How do I love thee, Murderbot? Let me count the ways…
Network Effect was one of my most anticipated novels for the current year, and it delivered on all fronts: I was of course mildly concerned that the transition from novella size to full-length book might not work as well as expected, but that was not the case. On the contrary I hope that future installments in the saga of our beloved Sec Unit will maintain this trend, making me – and countless other Murderbot fans, I’m sure – quite happy with its continuing adventures.
The story in short: after relocating to Preservation Aux with its former client – and now not-friend – Dr. Mensah and her enlarged family, Murderbot is still trying to balance newfound freedom and the still present threats against Mensah, the last of which left her with some residual PTSD. The colony’s open-minded attitude is in direct antithesis to the corporations-ruled rest of the galaxy, making Sec Unit’s protection duties even more difficult. A planetary survey run by some of Mensah’s family members is cut short due to a vicious pirate raid, and as the Preservation ship makes for home they are attacked and captured by a mysterious group based on a vessel that’s an old acquaintance of Murderbot, although it behaves in a strange, disquieting fashion.
What follows is a high-octane adventure where a mystery about alien artifacts mixes with corporate greed, an abandoned colony and some heated battles in space and planetside: to say more would be a huge disservice – this story, like the others preceding it, must be enjoyed with as little prior knowledge as possible. The detail that I can safely share is that, in this case, more is better: the broader narrative space gives us more chances to delve into Murderbot’s psychological makeup, its evolution as a sentient being and the meaning of freedom and choice for artificial intelligences. A coming of age story together with a hero’s journey, told with a satisfying balance between humorous quips and deep introspection.
As usual, the tale is told from Murderbot’s point of view as it struggles to understand the “strange” behavior of its charges, especially when it does not compare with previously recorded experiences or with any kind of human custom learned through the huge amount of media that Sec Unit loves to consume: more than ever before we see how the fictional series it’s addicted to are the bridge between itself and humanity, the key to decipher our puzzling ways, and the means to make itself more like them – although Murderbot would strongly deny that last… In Network Effect media also becomes a sort of liberating factor, the window on a different way of being offered to another Sec Unit as Murderbot presents it with the chance to get rid of its governor module and be something else.
In this respect there are some passages where the whole concept of constructs is brought into the light, and offers a terrible, inhuman vision, made even more so by the apparently dispassionate tone our ‘hero’ employs in all its musings: we know from the very beginning of this saga that Sec Units are composed of mechanical and organic parts (and I for one am quite keen to learn more about how those organic parts are obtained…), and that their main job is to protect the employers from harm, even sacrificing their own existence. The downside comes from the fact that in case of a dire emergency, the Sec Unit is abandoned to its destiny, just like one might abandon an unthinking piece of equipment – it’s such a “fact of life” that it’s also regularly portrayed in the serialized media Murderbot watches, and speaks loudly about the callousness of the corporate world. This might be the main reason Murderbot offers the choice of freedom to Three, as its brethren is designated, because it has realized the cruelty of the laws governing them.
[…] because I was a thing before I was a person and if I’m not careful I could be a thing again.
The same goes for the infamous governor module: it’s not just a control system, it’s also a self-destruct apparatus: when the distance between client and unit exceeds a given limit, for example, it destroys the unit itself. One of Murderbot’s most chilling reflections, as it contemplates Three’s indecision about employing the hack for the governor module, uses this very example to state how it sees its journey from construct to person:
Change is terrifying. Choices are terrifying. But having a thing in your head that kills you if you make a mistake is more terrifying.
I love how Murderbot constantly denies its feelings while being literally inundated by them, how it manages to rationalize them to itself while fooling none of its human companions, just as I enjoy their amused conspiracy in allowing it to maintain the fiction: the person who seems to better understand this is young Amena (the best addition to the cast so far), and this shows in her interactions with Murderbot, which are a mix of teenager annoyance and adult empathy, resulting in the most delightful exchanges throughout the book. I have come to the conclusion that since Sec Unit’s journey toward self-determination is still underway, it can be viewed as a teenager – still unsure of its role in the wider world and still prey to emotional storms – so that only another teenager is the most qualified to get on an equal footing.
Last but not least, Network Effect features the return of a previous character, one whose role was crucial in Murderbot’s transition from its former existence: ART is the cybernetic opposite of Sec Unit in many personality traits, and the two renew here their troubled relationship, complicated by some events that are an integral part of the overall story – they may be at odds, and even quarrel bitterly, but there is a profound, undeniable bond between them that gets delightfully explored in this novel and promises interesting developments for the next installments. Again, I don’t want to say too much about this part of the story, except that ART’s is a very welcome return and offers new insights into what makes Murderbot tick.
