I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely recommend rereading the previous book before you read this one because I forgot a lot and you might as well. I don’t like the fact that we start the book in a present that has flashbacks to a past that was not in a book. There is a lot of redacted information at the beginning of this book that it takes forever before you get to an explanation of what was redacted, and why. It made a very hard to get into this book because you spend the first almost 50% confused about what has happened and what is happening because it feels like every couple of paragraphs you have redacted information. It started getting better at the 50% mark. As with all the Murderbot books, this book made me laugh out loud and I still love Murderbot as a character. I just feel like this book could’ve started off much stronger. In this book we see Murderbot, dealing with anxiety and panic. He seems to have become more emotional in this book not necessarily in a bad way. He leans more on his humans for emotional support, and seems to empathize with their emotional outbursts more than he has previously. I love ART she’s still my favorite character, and we are briefly introduced to another ship AI interface: Holism. Holism seems to have a history with ART and their interactions promise future hilarity in the next few books (I hope). Despite the slow start, this book was pretty good. I am holding out hope that I will like the next one more. I feel like this was slow because it was trying a different way of writing to show Murderbot’s growth as a character, and as a sentient being who is learning and developing feelings.

The mood of System Collapse isn’t as light or even as sarcastic as previous Murderbot books; Murderbot isn’t okay, it knows it, ART knows it, and their humans know it. That knowledge gives the book a weight, a feeling of imminent doom, that other books lacked - even in the most dire of situations.

System Collapse is the seventh installment of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. It picks up not long after Network Effect, on a colony planet in the middle of nowhere, where the inhabitants are in danger of being recruited into lifelong indenture - by force, if necessary. The teaching and research vessel, Perihelion, of the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland - also known as ART or Asshole Research Transport - has come to this planet to help the colonists. ART kidnapped Murderbot and its humans and brought them into this mess, and now, in System Collapse we get to see the aftermath of the kidnapping and ARTs plans to free the colonists.

With me so far? (I try not to spoil previous books, but some of this information is necessary to understand where this book begins.) Okay, good!

System Collapse is more of an ending to Network Effect, wrapping up everything that happened with ART and the isolated colony of humans, but the things Murderbot must deal with - the things he refuses to confront - are an integral story that readers will enjoy. So while this book lacks the humor, and could possibly be considered a continuation of Network Effect, it’s will captivate Murderbot fans.


Readers could be pretty confident at the end of Network Effect that everything would work out for Murderbot, ART, and their humans. That’s why the information for System Collapse (what would be considered the “book jacket or book cover copy” or the story blurb) was so alarming for Murderbot fans. It reads, “there’s something wrong with Murderbot: it isn’t running within normal operational parameters.” So what happened?!? It’s going to drive loyal Murderbot readers mad, this not knowing.

And they’ll have to wait much longer than opening the book to figure it out… When we pick up Murderbot’s story, it is already broken, but it refuses to discuss or even think about the cause. Instead, any time it gets near the problem, readers will see “redacted.”

Wells keeps readers on tenterhooks, desperately wanting to know what happened. Fair warning: It will be understandable if readers rush through the book the first time, anxiously wanting answers.

As with previous books, System Collapse is told from Murderbot’s point of view - a deeply personal one where it shares most of its thoughts (and confused feelings) while mainly presenting a neutral expression for the humans. It won’t admit that it is not okay, not usually, and this books is no different. Comments like, “Pretending I’m fine for Mensah was hard enough,” and “I know I get pissed off when humans don’t acknowledge my work, but why is too much acknowledgement also upsetting?” are noted internally for readers alone while it says, “I am absolutely fine,” over and over again.

Very little can be kept from ART, however, and it keeps a close eye on Murderbot. ART tracks Murderbot’s performance reliability, among other things, and Murderbot is painfully aware that it needs ART right now. “ART has been monitoring me due to redacted. Which is a whole thing, I don’t know, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Readers have often felt heartsick for Murderbot, but this whole book will strum the heartstrings.
While we worry over Murderbot, we get to know more about ART and its humans along the way. I won’t spoil any of those revelations, but they are sprinkled throughout the book in little tidbits to lessen the disturbing thoughts of Murderbot. There is humor, but it doesn’t hit like it used to. I think Wells did an amazing job of keeping the book somber even when the banter and side remarks are amusing.

That said, I think fans will all give a huge sigh of relief when Murderbot and ART can go back to jovially poking at one. Together they are a great team, and their combined humans are all very likable.

I eagerly look forward to the next Murderbot Diaries installment. Until then, I’ve pre-ordered my copy of the audiobook so I can listen to the entire Murderbot Diaries over and over again. The narrator, Kevin R. Free, is fantastic.

This is the seventh Murderbot outing, and it felt a little light, judged by the extraordinarily high standards set by the previous works in the series. Our beloved characters are all still themselves, but it felt a little like what would have been a few chapters of set-up in earlier books was stretched out to novel length here. Certainly not enough to turn me off the series, but not quite as satisfying as I had hoped for either. Let's hope for a return to form with volume eight!

