Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
System Collapse by Martha Wells Narrator: Kevin Free
Series: Murderbot Diaries #7
Published by Tor on November 14, 2023
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Pages: 256
Length: 6 hours, 45 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast!
Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.
I love everything about the Murderbot Diaries series. I just adore the grumpy Murderbot who wants to be left alone to watch its shows. The straightforward comments on its own situation is fabulous and funny. I highly recommend this series, and always prefer to read in order. The audio version is stellar and I prefer it.
System Collapse follows closely after Network Effect‘s events, not Fugitive Telemetry. The timeline threw me off a little bit. Everything is a bit off with Murderbot because redacted. It’s busy dealing with the current situation while trying to figure out its non-optimal performance. In spite of the threat of corporation goons, there is still time to watch Sanctuary Moon, and make “friends” with other systems.
The wonderful characters we have come to know and love are on this mission, including ART. ART is patiently helping Murderbot with redacted. We know about the agri-bots and contamination from Network Effect and now we learn about the different groups of humans who have colonized the planet. Our team is trying to protect them from being taken over and put into slave labor by the corporation.
Suspenseful and dangerous, Murderbot navigates the situation to help and protect its people. Luckily, it finds parallels to help in Sanctuary Moon and to help emulate human behavior. Once the crisis is ended, there is still plenty of work for the Preservation team but Murderbot decides to go with ART next.
Narration:
Kevin Free does an amazing performance! I always listen since he is perfect in his delivery of Murderbot’s tone and yes, emotion of its thought stream. The other characters are distinct and their voices feel authentic. I listened comfortably at my usual 1.5x speed. I know I will listen to this brilliant series again and again.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Kevin Free
Kevin R. Free has appeared on national television in commercials and on NBC’s Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. New York audiences have seen Mr. Free Off-Broadway, creating the role of Memphis in From My Hometown both for Amas Musical Theatre and at the Gramercy Theatre, for which he was nominated for an Audelco Award. He was also seen Off-Broadway at the York Theatre in Taking A Chance On Love, and as Bubber Brown in The New Federal Theatre’s acclaimed The Conjure Man Dies. He has been featured in concerts with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and with the education department of Symphony Space.
Mr. Free has performed regionally in many places, including his home state of North Carolina at Charlotte Repertory Theatre (Belize in Angels in America, Paul in Six Degrees of Separation) and at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (Francis Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ariel in The Tempest). Other favorite roles in the musical theatre include Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys From Syracuse at CENTERSTAGE, Nemur in Chasing Nicolette at Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia,Milton in Avenue X at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Gift Guy in Adventures In Love at the Ordway in St. Paul, MN, and Flick in Violet at Stage One in Wichita, KS and at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia, for which he was nominated for a Barrymore Award.
About Martha Wells
Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), the Ile-Rien series (including The Death of the Necromancer) as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, media tie-ins (for Star Wars and Stargate: Atlantis), and non-fiction. Her most recent fantasy novel is The Harbors of the Sun in 2017, the final novel in The Books of the Raksura series. She has a new series of SF novellas, The Murderbot Diaries, published by Tor.com in 2017 and 2018. She was also the lead writer for the story team of Magic: the Gathering’s Dominaria expansion in 2018. She has won a Nebula Award, an ALA/YALSA Alex Award, a Locus Award, and her work has appeared on the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Award ballots, the USA Today Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. Her books have been published in eleven languages.
She has had short stories in the magazines Black Gate, Realms of Fantasy, Lone Star Stories, Lightspeed Magazine, and Stargate Magazine, and in the Tsunami Relief anthology Elemental, The Other Half of the Sky, Tales of the Emerald Serpent, Mech: Age of Steel, and The Gods of Lovecraft.
She has essays in the nonfiction anthologies Farscape Forever, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, Chicks Unravel Time, and The Kobold Guide to Magic.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
This series is getting so much buzz right now. Glad you’re enjoying and I love Free’s narrations. Excellent review, Anne💜
Thank you Jonetta. I realize scifi might not be your genre usually but I’d make an exception for this one and start with the first one.
I’m glad this worked so well for you! One day I will catch up with the series😁
Thanks Tammy. The books are quite short and SO amazing.
Yep, I absolutely love this series. I devoured it and will share my thoughts in mid-December
It’s just the best and never disappoints.
Sophia Rose loved this one too Anne
Everyone who reads them loves them.
Oh yeah, another Murderbot and ART adventure was sheer pleasure. 🙂
They are the best.
I need a read-along of this series!
You know I was just thinking that today because there are 7 and they are pretty short.
I listened to the first of the series but haven’t got back to it. The audios are pricey for novellas. I should check back and see if one of my libraries has stocked them yet.
You should be able to get them at the library as it is Recorded Books. You also might be able to get some at Chirp when they have a deal if you want to own them. I often listen to books from a library and buy them later if I love them.
I really need to read the next in the series
yes they are sooooooooo good.
I need to get this. Actually I need to start over with the first novella and re read those so I’m up to current. And I like he’s gonna go with ART 🙂
yes I’ll have to do a reread of them all at some point, maybe even a Read-along. It’s one of my favorite series ever.
YES, Kevin Free is fabulous in this series!
I’m waiting for this audio to be available for free through my library. I have devoured the whole series this year, my year of FINALLY discovering Martha Wells’ scifi!
yes I love the whole series and on audio. I’ve been trying some of Martha Wells other series now.
I haven’t read any of her books yet…but I have them on my list! Maybe next year? I hope. 😀
You need to read them. They are relatively short and amazing and funny. The audio is superb and it is probably at most libraries.
Great review, Anne. And thanks for nudging me to get back to the series. I love it and wish they would make a movie or series from these.
Thank you Laura. It’s one of my very favorite series.