I was a little disappointed with "Fugitive Telemetry" which was written after this book but is set before it. But in "Network Effect" Wells is on form. As good as the first 4 novellas. The longer format gives the whole story a space opera feel. The beginning on the water planet reminded me of the Culture novels. What stands out to me in the Murderbot series is how Wells manages to give established sci fi narratives and tropes a little twist, simply by writing them through the eyes of "the help", i.e. bots and computer systems. Not only is ART back and we learn a lot more about the relationship between it and Murderbot but again, the unique type of connection that Murderbot can have with other systems and bots plays a pivotal role in saving the day. I also really like how alien tech and its effect on humans …
I was a little disappointed with "Fugitive Telemetry" which was written after this book but is set before it. But in "Network Effect" Wells is on form. As good as the first 4 novellas. The longer format gives the whole story a space opera feel. The beginning on the water planet reminded me of the Culture novels.
What stands out to me in the Murderbot series is how Wells manages to give established sci fi narratives and tropes a little twist, simply by writing them through the eyes of "the help", i.e. bots and computer systems.
Not only is ART back and we learn a lot more about the relationship between it and Murderbot but again, the unique type of connection that Murderbot can have with other systems and bots plays a pivotal role in saving the day. I also really like how alien tech and its effect on humans is depicted in this novel (and the other novellas in the series). It's different from what I'm used to in other sci fi.
There's also a lot of snark and action, as usual. An entertaining read.
This series gets more addicting with each installment. The first four books were almost too short, and reading this one felt like I was finally really getting to dig in to the world of Murderbot. Consider me thoroughly hooked!
It turns out I've been up all night finishing off this book, thank Murderbot it's still lockdown.
Was it worth pre-ordering? Yes. Did it blow my expectations? Totally.
Having the three narratives at one point took a tiny bit of adjustment, but for me it genuinely made the action come more to life. I've also noticed that things tend to be described just enough that you're able to set your own visuals along with the series.
I certainly hope there is another Murderbot novel in the works, as I've been sucked in deep to this series
It turns out I've been up all night finishing off this book, thank Murderbot it's still lockdown.
Was it worth pre-ordering? Yes. Did it blow my expectations? Totally.
Having the three narratives at one point took a tiny bit of adjustment, but for me it genuinely made the action come more to life. I've also noticed that things tend to be described just enough that you're able to set your own visuals along with the series.
I certainly hope there is another Murderbot novel in the works, as I've been sucked in deep to this series