The Murderbot Diaries Archives

Network Effect by Martha Wells

Network Effect by Martha Wells, Murderbot Diaries Book 5

Introduction

Network Effect by Martha Wells is the first novel of the Murderbot Diaries Series. The earlier stories are a series of four novellas that complete a self-contained single story. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a part organic and part mechanical cyborg, or as she calls herself a Murderbot. In this story, Murderbot must solve a complex mystery or risk the deaths of her human clients.

Summary

In Network Effect by Martha Wells, Murderbot has completed her mission as described in the earlier four books for the PreservationAux Group. Murderbot looks to Dr. Mensah as its primary client. It serves as a Survey Security Consultant to members of the group. On a survey, unknown hostiles attack them and Murderbot names them as Targets, but only to itself. Murderbot had hacked its governor module so can ignore the programming the Company used to create it. Murderbot eliminates the Targets, but there will be more. The Survey ship ends up in a mysterious solar system. Who are the Targets and why does someone summon the Survey ship are the mysteries that Murderbot must solve? The lives of its clients depend on finding answers.

Recommendation

It was worth the wait for a Murderbot novel. The book was enjoyable and hit all the marks a reader could expect. Murderbot was snarky, compassionate to her clients, and resourceful. The plot of the novel was hard to figure out at the beginning, but explained later. There are passages where Murderbot recounts old events, sometimes as transcripts. The reason for this makes sense. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion and sets up the next adventure for Murderbot. Fugitive Telemetry will be Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries and published on April 27, 2021. The series continues, and I plan to stay on the ride.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Network Effect by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47902784-network-effect

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854-fugitive-telemetry

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Book Review of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a series of four novellas. SecUnit calls herself Murderbot. She has feelings of companionship for her human employers. What lengths will she go to protect them?

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Introduction

The SecUnit (Security Unit) for the PreservationAux survey group has hacked and disabled her governor module during her last contract. The hack lets her follow the Company’s programming or to ignore it. She saves Dr. Bharadwaj from certain death from the hostile fauna of the planet where the PersevationAux group has been surveying to decide if they want to bid to the Company on building a colony there. The SecUnit calls herself Murderbot, but never out loud. Her feelings of companionship for her human employers impede her programming. What will she do when an unknown enemy threatens her charges, hide or fight?

Summary

SecUnits are made by the Company and must be used by every survey team for protection. The Company supplies all the materials to each survey team from the lowest bidder, so the materials are unreliable and suspect. SecUnits are half organic and half mechanical, so she is a cyborg. SecUnits are supposed to be perceived by their contractors as autonomous robots. They can be repaired using the MedSystem. She communicates with the HubSystem of the habitat to keep the security of her charges. The story’s complication occurs when they lose contact with the DeltFall Group survey team, the only other survey team assigned to their planet. Dr. Mensah, the leader of the PreservationAux Group, investigates at DeltFall’s habitat despite the SecUnit’s suggestion they leave the investigation to the Company. What they find at the habitat changes their perspective on the Company and on their SecUnit’s behavior.

Recommendation

I loved this story. The action is tight, and the conclusion completes this story. The protagonist has the perfect blend of sarcasm and drive to understand her reasons for existing. She wants to sit back and watch her space soap operas, but her human charges keep getting in the way, making her have feelings she doesn’t understand. She is not the Murderbot she pretends to be and they catch on to her deception. This novella begins her transformation into something else. This story is the first of four novellas in the Murderbot Dairies series. I want to read the other three novellas available and the Murderbot novel that is scheduled to be released in 2020.

This is the link to the book’s Goodreads page.