Network Effect by Martha Wells (2020)
Cluttered: disappointing
Book cover blurb
It calls itself Murderbot, but only when no one can hear.
It worries about the fragile human crew who've grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.
It tells itself that they're only a professional obligation, but when they're captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.
Drastic action it is, then.
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My Review
This is a tough one to write.
I absolutely loved all four Murderbot novellas, and desperately wanted this full-length novel to be as good, or even better. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with this book. To be honest, I found it frustrating and irritating. The thing is chock full of bracketed sections, especially in the early pages, which just irritated the hell out of me. There are so many references to the previous four books, not really necessary for the story, that they started to feel like those annoying YouTube adverts that pop up mid-video.
And maybe it's just me, maybe I'm being a little over-analytical, but Murderbot wasn't the Murderbot I remember. His/her usual irritation with humans, dislike of too much conversation and general self-conscious embarrassment were almost non-existent, and for me, that was what made him/her the lovable character he/she is/was. And no, I'm not buying "It's character development."
It's taken me three weeks to force my way through this book. I simply found myself unmotivated to pick it up day after day. The word I keep coming back to describe the writing in Network Effect is 'cluttered.'
Sorry Martha, I love Murderbot, but this was a miss for me.
My copy of this novel
Tor hardback edition.
Published in 2020
350 pages
ISBN 9781250229861