-fi / The Murderbot Diaries 12 Comments REVIEW: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, Book 5) by Martha Wells

Murderbot network effect