Murderbot Diaries is an excellent series and System Collapse meets the same standard. I am and have been invested in the ongoing development and self'awareness of Murderbot and their cohorts. I only wish I had started this series much, much sooner.

If you haven't read all the Murderbot books, you are in for a treat but don't jump into the series with this one. You need to read the first one at least, and then #7, Network Effect, because this novella wouldn't make sense if you haven't. Bad enough that it's been some time since book 7 for me, but the story particulars came back as I read.

The novella is engaging, like all the Murderbot books: lots of sarcasm as SecUnit figures out who are what he is. Passing as an augmented human, Murderbot does NOT want to be human, yet as he throws off the reigns of his former controllers by hacking his governor module, he is slowly, and possibly unwillingly, becoming more and more human every day.

Lots of swearing (don't get me wrong, I like that - this isn't a kid's book), action-packed scenes, and a few nods to LGBTQ. The humans either care enough for others to try to prevent a hidden colony from potential slavery or blatantly want to enslave them. Take your pick. It seems 50/50 in the world of Murderbot.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity for this early view of Martha Well's next scifi novella!

Murderbot is still planet side, rescuing an ungrateful bunch of colonists from their horror show of a situation and from the Barish-Estranza corporation, which has appeared with additional SecUnits and some diabolical plans. Adding to the fun, Murderbot isn’t running within normal operational parameters. Something is wrong.

Why I started this book: Murderbot... enough said.

Why I finished it: This story picks up immediately after the first, and I should have refreshed my memory of everything that happened previously. Still a great story, as Murderbot laments the humanity that is accreting in his life, schedule and operating modules.

The Murderbot series never fails to amaze me. It's such a unique story, and now Wells has added in the idea of trauma and PTSD and Murderbot having feelings for the humans he surrounds himself with, and I love it. The plot isn't near as important to me as Murderbot's growth...and amazing internal narration.

I've read a lot of Murderbot, but neglected to read Network Effect before this one. So, around 15% in I decided to catch up, just so I could fully enjoy System Collapse. It was well worth it, and I think that's all the recommendation you need! This series continues to expand and evolve wonderfully, and I'm always excited for where Murderbot will go next. Can't wait for the next installment!

The Murderbot Diaries are my new favorite science-fiction read. SYSTEM COLLAPSE is a sequel to NETWORK EFFECT, but it helps to also have read the four preceding novellas in the Murderbot series in order to be familiar with the characters, circumstances, and history involved. Going into this story, I had not, but once I had, I greatly appreciated the way the story keeps building from book to book. There is a fantastic blend of action, snark, and relation development, particularly between the Security Unit (SecUnit), known privately as Murderbot, and the sentient transport vehicle Perihelion (aka ART). Even in the midst of the tensest action, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the throwaway lines (one of the humans discovering the bad guys unexpectedly, comes out with, in Murderbot's words, "something religious and sweary again." The irreverent protagonist who doesn't do emotions (but actually really does, as well as doing its best to take care of its humans) carries the story through a plot involving alien planets, evil corporations, lost colonists, and so much more. I loved it and can't recommend it enough. I also can't wait to read the next installment of this outstanding series.

Not the strongest showing from our fearless (though needply conflicted) Murderbot, but certainly another wild ride, punctuated by some seller action (and one-liners from ART).

As we pick up from our last volume in this serial series, our team is hot on the trail on yet ANOTHER colony settlement... in a dangerous situation. While this time out the introduction seemed a bit more spun out, the finalé was great Murderbot candy!

Certainly worth the quick read!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 7 in the Murderbot Diaries series and, I think if you’ve made it to book 7 it’s pretty clear that you enjoy the series. I am a big Murderbot fan and I was excited for another full length novel in the series. This didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t put it down!

System Collapse directly follows Network Effect (book 5) and focuses on Murderbot having to mentally and emotionally (the horror) deal with everything it went through in the previous book while continuing to do its job. I loved this aspect so much. Getting to see Murderbot’s growth since the beginning of the series and having to deal with some of its emotions is what made System Collapse one of my favourite entries in to the series so far. I also continue to love all of Murderbot and ART’s interactions. Their friendship is simultaneously hilarious and so sweet.

In my opinion, System Collapse is a strong entry into the Murderbot Diaries series and I’m very excited to see where the series goes next!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

4.5 stars. While I'm never great at keeping up with the political/legal plots and worldbuilding structures that happen in these books, this one was another action packed ride full of the lovable Murderbot as it bickers with ART, tries not to process its own emotions, and keeps as many humans alive as possible. This is the quickest I've devoured a book in the past 6 months.

Read this in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next. Martha Wells continues to build on the idea of space capitalism in a way that’s entirely realistic and completely terrifying.

