Book seven in Martha Wells’ phenomenal The Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse follows on closely after the events of Network Effect, with Murderbot having to deal with ever-increasing numbers of awkward humans and some especially uncomfortable emotions. With the alien remnant infection largely dealt with, the combined group of ART’s university crew and the Preservation team have turned their attention to safeguarding the remaining colonists, attempting to persuade them not to agree to any shady ‘contracts’ offered by the ruthless Barish-Estranza corporates. The problem is, Murderbot’s traumatic alien remnant experiences have resulted in a noticeable drop in performance, which isn’t ideal…especially considering Barish-Estranza have their own SecUnits and aren’t afraid to play dirty.
We’ve previously seen plenty of Murderbot wrestling with the complexities of free will, a theme which continues here, but this time it’s a story about coming to terms with trauma (ironically, exactly what Murderbot was previously encouraging Mensah to do), and learning to cope in different ways. To begin with there’s quite a bit of jumping back and forth in the timeline, perhaps representing Murderbot’s chaotic emotional state, and it’s instantly obvious that you really need to be on your toes and clear about what happened at the end of Network Effect (a quick reread of the last few chapters does the trick). There’s a lot to keep track of, not least rather more characters than usual, but the payoff is a story that feels rich and rewarding, offering real development for both Murderbot as a character and the series as a whole.
Seven books in, it would be easy for Wells to coast and simply give readers more of the same – more action, more snark, more Sanctuary Moon, more Murderbot-staring-at-a-wall – in another straightforward, standalone adventure. All those things are indeed present and correct here, but Wells hasn’t just taken the easy option, instead opting for a slightly different feel to most of the other stories. This is a little slower and a little less action-packed, a more introspective story that shows Murderbot at its most vulnerable – physically and emotionally – and forces it into a situation that needs more than strength and speed to resolve. Don’t worry, Murderbot still does its fair share of fighting, but it has to learn to deal with people and events in different ways too, uncomfortable though that may be.
Billed as a ‘full-length novel’, really this is more of a short novel, falling in between the usual novella length and the heft of Network Effect, and somehow it feels like the best of both worlds. Despite the relative lack of action it feels every bit as tight and snappy as the novellas, just with a little more room to breathe. All told it’s another excellent story in its own right, providing yet more evidence that Murderbot is – despite being an artificially-created killing machine – one of the most relatable (not to mention badass and amusing) characters in modern science fiction. On top of that though, it feels very much like it’s setting things up for the start of a new arc, which promises to take the series and the characters in a welcome new direction. The only downside is that we have to wait for the next book to see where that direction takes Murderbot!
Review copy provided by the publisher
See also: the other Muderbot Diaries reviews on Track of Words.
System Collapse is due out from Tordotcom Publishing in November 2023 – check out the links below to pre-order* your copy:
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