Like many readers, I enjoyed the first four Murderbot Diaries novellas. Having said that, I did begin to feel that too much of the plot always involved Murderbot saving a bunch of clueless and often stupid people. As mentioned in a number of my reviews, as fun and entertaining as these novellas turned out to be, everything was becoming a little redundant. Moving forward, I was hoping that Wells would elevate her game and bring this series to another level. Which she did in Network Effect, the first novel-length project featuring Murderbot. Indeed, the author kicked the story into high gear and the book became an exciting ride that made you want to beg for more.
Then came Fugitive Telemetry, which takes place before Network Effect. This was a little disappointing for this new novella couldn't move the story forward. Even worse, Martha Wells went for the same recipe which was already getting a old, at least in my book. In the end, it was as fun to read as the original novellas, but the novel proved that the author could push the envelope further and add layers to this tale and its characters. In my opinion, it felt as though Fugitive Telemetry was a backward step, relying on the same ingredients that made the past installments a commercial success instead of trying to move toward bigger and better things.
As the direct sequel to Network Effect, I dearly hoped that System Collapse would raise the bar higher than ever. Sadly, it's now clear that the Murderbot Diaries are a cash cow for Tordotcom and that they have no intention of making this series reach new heights any time soon. System Collapse read like the second part of Network Effect, and it's obvious that these two books should have been released as a single novel. Like all its predecessors, System Collapse was an engaging read. But I must admit that the magic has worn off. It feels like Wells is microwaving leftovers and rehashing the exact same plotlines over and over again.
So what about Platform Decay? More of the same, unfortunately. Once again, Murderbot must come to the rescue of people who have put themselves into danger. Though there's nothing new other than Murderbot having to deal with children, it remains a compelling read. Alas, the overall story arc of the series barely moves forward. As things stand, though there are eight volumes and a couple of shorts, the Murderbot Diaries are comprised of more installements than most SFF series while boasting a pagecount shorter than many epic fantasy or space opera novels.
Here's the blurb:
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.
Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.
After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.
Including human children. Ugh.
This may well call for... eye contact!
(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)
Sadly, the worldbuilding facet is once again kept to a bare minimum. As was the case with the last couple of Murderbot titles, there's very little in terms of revelations or new concepts/ideas and this newest work maintains the episodic format of the Murderbot Diaries. As always, there seems to be more than meets the eye. Which is probably what is the most frustrating aspect of this series. As mentioned in my previous reviews, as limited in scope and vision as all these novels/novellas/short stories appear to be, numerous signs hint that there is a depth to the storylines that will be explored in the future. Network Effect did just that and was a rewarding read. Still, just how ambitious and multilayered the Murderbot Diaries will turn out to be remains to be seen. And truth be told, Martha Wells and Tordotcom appear to be in no hurry whatsoever. Like System Collapse, Platform Decay felt a bit like a money-grab. Remember that I'm not paying for these books and I still feel this way. Can't imagine paying premium ebook prices or forking out nearly 20$ for hardcovers without feeling short-changed. Of course, your mileage may vary in that regard. . .
As I always say, first-person narratives are always tricky, but Martha Wells created an extremely endearing main character. Murderbot's POV definitely gives these works their unique flavor and makes this antisocial SecUnit one of the most interesting protagonists in science fiction today. Murderbot's perspective, full of sarcasm and social awkwardness, is as entertaing to read as it's always been. The addition of the emotion checks worked quite well and were fun to read. The supporting cast, especially the children, add a new emotional layer that Murderbot must learn to deal with and was well done.
Once again, Murderbot is called upon to save people. Yes, that's pretty much all it does in every story thus far. As mentioned in plenty of my reviews, as long as each new novella/novel/short story built on the groundwork laid by its predecessor, I would have no problem with that. Trouble is, it's not the case and this is beginning to be quite annoying. As was the case with both Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse, Platform Decay doesn't cover a lot of ground and seems to be yet another a example of same old, same old. Was Network Effect just a fluke? No matter how charitable one tries to be, it sure looks as though they're trying to milk this series as much as humanly possible. And given the size of these books, even if you can mathematically call some of them novel-length projects, charging nearly as much for what is essentially little more than a novella as you'd pay for doorstoppers by Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, or Neal Stephenson, it makes for extremely poor value. Especially in this economy. As fun and entertaing as they can be, you're not exactly getting a lot of bang for your buck. And eight books down the line, it still feels as though we're only reading the beginning of Murderbot's story.
Given its size, I wasn't expecting Platform Decay to suffer from any pacing issues. But the rhythm does lag in the middle as the SecUnit tries to find a way to get those he must protect to safety. Still, I went through it in no time. Like its last few predecessors, though I liked it, there's no denying that something's missing. Network Effect raised the bar higher than it's ever been before and I'm now looking forward to more ambitous and complex storylines. The subsequent Murderbot Diaries installment were inferior works that failed to live up to my expectations. Time will tell if Martha Wells can step back up to the plate and follow through with bigger and better Murderbot adventures.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
The final verdict: 7/10
For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.