Humans tend to be the “guest stars” in this series, leaving the spotlight to constructs and artificial intelligences, and yet the latter are the ones to offer the deepest and most emotional insights in the overall story. So… please Ms. Wells, can we have more Murderbot soon?
My Rating:
I’ve been wondering if a novel length Murderbot would work and I can see it has! I’m frightfully behind, but I do plan on catching up at some point. And the next novel has already been announced, so exciting!
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I’m so happy to learn there is another novel in the works, because it will certainly feature more Murderbot/ART mayhem and I’m SO looking forward to it! 🙂
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When AI stir deeper emotions from the readers… Wonderful review Maddalena! I am glad this series does not disappoint you!
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Murderbot is a very, very special one… 😉
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I still haven’t read any of these – I know. But I have bought the first one. If only I could buy some time quite so easily.
Lynn 😀
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There’s a suggestion for Amazon: a section dedicated to Reading Time – why has no one thought about it? 😀 😀
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I finally got a copy of this, but I’ve yet to read it. I’m glad you liked it! I continue to here nothing but amazing things about this. I’m sooo looking forward to the next one but only a wee bit disappointed that it’s just another novella-length one. And the fact that we’ll have to wait another year for it!
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It would have been a less “painful” wait if it had been another full-length book, but still I will read anything with Murderbot in it, no matter the page count! 😉
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Agreed! 😁
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I listened along to the audiobooks of book one and two when my wife came to pick me up from a festival some time last year, the story is interesting enough and I will be trying to read the whole series some time. Great post!
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Thanks! And yes, the series is more than worth reading: Murderbot’s voice is quite unique in the genre. Not to mention it’s quite funny, but you already discovered that, I imagine… 🙂
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I did🙂
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Still have to read any of Murderbot, but reviews like this convince me I have to at least start the series.
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I’m certain you will not regret it: to know Murderbot is to love Murderbot… 😉
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I’m glad you enjoyed it. I loved having a full length Murderbot novel, I thought we got to go deeper into the characters and story like never before…and also a certain relationship with a certain transport ship 😀
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That was the highlight of the whole story: the bickering between the two of them is too delightful for words, as is their unspoken – and unwilling to be spoken of – friendship… 🙂
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I LOVE MURDERBOT!!!!! ARRRRR!
x The Captain
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So say we all… 😀 😀
(that’s the result of my current BSG rewatch…)
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I have saved this review without reading it all (only the first part and your rating) because I have just finished novella #2. But i can’t wait to get my hands on it 😊! Thanks!!
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You still have a good portion of the journey to look forward to, then! Happy reading 🙂
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This was a great review and I am glad you enjoyed it so much! I have read only the first installment in this series, but I hope to read the sequels soon (I am keeping them for this Autumn) and your review made me want to go back to Murderbot even more!
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The Murderbot novellas are the perfect “intermission” between heavier books and the protagonist’s voice is delightfully amusing, so I hope you will soon be able to fit the rest of the stories in your reading queue! 🙂
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So glad you loved this! I have my copy but I still haven’t read it, I think it’s a mood thing. I know I’ll love it when I get to it though!
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Yes, the right mood is essential to enjoy books as they deserve – and Murderbot books do deserve our undivided attention… Happy reading! 🙂
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I had to skim through most of the summary parts but I am super glad to see so much positivity here for this full-novel. I’ve only read one other review for it and that person thought the full-length was a bit of a disservice. I’m glad to see that you don’t think it is! I need to pick up the fourth novella soon!!! Thanks for sharing, Maddalena! 😀
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You’re more than welcome and I hope you enjoy this full-length Murderbot adventure: granted, the novella format makes for a tighter narrative, but there are so many new insights into MB’s mind here, that are nothing but delightful and informative 🙂
Happy reading!
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I blew through this whole series on a road trip- I loved it being a full length novel! I feel like the plot really had time to breathe and we were able to get a little more character development- especially for the Preservation Crew who I adore
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No matter the length of the story, anything dealing with MurderBot is always welcome, and I totally agree on the information about the Preservation people: it’s a very interesting society, and I loved how we learned more with Fugitive Telemetry 🙂
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Yes, I loved Gurathin and Ratthi there they were so funny!
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Yes, and the way they interact with MurderBot is nothing short of delightful 🙂
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