Book #127 of 2023:
System Collapse by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #7)
The second half of this latest Murderbot adventure lives up to my high expectations for the series, but the first part is an experimental departure that doesn’t really work for me. We start in media res, with the neurodivergent cyborg showing unusual signs of trauma, then jump backwards to where the storyline properly begins. Only, we’re still in the dark about whatever happened just prior to that, which the narrator literally designates as “[redacted]” and doesn’t explicitly reveal until much later on.
And while I think that could be an interesting new character note for the rogue AI, in practice I find it mostly a frustrating distraction. (The same plot beats of the protagonist’s unexpected emotional struggles and fear responses could have been presented straightforwardly, rather than coyly framed as supporting a mystery whose ultimate answer isn’t particularly revelatory.) Once that element is cleared up and the sci-fi action settles back into its usual groove, I like the book a lot more, although the crew subsequently staying up all night to make a documentary is still a little goofy. Overall it’s not bad, and I continue to enjoy spending time in Murderbot’s head, but this is definitely my least favorite installment yet.
[Content warning for gun violence and gore.]
★★★☆☆
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