This is the awesome seventh entry in Well’s fabulous Murderdot Diaries series, featuring our favorite AI killer robot who’s hacked its governor module to forge an independent and mostly peaceful, if puzzling, life for itself. This full-length novel goes back in time to pick up on events following the fifth in the series, Network Effect. Mruderbot’s still trying to save the Preservation humans under its protection while sorting out its own emotional humanity. And once again, Murderbot gets forced to partner with AI of the ART transport, that continues to prove a frenemy.

Murderbot’s continuing mission centers on guarding humans who are trying to locate any human settlers on a recently corporate-colonized planet who do not want to be “rescued” by the corporation only to turn them into profitable human slaves. Murderbot and crew locate a long-lost group of isolated colonists, who cannot figure out who to trust between them and the supposed rescue team sent in by the new corporate overlord. There’s also the issue of alien artifacts that have potentially been left on the planet in the vicinity of the isolated colonists.

Murderbot itself is malperforming below its SecUnit’s reliability parameters. This gets reflected in Murderbot’s evolving and continually REDACTED narration- crossing out and redacting sections it doesn’t like or trust, while still approaching the world with a sardonic outlook overlayed on candid observations and humor. Suddenly we’re delving into Murderbot’s emotions and evolving humanity, which become even sharper as its reliability stumbles.

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Martha Wells does it again!! Murderbot is back and better than ever, except it isn't, it's functioning at a lower percentage than it likes to maintain but things are happening and it needs to keep the humans safe.

I binged the previous 6 books leading up to this one and they are definitely forever favorites.

Thank you TOR, Martha Wells, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Wells has done it again.
Murderbot’s journey continues with the perfect amount of intrigue, action and sarcastic humor. Murderbot always approaches problems with just the right level of analysis and, despite its best efforts, emotion. This time controlling its emotions is extra hard because [redacted], which is the last thing it’s needs if it’s gonna manage to protect the Preservation and Perihelion crews.

This book picks up RIGHT where Network Effect left off, so I highly recommend either rereading or refreshing yourself on that book before diving in here. I feel like there's not a ton I can say that is not spoiler-y, so I'll just say that this is the first book where we see Murderbot processing their feelings and the trauma of what all they've been through with the support of their humans and ART. Thematically, this is very salient as to where we are re:late stage capitalism and worker exploitation

Wells hit it out of the park again!

I just love Murderbot and following it’s journey through this story was everything I’d hoped for - and a little more. The way it wrestled with feelings and emotions - coping with Sanctuary Moon! - is just perfect. Wells captures something about humanity in this SecUnit!

I also LOVED the addition at the end (the “resolution Murderbot comes up with) and felt like it was exactly what the story needed.

As I always feel when I come to the end of a Murderbot novel…I want more.

Note: There is quite a bit of swearing that I really wish wasn’t there…it’s the only negative about the books because if feels off to have bots and ships cussing…but I read past it.

My rating: 5*

—-
Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I love the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, with my favorite being Network Effect, which truly kicks ass. (My least favorite was Fugitive Telemetry, mainly because I didn’t think the whodunit format worked all that well. And Network Effect is a hard act to follow!) So I welcomed the opportunity to review an eGalley of the newest Sec Unit tale, System Collapse, due out in November.

Where does System Collapse fall between the last two, in terms of strength of story? Much closer to Network Effect, though it picks up the story-line of Preservation’s encounter with the unscrupulous Barish-Estranza corporation.

On one side are the humanitarian Preserveration folk (along with our favorite SecUnit); on the other side, the ruthless Barish-Estranza corporation. Both sides are vying for the hearts and minds of colonists who are also dealing with dangerous alien-tech-contamination. Moreover, the Preservation team finds out about a separatist group of colonists who are even more clueless about what’s happening. Naturally, having no history with either side, these colonists have no idea who to trust—or who to fear! If they make the wrong choice, they’ll end up as slave labor for the rest of their natural lives. Complicating matters, SecUnit can’t trust itself after a hallucinatory episode and an unexpected shutdown.

SecUnit has always been the model of competence and efficiency, in terms of security, keeping its team safe from outside threats and, sometimes, from their own ill-advised choices. Introducing self-doubt is a significant problem when every choice becomes a life-or-death decision, adding another layer of suspense to a situation that is already tense. The reason for the eponymous “system collapse” is never fully explained, so I wonder if that will be the subject of the next Murderbot Diaries installment.

With SecUnit’s unexpected (and certainly unwelcome) layer of fallibility in the mix, System Collapse builds to a nail-biting conclusion, since any mistake, any hesitation can lead to fatal results for SecUnit and its team, and a life of misery for the colonists they’ve been sent to rescue. It remains to be seen if the “system collapse” is a one-time fluke, something SecUnit will completely recover from and be forgotten… or if it signals another step toward greater humanity for our beloved MurderBot.

Murderbot realizes it has to deal with it's PTSD, the novel! Very much a sequel to Network Effect and does not stand alone without reading Network Effect. It's a delightful novel for longtime Murderbot readers featuring new and old friends (Mensah, ART, Ratthi, etc). The series could end here, but the ending has me wanting SO much more!