System Collapse by Martha Wells

March 4, 2024

Murderbot, the rogue SecUnit, is back for another adventure, only this time, something traumatic has happened to it, causing it to experience false memories and flashbacks. Worse, its breakdown happened in front of the crew, ART, and another SecUnit, so everyone knows something is wrong. Both its mechanical and organic parts are affected, and it makes Murderbot question whether it can do its job. For the first time, it is afraid to go into unknown situations, that it will freeze and be unable to protect its humans. And Murderbot has more humans than ever to look after, and is starting to care about many of them.

Love the Murderbot series! It's been a while since the last book, so it takes the reader a few chapters to get back into the story (stick with it, it's worth it). Wells revisits many of our favorites characters, including ART, the Asshole Research Transport and Murderbot's best friend. We get to see Murderbot's human side here, which just makes me love it even more. I'm so sad that I have to wait another year for the next book. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys science fiction and fantasy.

Terraforming a new planet

Witch King by Martha Wells

May 4, 2023

Witch King by Martha Wells

Kai (short for Kaiisteron) is the witch king, a royal demon. He wakes trapped in a glass coffin in an underwater structure, where he manages to overpower his captors, take one of their bodies, and then free his companion Ziede. They have no idea how long they have been asleep, who imprisoned them, where they are, or the state of their world. They travel to Kai's underground home kingdom for answers, then search for Ziede's mate Tahren. Tahren was supposed to attend a coalition summit but never showed up. 

High fantasy is not usually my thing, and this is high fantasy (I usually prefer urban fantasy or steampunk, where magic and fantasy are layered over the real world). But I love Martha Wells' Murderbot series so I thought I'd give her latest novel a try. In essence, it's a search for a missing person while trying to discover who is working against them. The timeline moves back and forth from the present to 60 years ago when the main characters all met. Lots of characters, names, locations, often confusing. At the end, we are left wondering what is going to happen so some of the characters who have been with the main characters throughout the book (such as Raman and Tenes). Martha Wells began as a fantasy writer and then branched out into sci fi, so this is a return to her roots. Readers of pure fantasy will love it, but others will find it confusing.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The new Murderbot novel, coming out later this year - I can't wait!

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

January 1, 2022

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

When a dead body is found at Preservation Station (the safest place in the galaxy - for the crime rate to be any lower, they'd have to be on an uninhabited planet), why does the security staff immediately assume that Murderbot killed the dead person? If Murderbot HAD killed the dead person, he is certainly smart enough not to dump the body in a public place in plain sight. Dealing with people is the worst part of Murderbot's job - they are SUCH a pain in the ass. When security tapes show that Murderbot was no where in the vicinity, they must work with Murderbot to figure out how the murder was committed and who is responsible.

This is #6 in the Murderbot Diaries series, and I just love it.  I love the main character's narration, sarcasm, and sense of humor, also its devotion to Dr. Mensa, the head of preservation station and the first human to realize that Murderbot was a thinking being, and treat it like a person and not a thing (Murderbot is the SecUnit's name for itself). 

What Murderbot the SecUnit may look like

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells

May 8, 2020

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells

Part machine, part human, Murderbot is a Security Unit (SecUnit) responsible for protecting stupid humans who insist on doing things likely to get them killed.  SecUnit is on what should be a routine mission from Preservation Sector that its team leader, Dr. Mensah, has sent it on in order to protect some of her family members including her daughter Amena.  But an unexpected twist occurs when SecUnit encounters its old friend ART (short for Asshole Research Transport), and SecUnit finds it must cooperate with ART if it wants to brings its humans home alive.

This is the first full-length Murderbot novel after four novellas (if you haven't read the novellas, go back and do that immediately - the first one is  All Systems Red).  Murderbot (its private name for itself) is a wonderful creation, who really just wants to watch its favorite shows on its media feed all day.  Filled with constant action, adventure and world building, Murderbot's internal dialog and snarky comments make this a delight even for readers who don't normally enjoy science fiction.  Illinois is still under the shelter-in-place order, and this was some great escapist fiction to pass the time.  Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.