One of my favorite entries in this series, System Collapse has Murberbot at its most vulnerable--and caring. Emotions, ugh. XD Murderbot is dealing with the fallout from its previous adventures in the form of trauma, while also faced with planet colonies that might just be willing to (unintentionally) sign themselves away to corporate slavery rather than trust the University and Preservation team to help them--because corporates sure do know how to fight dirty. Murderbot now has whole groups of humans to look out for, and we all know it hates watching other humans die--or throw their lives away. It was a delight to watch Murderbot draw on its experiences through the series to develop the single most effective way to reach the untrusting colonists before it was too late. Did I see it coming? Absolutely. Did I care? No. The execution was fantastic.

Highly recommend.

System Collapse is the seventh book in Martha Wells’s acclaimed Murderbot Diaries series, and it’s a humdinger. Fans have been waiting for this one, and they will not be disappointed. My thanks go to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

If you are one such fan, I’ve already told you what you need to know; for the uninitiated, I’ll continue. I am a reluctant science fiction reader. I generally avoid anything that involves complex world building or a new vocabulary extensive enough to require a glossary. I absolutely don’t read science fiction series anymore, because I am not that dedicated. As we age, our brains become less flexible, and so whereas I loved reading a handful of excellent but rather intricate series when I was thirty, I’m just not up for it in my retirement years. I include this information because I know that a good number of my readers are also at or near retirement age, and may be similarly reluctant. So, first: you can do this, and it will be painless.

I was finally persuaded to try this series—not for review, merely as an audiobook from the library, which is about as low risk as it gets—when readers from a number of unrelated places in my life all recommended it. I saw good things from a couple of my Goodreads friends online. How nice, I thought, but I’ll pass. Next came my children, my eldest and my youngest, both grown, of course. Their rabid enthusiasm cracked my resolve a tiny bit, but I thought, maybe later. The final straw came when a couple of lifelong friends came to visit from out of state last spring. They were embarking on a road trip around the Pacific Northwestern USA, concluding their stay here in Seattle, and they, too, were wildly enthusiastic—and one of them doesn’t read for pleasure much at all! They listened to the audiobooks of the entire series up through the sixth, which is what was available at the time, and heartily recommended it.

Well, I thought. I could check the library. I could probably listen to the first one while watering the plants, and if I don’t like it, I’ll just send it on back. But of course, I didn’t send it back; I checked out the rest of the series, and friend, if you have to stand around for thirty or forty minutes daily with a hose in your hand, this is the way to do it.

The Murderbot is a being that is part machine, part human, and the term for this within the fictional world it inhabits is “sec unit,” because it has been invented for the security of the human beings inside the various spacecraft that are flying around out there, and also partly for the security of the ship also; but as we learn, the ship can sometimes take care of itself.

“Murderbot” is the specific name that our protagonist has chosen. And the main character is indeed about ninety percent of what’s important here. We don’t need a host of invented words. There are a bazillion other characters, and no effort is made to introduce them to us gradually, but it doesn’t matter. Just let it flow over you and at some point, the most important characters will click in.

This seventh installment in the series is the first time that I have read it with my eyes. I wasn’t sure how this would go, since voice actor Kevin R. Free is so adept at reading the series that I had begun to equate his voice with the character; I needn’t have worried. In fact, I find that I prefer reading it this way, because the internal monologue is immense, and it’s much easier to tell when the character’s ruminations have ended and the action resumes when I can see the (many, many) parentheses. Also, the humor here is often sly, and when listening to the story, I don’t get a pause that provides me with time to consider what’s been said; we’re off and running, and if I don’t want to miss anything, I have to forget all about that little witticism and move forward. Reading by sight allows some reflection.

The series is drop dead funny, and it is also timely, as AI makes more inroads toward humanity of its own, raising all sorts of ethical questions for the future.

For any fans of the series that are still reading, despite having been dismissed at the start of this review: my favorite character, apart from the protagonist, is Art, the ship that is also Murderbot’s beloved friend. Murderbot’s sarcasm is matchless, except when Art is around. matching snark for snark with Murderbot as it does here, and foreshadowing suggests that when #8 is written and available, the same will be true.

