Murderbot series by Martha Wells

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=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
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#1
I heard/read so much about this that when I saw the first novella (short novel) and the multiple-award-winning long novel at the bookstore, i bought them even though I had previously tried other books by Martha Wells and they just didn't click for me. I am happy to report that these were well worth the money for me.
(1.) All Systems Red. (a fine, fine short novel that sets up the situation)
(5?) Network Effect. The very complex full length novel. Certain elements reminded me a bit of faintly similar concepts in David Brin's novel, Kiln People, which I also love.
I hope I can locate the intermediate novellas someday.
 
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=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
2,900
#3
I have now acquired and read all the intermediate novellas, including the short story, "Home, Habitat...". The most recent one, Fugitive Telemetry, is technically a prequel in that it takes place between the fourth novella and the longer novel, Network Effect. Quality continues very high.
After over sixty years of reading mysteries and SF, i would be astonished if I hadn't at least suspected the villain, but I still wasn't sure until the end. Well done!
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
2,900
#4
I was puzzled by what seemed to be a weird glitch or subtle hint, but now I think it's just a typographical error. In the first part, All Systems Red, Murderbot tells us he hacked his controller unit 35,000+ hours ago (it isn't really a spoiler if it's in the first line, is it?).
In the second book, Artificial Condition, it says it has been alone in its head for 33,000+ hours. In the longer novel, Network Effect, it is spelled out in words, over thirty-five thousand hours ago.
Rather than invent a convoluted explanation for the difference, it's easier to decide that the 33,000+ figure was a typographical error for 35,000+.
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
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#6
The Murderbot Diaries as a whole won the Hugo Award for the Best Series, and the novel Network Effect won the Hugo Award for Best SF Novel published in 2020.
 
#9
Does anybody want to discuss the Murderbot series?
Happy to!

I really enjoyed them all - the universe seems well thought out, although explanations about it to the reader are fairly sparse - you have to fill in the gaps yourself. But I think what makes the series great is Murderbot's resigned and snarky attitude to how stupid humans are - it's definitely where the humour comes from.

I do also like that as the series progressed, Wells decided to bring back other side characters and give them a bigger part, thus allowing what started as a series of loosely-connected vignettes turn into an actual overall storyline for the series' protagonist.
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
2,900
#10
Hi, Molokov!

I love the snark too. I probably would not like the series without it.

I like that she does have quite a lot of data about her universe, and that, as you say, you have to put it together yourself. Relative sizes for instance; Gurathin has to stand on tiptoe to look over MB's shoulder, but he is trying to see something on the floor, so maybe he isn't that much shorter. How Gurathin seems to have become friends with MB even though it isn't stated, to the point that it can call on Gurathin as a witness.

Character is shown through things not done. as well as things done. This does tend to lead to personal theories. My current one is that, in my opinion, in Artificial Condition, MB does find out who was probably behind the Incident at Ganaka Pit.

SPOILERS FOR AC

When MB receives a badly-written code attempt to take it over and it is analyzed by Tapan, she comments that it's badly written and seems odd for Tlacey. But we know that Tlacey steals other people's code. She may not be that good at it herself.
Then when Tlacey brings up the topic of GP, MB says "We all know that wasn't an accident" - and Tlacey doesn't deny it. She just asks who's talking, that is, who else knows.
To me, that means Tlacey was behind it. And MB knows it. But it doesn't kill her until it finds out that its client, Tapan, has been shot by her minion.
It reminds me a little of Vimes in Night Watch.
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
2,900
#11
Wells, Martha: All Systems Red, contains an allusion to
Barry Longyear's _Circus World_ series about a space-going
circus. It's when Murderbot informs the Preservation Aux
people that the company could be bribed to allow anything
to be on the planet, including "traveling circuses".
 
Likes: Tonyblack

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