System Collapse, by Martha Wells

I read all of these as soon as I can get to them, but I have to say that the formula is wearing a bit. Wells is trying to add some dimensions to Murderbot by having him be more vulnerable, and that works to a certain extent. He's made it from one- to two-dimensional. The action in the series is great, always compelling. What's leaving me itchy is that her commitment to telling the story entirely from Murderbot's perspective leaves the humans in the shallows. Murderbot's relationship to them is as a protector, by programming. He can indulge their illogical behavior as being silly, and commit to protecting them from and in spite of themselves, but it's pretty much impossible to tell one human from another outside of their skill sets.

Wells is a very good author and I expect that the series will acquire depth if she commits to it. It will be hard to put down since it's been so successful.

My Goodreads Review

Witch King, by Martha Wells

I just finished reading this, which took a really long time. Martha Wells is a very versatile writer--the Murderbot series is all quick hits and snappy dialog, a fun read. This one feels more like a masterwork in the making--no doubt Wells has huge files of backstory. Very little of that is in the book, you have to figure out the fantasy world as she describes it, which is fine. Wells is taking her time building characters--Demon and Prince of the 4th House Kaiisterion (Kai to his friends) being the protagonist, with fellow traveler Ziede (I never figured out exactly what she was, a Witch I guess?).

A lot of the book is driven by Kai's memory of events, and his speculations on what and who is driving them. The book opens with Kai waking up from an imprisonment that should have been impossible, and freeing Ziede from a similar imprisonment. From there we have a very slow build, first introducing the powerful factions, then watching Kai and Ziede narrow down who was behind their capture. There's not a lot of action in either of the parallel story lines until the last third of the book.

There's a whole lot of potential here, you can see the scaffolding for the above-mentioned masterwork. This is one where the sequels could be better than the opener. This one feels like it's mostly introduction (through actions, but still an introduction).

Fugitive Telemetry, by Martha Wells

We knew from the start that this series was a formula. It's a decent formula that Wells can use to create readable books, but it's a formula, and I really can't give more than 3 stars to it. Formula being said, Murderbot is developing a bit as a character--becoming more assertive and confident, mostly through expletives. It's a nice lightweight read if you're in the mood for that, and I actually was when I read it. So--murder committed, murder investigated by Murderbot, murder solved. There is a window of development that could go somewhere. Murderbot is always worried about the media accounts of SecUnits, which have them going rogue and killing people. Murderbot's support network is very assured that this cannot happen, but then again Murderbot did in fact hack its own governor module and free itself, so it realizes that going rogue is actually possible. That comes forward in this book but is not dealt with. If it becomes a theme around which to build the story then there are some interesting possibilities. Formula books winning awards (Fugitive Telemetry was nominated for the majors and won the Locus) does not speak well for the state of the field.

My Goodreads Review

Network Effect, by Martha Wells

The Murderbot Diaries is pretty reliable as entertainment.  This one rolls along nicely, but it might have been a bit better as a novella like the others.  We get a lot of description of frenetic battles, with Murderbot processing a lot of inputs at once.  It's very true to the character but gets tiring to read after awhile.  Murderbot was kind of growing up over the last four books, but at least the pace of that development is slowing--seems like fans really enjoy the petulant adolescent thing.  If you're waiting for him to grow out of that you might get tired of this series after awhile.  I wish that some of his clients were more memorable--I have trouble keeping them straight in the stories.  But I crack on it too much--it's fine entertainment.

My Goodreads Review

Rogue Protocol, by Martha Wells

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


By the third installment of this series the protagonist is growing a bit, though he (it? they? Murderbot presents as male but does not seem to have any interior masculine talk) is still kind of one-dimensional as far as I am concerned. These are simple books with simple plots, but they do have a lot of well-constructed action sequences that make for an exciting read. Am happy to have picked it up. It would be interesting if she started doing more to work through how Murderbot is neither male nor female, and how that interacts with its vicarious (but growing more personal) interest in emotions.



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Martha Wells, Artificial Condition

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The second entry in this series is pretty much like the first one. I liked it OK, but I honestly don't see what the fuss is about, and why the first actually won awards. Murderbot is an angsty teenager, slightly more so in this book (tends more to colloquialisms, and is aware of beginning to think of itself as human). The whole novella is from this point of view. In this installment Murderbot gets a sidekick, ART (A******* Robot Transport), and we even get a "kill all humans" moment. So there's some potential for variation. The mystery has room to deepen, but it's on the shallow side right now. It's still a likeable book, I can see its appeal. But a likeable pulpy page-turner is different from work that operates on many levels, or asks for more than minimal attention from the reader, or anything like that. Whatevs.



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Compulsory, by Martha Wells

Compulsory is a story from the Murderbot Diaries, the first of which was All Systems Red.  The story is very consistent--our angsty teenage Murderbot defies its programming and inclinations to be more humane than allowed, and saves the humans it is charged mostly to protect from each other.  It's a decent story, I'm just still cheesed by how All Systems Red managed to win an award while neither of Sarah Pinsker's excellent, thoughtful SF stories got a smell.  Anyway, if you like All Systems Red you will want to read this.

All Systems Red, by Martha Wells

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a fun read, not really a jaw dropper but nice as a setup in a series. Our protagonist is a SecUnit, a cyborg construct intended to provide security for an exploration crew. It hacks itself to have free will, and when we pick up it has humanized itself by watching 35,000 hours of entertainment vids. So it does not think of itself as human, and maintains a distance that reminds me a bit of autism. But it definitely has feelings, opinions about the entertainment it watches, etc.

The plot is pretty standard and a bit thin--really all of it is, though it has potential. There are three more books in the series, so some who read this will know where it goes--but I'd be interested in how these Units are made (it reminds me strongly of Robocop, like there's an ex-person in there). Right now the plot isn't engaging enough for me to want to read more. Really, it's a YA novelette, and readers down to 11-12 would enjoy it.

In my estimation this is about a 3.6, rounding up.



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