And I cannot wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me at this one early in exchange for an honest review! (Did I take full advantage of that? No 😭)
System Collapse might be my final book of the year, and I am so ok with that! This one took me a minute to read, largely due to the fact that I've been so heavily on my Terry Pratchett Bullshit* that I mostly had to start over because I Lost the Plot. Murderbot is always worth a reread, though, so that was the opposite of a problem.
If you liked the other books (of course you did), you'll like this one! Lots of good character growth for our friend Murderbot, and lots of Murderbot and ART being married/divorced/????.
It picks up pretty much right where Network Effect leaves off, so try to read them as close together as possible - the ideal reading order for these is 1-4, 6, 5, 7. Do you, though!

*I feel like the Venn diagram of Murderbot Enjoyers and Discworld Enjoyers is probably a circle

I was so confused when I started this book, to the point that I was convinced I skipped a book in the series. We're thrown right in to the insanity that Murderbot is currently involved in, after being recruited by ART to help save his crew. It became apparent quickly that I was not missing a book, you are supposed to be confused. Murderbot has a memory issue for this book.

The latest installments in the Murderbot Diaries have been interesting as they deal with being a known rogue SecUnit to select people. Otherwise they're a security consultant to anyone. They're good at their job usually and it was interesting to see them off their game a bit this time. ART further cements themself as another amazing bot character. It's also very interesting seeing them continue to interact with other SecUnits and offer them the same options they have.

Murderbot's charm endures, though I sometimes struggled to follow the plot of this slightly dense follow-up from Martha Wells.

Definitely not the best murderbot entry. I wish this had more of the interpersonal aspect that I've come to love in this series. This felt like a filler episode.

As always, amazing. I adore this damn Murderbot and their adventures. They go through these journeys while discovering themselves and you can see them picking up more humanity along the way.

I'm so glad I got to dive back into the world of MurderBot. I love that we got to know ART's crew more and that we got to see how MurderBot's family is expanding, even it doesn't want to admit that. I will always read something now in this world, but it's a true delight when returning to a series is such a joy.

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

So, I did have a slight bit of trouble following what the hell was going on in this book, because there is A LOT going on in this book. But I got there and loved it, as I love all Murderbot.

I was so happy to have a slightly longer Murderbot book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one. Honestly, I think Tor should just throw money at Martha Wells and give her an open ended contract that allows her to write as many Murderbot books as she wants.

Several things I really enjoyed about this book:
• Murderbot deciding that they need to make media to inform the colonists about the evils of Barish-Estranza
• the colonists recognizing Tarik from being in the documentary (he’s a celebrity!)
• this description: I don’t think I’ve had an emotion that wasn’t the visual equivalent of a wet blanket crumpled on a floor.

So much to love about this series and I can’t to read more!

I enjoy the Murderbot Diaries series. I love seeing the growth of the main character. I also like the side characters as well. The way Martha Wells describes the different locations is surreal. I can't wait to see where and how the main character goes from here.

I've been consuming these as fast as they come out. But it's not fast enough. A full three years of my real time has transpired since I read Network Effect. And much has happened in those years. On the other hand, almost no time has transpired for Murderbot, since this story picks up immediately after the events of the previous novel. And Murderbot is not in a good place. Why? The current story will reveal this. But since I didn't reread the previous story before jumping into this one, my mind was spinning trying to recall the previous events and make the current events make sense.

Then I gave up and simply enjoyed the ride. The story unfolds at the usual fast pace and is still filled with quick humor and Murderbot's sweet, innocent, logical feelings for its human clients. It's fun to tag along as it evaluates and compensates for the various tactical situations, always trying for the least destructive outcome.

I wound up enjoying this story as much as the earlier ones. I have a feeling the story in the next novel in the series might again be closely tied to this one. I will definitely carve out the time to read and enjoy all three sequentially.

3.5/5 stars

This is the closest I've come to being disappointed by a Murderbot book. It still has its usual wit, charm, and insightful commentary, but I was too lost coming into this. Even after restarting this after reading 1/3 of it, I still struggled. This series has earned too much goodwill from me to drop it after one bad experience, especially since it would probably be remedy with a quick reread. Nevertheless, I wish it did more to stand on its own. This just isn't the kind of series I expect (or really want) the stories to depend too strongly on one another.

