Book Review: Network Effect by Martha Wells

Network Effect is the 5th book in the Murderbot series and the first full length novel. I've been enjoying the series and reading them on and off between other books. Here's the blurb from Goodreads: 

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression

This was a great addition to the Murderbot series. I like that it was a novel so we got plenty of story this time. A lot of familiar faces return, too so it picks up very quickly. We got a deeper look at Murderbot and ART's "relationship" as well as seeing more of how they interact more with humans. It's a bit of a mystery surrounding the main plot, so there is both action and investigation going on.

Plot

This book feels almost like a fresh start for Murderbot. It's back with Preservation and helping them in another survey. The story picks up from there with some flashbacks to give more context as to what has been going on with Murderbot in the recent past. Things quickly go from bad to worse as more and more hectic things happen and it has to struggle and keep its clients/associates/friends safe. The novel doesn't feel slow for being a longer book, in fact, the tension is kept up with a healthy dose of mystery as the characters are trying to figure out exactly what is threatening them.

Characters

As before, this book follows our favorite Murderbot in a new adventure. This time he is joined by some old (and new) team members from Preservation and, without spoiling much, we even get to see ART again. While we still have plenty of introspection from Murderbot, there is far more interpersonal relationships between it and the rest of the humans and ART. This books really demonstrates the differences (and similarities) between how humans, SecUnits, and bot transports approach problems.

Setting / World Building

This is another entry in the Murderbot series, so we have Security Units (like Murderbot), ships with artificial intelligence, augmented humans, and colony worlds across space. There are some interesting implications in the main mystery as well. 

No space stations this time; we spend most of the story in transports with a bit of time on planets. We also learn a bit more about colonies have been established, including the origins of Preservation itself. It's a bleak, commercialized universe in the Corporation Rim and you can't help but sympathize with Preservation's disgust of the practices there.

Final Thoughts

This was a great book. The familiar characters and settings of the Murderbot series, but a longer tale to really flesh out the growing relationship between it, ART, and other humans. It also ends with the promise of more adventures, too! If you're a fan of Murderbot you should pick this one up.