Then came Fugitive Telemetry, which takes place before Network Effect. This was a little disappointing for this new novella couldn't move the story forward. Even worse, Martha Wells went for the same recipe which was already getting a old, at least in my book. In the end, it was as fun to read as the original novellas, but the novel proved that the author could push the envelope further and add layers to this tale and its characters. In my opinion, it felt as though Fugitive Telemetry was a backward step, relying on the same ingredients that made the past installments a commercial success instead of trying to move toward bigger and better things.
As the direct sequel to Network Effect, I dearly hoped that System Collapse would raise the bar higher than ever. Sadly, it's now clear that the Murderbot Diaries are a cash cow for Tordotcom and that they have no intention of making this series reach new heights any time soon. System Collapse read like the second part of Network Effect, and it's obvious that these two books should have been released as a single novel. Like all its predecessors, System Collapse was an engaging read. But I must admit that the magic has worn off. It feels like Wells is microwaving leftovers and rehashing the exact same plotlines over and over again.
So what about Platform Decay? More of the same, unfortunately. Once again, Murderbot must come to the rescue of people who have put themselves into danger. Though there's nothing new other than Murderbot having to deal with children, it remains a compelling read. Alas, the overall story arc of the series barely moves forward. As things stand, though there are eight volumes and a couple of shorts, the Murderbot Diaries are comprised of more installements than most SFF series while boasting a pagecount shorter than many epic fantasy or space opera novels.
Here's the blurb:
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.
Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.
After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.
Including human children. Ugh.
This may well call for... eye contact!
(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)
Sadly, the worldbuilding facet is once again kept to a bare minimum. As was the case with the last couple of Murderbot titles, there's very little in terms of revelations or new concepts/ideas and this newest work maintains the episodic format of the Murderbot Diaries. As always, there seems to be more than meets the eye. Which is probably what is the most frustrating aspect of this series. As mentioned in my previous reviews, as limited in scope and vision as all these novels/novellas/short stories appear to be, numerous signs hint that there is a depth to the storylines that will be explored in the future. Network Effect did just that and was a rewarding read. Still, just how ambitious and multilayered the Murderbot Diaries will turn out to be remains to be seen. And truth be told, Martha Wells and Tordotcom appear to be in no hurry whatsoever. Like System Collapse, Platform Decay felt a bit like a money-grab. Remember that I'm not paying for these books and I still feel this way. Can't imagine paying premium ebook prices or forking out nearly 20$ for hardcovers without feeling short-changed. Of course, your mileage may vary in that regard. . .
As I always say, first-person narratives are always tricky, but Martha Wells created an extremely endearing main character. Murderbot's POV definitely gives these works their unique flavor and makes this antisocial SecUnit one of the most interesting protagonists in science fiction today. Murderbot's perspective, full of sarcasm and social awkwardness, is as entertaing to read as it's always been. The addition of the emotion checks worked quite well and were fun to read. The supporting cast, especially the children, add a new emotional layer that Murderbot must learn to deal with and was well done.
Once again, Murderbot is called upon to save people. Yes, that's pretty much all it does in every story thus far. As mentioned in plenty of my reviews, as long as each new novella/novel/short story built on the groundwork laid by its predecessor, I would have no problem with that. Trouble is, it's not the case and this is beginning to be quite annoying. As was the case with both Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse, Platform Decay doesn't cover a lot of ground and seems to be yet another a example of same old, same old. Was Network Effect just a fluke? No matter how charitable one tries to be, it sure looks as though they're trying to milk this series as much as humanly possible. And given the size of these books, even if you can mathematically call some of them novel-length projects, charging nearly as much for what is essentially little more than a novella as you'd pay for doorstoppers by Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, or Neal Stephenson, it makes for extremely poor value. Especially in this economy. As fun and entertaing as they can be, you're not exactly getting a lot of bang for your buck. And eight books down the line, it still feels as though we're only reading the beginning of Murderbot's story.
Given its size, I wasn't expecting Platform Decay to suffer from any pacing issues. But the rhythm does lag in the middle as the SecUnit tries to find a way to get those he must protect to safety. Still, I went through it in no time. Like its last few predecessors, though I liked it, there's no denying that something's missing. Network Effect raised the bar higher than it's ever been before and I'm now looking forward to more ambitous and complex storylines. The subsequent Murderbot Diaries installment were inferior works that failed to live up to my expectations. Time will tell if Martha Wells can step back up to the plate and follow through with bigger and better Murderbot adventures.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
The final verdict: 7/10
For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.
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