I will update this review once I've reread the entire series (at which point I anticipate I'll enjoy this one a lot more). I still recommend it to Murderbot fans, but I strongly recommend doing some review, or even a full reread leading into this.

Absolutely stunning next chapter in the Murderbot series. I was a little hesitant where the next arc would go, but as always, Wells knocks it out of the park.

There are so many ways that I could describe System Collapse, but I'll keep it simple: it's perfection. Every Murderbot Diaries installment has been a true joy to read and System Collapse was no different. Murderbot continues to experience emotions and feelings - while simultaneously trying to keep its humans alive. It ended up being a fantastic follow up to Network Effect and beloved characters (like ART) from that book are front in center in System Collapse. Martha Wells continues to craft stories that elicit emotional responses from joy to sadness to surprise and so many other feelings in between. I'll be recommending the book to any patron looking for a recommendation in the genre or related to the genre.

The first thing to know about Martha Wells’ System Collapse is that if you can’t dredge up memories of its predecessor, Network Effecthttps://fantasyliterature.com/reviews/network-effect/, you’re going to want to refresh yourself either by a reread (fun enough) or skimming a few reviews, as System Collapse picks up directly afterward and really, feels like it could have just been part of Network Effect (you know, had it been written at the time).

The reasons are multiple for wanting to remind yourself of events: the plotting, as noted, starts nearly immediately after the close of Network Effect, there are several character groups one is going to want to keep straight (a colonist group, another colonist group, a surprise colonist group previously unknown, a group of Murderbot humans some of whom are relatively new, the corporate bad guys who themselves have their own factions, the university good guys who may or may not arrive in time to be of help, etc. But the most important reason to refresh your memory is because System Collapse is really built around Murderbot’s PTSD (while the “system” of the title can have several referents, one is certainly Murderbot’s own system) stemming from a key event in the prior novel. So it’ll help if you remember just what that event was and why it was so traumatizing.

The action all takes place on the same planet from Network Effect, with revelation of the aforementioned surprise group of extra colonists prompting an excursion by Murderbot and his humans to the polar region where this splinter group — long out of contact with the other colonists — supposedly exists. The key is to get there and give the colonists their various options before the corporate villains (Barish-Estranza) show up and put them into indentured servitude (voluntarily or involuntarily). Of course, getting there first and convincing the colonists before the bad guys arrive would make for a pretty slim novel, so as one might expect, things don’t go quite so smoothly. The corporation is already there, they’re devious and deceptive as corporations are wont to be, and they’ve brought along their own SecUnits, meaning poor Murderbot would be outgunned even if it were operating normally.

And it is absolutely not operating normally. The first clue we get to this are the number of “redacted” moments that appear early on in the narration (one of my favorite, most cleverly devised, elements of the series is how Murderbot’s speedy brain’s ability to multi-task combined with its self-diagnosis programming allows it to act as both a semi-omniscient third-person narrator and a first-person narrator simultaneously). Eventually we’re told the cause of this, and the rest of this storyline focuses on Murderbot’s attempts to deal with the trauma. Or really, for the most part, its attempts to avoid dealing with it, despite the proffered assistance from its “annoying” friends: the humans under its protection and its AI friend ART. This personal sense of uncertainty, its sense of vulnerability and shame at that vulnerability, combined with its fear/guilt that said uncertainty will cause it to let down its friends and allow them to come to harm; all of that serves to further humanize (or “person-ize”) Murderbot, as well as pop up the tension when it comes to running and shooting and fighting. Although less of that occurs here, making this a more introspective story than many of the prior ones. As well as more meta, given that storytelling plays a prominent role in the attempt to stave off a corporate victory (and the referenced idea of disinformation makes it sadly topical as well).

Meanwhile, the usual snark and humor runs throughout, even if tempered by that vulnerability and uncertainty, making this just as entertaining as all the rest of the series. Obviously, this is not the place to start the series (if you mistakenly picked it up thinking it was a standalone/first work, stop reading now and go back to begin with All Systems Red). So anyone reading System Collapse is well aware of the series’/character’s many strengths. Suffice to say they’re all on display here. Just remember to catch up on what happened just beforehand before diving in.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story starts immediately after the end of Network Effect as Murderbot goes on a quest with some familiar humans and ART as they attempt to rescue abandoned colonists on a planet that is suffering from alien contamination from becoming corporate slaves. And yet, throughout the story, Murderbot is still recovering from his last adventure. He's navigating through some mental health struggles following a traumatic incident. This book focuses on the emotional progress of Murderbot and sets up the next story for when he goes on his next galactic adventure. I think this story reminds us all to pause and do our own mental check-ins.

The Murderbot series continues to be such a distinct and enjoyable balance of humor and action. Wells has truly accomplished something spectacular by creating a world I keep wanting to go back to over and over again.

Book Review
System Collapse
Martha Wells
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Murderbot enthusiasts, rejoice! Your latest fix, a full-length novel featuring your beloved SecUnit Robot, has arrived. This seventh installment, a direct sequel to the events in Network Effect (the fifth book and the first full-length novel in the series, following richly crafted novellas), is not recommended as a standalone.

For newcomers to the Murderbot series, it’s essential to start with the first novella, the multi-award-winning All Systems Red. This series, a cerebral science fiction space opera, is replete with intrigue, action, and mystery. It centers around a self-hacked robot on a quest to understand life’s meaning.

As an introduction: Murderbot began its journey as a security cyborg, constructed from both inorganic and cloned human materials. Initially an indiscriminate killing machine under its owners’ control, it eventually hacked its programming governor unit, attaining free will, independence, and sentience. Despite this, it continues to serve its human owners on missions across the galaxy. We’ve seen Murderbot evolve in personality, maturity, and quirks—sometimes cranky, cynical, paranoid, and anxious, other times depressed. However, it’s no longer a mindless killer; it acts out of necessity to protect the humans it has grown to care for. Frustrated by their poor choices, which often require its rescue, Murderbot unwinds by watching media, with a favorite show being “The Rise And Fall Of Sanctuary Moon”, including specific beloved episodes.

In this adventure, Murderbot confronts the unethical megacorporation Barish-Estranza, which has dispatched mercenaries to enslave the surviving colonists of a planet and exploit its resources. The colonists distrust both Murderbot’s team and Barish-Estranza, having survived a contamination by killer alien technology. Martha Wells, as an adept storyteller and world builder, weaves a complex, twisted plot with action and intrigue reminiscent of a John Wick movie. The novel delves into themes of unchecked capitalism and colonialism, along with the exploration of diversity and the non-significance of gender roles or pronouns. Witnessing Murderbot’s continuous evolution, despite its “somewhat deficient” humans, is a thrilling experience.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review

SYSTEM COLLAPSE is book number 7 in the (mostly) novella series by @marthawellswriter. In this thrilling adventure there is a lot more action and fighting than some of the past books which means there was a bit less of the banter I love so much, but ART and Murderbot still have a few gloriously sarcastic spats. AND...Murderbot and ART make a baby! (Slight spoiler but also, not).

I can't get enough of Murderbot - their assessment of interacting with other humans and their desire to just zone out and be consumed by their stories (i.e. Sanctuary Moon) are both so spot on for me. Hands down, my favorite portrayal of a bad robot gone rouge. The only problem is that they are trying to figure out how to fit in with humans so that means they will have to contend with "Ew...emotions."🤣

If you have not had the pleasure to hang out with Murderbot, ART and their human companions, I HIGHLY recommend this series. Even with all the combat, etc this series still feels really cozy to me and it is always a delight to revisit these characters.

🤖Have you read any of these yet? Have any other favorite robot-centric books?

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @torbooks for the e-ARC.

Another great Murderbot book by Martha Wells!
I always enjoy reading this universe. It can be tough to keep readers attention after so many books, but Wells continues to deliver and keep my attention.
Such a great sci fi read with great characters and development. Looking forward to more Murderbot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.