Network Effect

By: Martha Wells

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free

Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Martha Wells' New York Times and USA Today best-selling Murderbot series exploded onto the scene in 2017, and the world has not been the same, since.

Murderbot returns in its highly anticipated, first full-length stand-alone novel, Network Effect.

You know that feeling when you’re at work and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot.

Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable AI you’ll listen to this century.

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90-plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

©2020 Martha Wells (P)2020 Recorded Books

I Hope You Remain Unmurdered

WOW, What a great ride! I haven't been this engrossed in a story since Red Rising. After listening to it for hours it came to a climax and I said "Man that was a great book", then I looked at my phone and there was still 7 hours left! What a bargain! It had been a long time since I listened to the other Murderbot stories so I wondered if I might have forgotten some important arcs, but that was not the case, this book could be a standalone. There's som fun Col Joe/Skippy type stuff too to make you laugh along the way. I absolutely guarantee this book is worth the credit. click on my name and you will see i give honest reviews good or bad. I did think the narrator did a great (4 star) job, just don't love (5 star) him. To Kevin, for the next novel If you could give ART the voice he deserves, (that I know you're looking for) Then I will gladly give your performance 5 stars. I suggest check how Hard Luck Hank's voice evolved, It is worlds better now than it was in the first couple books.

Pretty Good, but Downhill from the earlier stories

On the plus side, Murderbot is a great character, and it is good to have ART back.

On the negative side, this is a full-length novel but it felt like there was a lot of filler and I ended up speeding up the reading to 1.2 times the standard.

Also, I might as well get this off my chest. The extra length was achieved in part by having more humans and devoting more attention to humans. For me, this was a negative. In particular, I found the treatment of male and female roles annoying. Virtually all the more dominant roles are filled by women. There are men around but I guess the author's idea is to "reverse" the more standard approach (at least as of 20 years ago) by having men pretty much entirely in support or subsidiary roles. There is not actually much behavioral difference between men and women in the novel except that the women are slightly more masculine and the men are slightly more feminine, And the (mercifully brief) allusions to sex seem to relate mostly if not entirely to same-sex relationships. I am not sure if the idea its to provide a :fresh or different perspective, or if it is just relentless political correctness. For me, it weakens the realism of the story.

I did not think it could better but it did.

I enjoyed the first 3 books in the series but this one knocks it out of the park. The story is exactly what I want from this series and again Kevin R Free knocks the narration out of the park (I would give him 6 stars). I hope there are more books because Martha Wells has created a rich world with engaging characters that I could read forever. I totally lost track of time while enjoying this novel and was surprised when I finished around 1AM. I just could not put it down. Oh well time for my 2nd, 3rd and 4th listens. If you are a murderbot fan I know you will enjoy this book.

More Murderbot!

If you like the Murderbot novellas, you'll probably like the Murderbot novel. I like them all, and I was delighted and not disappointed by the novel. There's more Murderbot, more snarky comments, more humans to be irritated with, but to save anyway. And ART is back. There's lots of action, and lots of stuff going on.

I loved it.

And Kevin R. Free does an absolutely fabulous job of narrating these books.

Not for me

As a huge sci-fi fan, the description of this book sounded really incredible to me and I was excited to listen to it. However for some reason I can't get into it!
Despite it's really high ratings, I found it very dull, poorly written, and hugely uninspired. I tried really hard for hours to give this book a chance but I can't do it anymore... I'm sure plenty of people enjoy it but it's just not for me. Really wish audible had a decent return policy.

Brilliant, full-length novel featuring Murderbot, my favorite SecUnit. Recommend to science fiction readers.

I’ve read and enjoyed Martha Wells’ Murderbot novellas on Kindle, and I’m now making time to listen to the stories via Audible. As a Murderbot fan, I’ve always wanted to read a full-length novel, with hopes for a more complex, action-packed storyline to stretch Murderbot’s character and that of his humans/clients. I especially loved this book’s dry humor, sarcasm and pure snark.

Although I ordered both the Kindle and Audible versions of “Network Effect,” I spent most of yesterday listening to the Audible Version. Narrator Kevin R. Free’s stellar voice-acting brought this book to life. Bravo, Mr. Free! I will be listening to “Rogue Protocol” and “Exit Strategy”—both narrated by Kevin R. Free—during the coming weekend.

Great follow up

The only downside to this episode was that it came to an end.

I can’t wait until the next book.

Narrator was perfect and story engaging.

Longer but not better

I really enjoyed all of the earlier Murderbot novels, and each time I finished I wished that the story would continue. Network Effect is much longer, but the author achieves this by padding the basic story with excruciating mind numbing detail. The earlier novels were very tightly written and well paced. If you really like detail you will enjoy this novel. I could barely wait for it to be finished.

The best Murderbot yet!

I’ve been a SF fan a looong time, and I’ve read everything from Heinlein’s YAs back in the 1970s to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vor series, which I also adore.

I can’t think of the last time I so thoroughly enjoyed a romp. Would make a terrific HBO series.

Free’s narration was, as always, terrific, and the pace never let up. I’ve listened to the rest of the series several times, and I can tell I’ll be re-listening to this one too.

Just one heck of a fabulous book! Well worth the money.

Brava, Ms Wells. You really should get a Nebula or Hugo for this one. I know you have at least one of them now, but it needs a 2.0.

Eagerly awaiting Murderbot’s next adventure.

Didn’t expect it to be this good.

I loved the shorter murderbot stories, and didn’t really expect a full length story to be able to follow up with a similar level of quality and consistency. It did. With respect to the reader, Kevin R. Free is still perfect for 90% of the book. However, Mr. Free’s ‘adolescent female’ may need some work.

Overlong

Not a thing I thought I would ever say as I complained the previous books were too short, the story is very good but feels padded out, I would really like to see murderbot have to deal with a non corporate problem, let’s have aliens!!

I'm angry it is over

Blew through the entire series in a weekend , it has been years since a character has made me so invested , while some complain about the series layout and pricing I fell so completely in love with the series that it was worth every penny

Story and narrator 5/5.

At the very begining I though both the story and the narration where basic / shallow. To be honest the double nebula/Hugo award "reputation" helped me go on listening.
But then, very fast, the story takes amplitude, grips you, and the narrator rises to the occasion and does one of the best narration jobs I have experienced. 5/5

Excellent story

Really fun and exciting story with plenty of originality. Well written with an engaging protagonist. Really good reading too with a thoroughly appropriate tone.

fantastic, loved every second

a really great storyline, the first person perspective was done so well. I have been glued to this entire series

Great series

I love this series!!! Murder bot is the best! Martha weeks has found created a wonderful character through which to view the absurdity of humans! Why do they constantly try to kill themselves?!?! I really hope someone picks this up as a TV series it would be brilliant.

A great book for someone learning English.

The lack of complexity and elegance in the prose makes this rather a dull experience if you have spoken English most of your life.

Murderbot rocks

Great story and narrator. As an individual who has been reading science fiction for over fifty years may I say this is an original classic well done

Disappointing

I was really enjoying the series up to this. Felt like a different author. Lacklustre and I couldn’t wait for it to end. The other books were so much more enjoyable.

Excellent

My one gripe about the previous instalments was that they were quite short. This is a pretty beefy story, which absolutely was welcome. It flew by, though, and I am still left wanting more.

I admire the craft that produces a book like this so much. It truly is excellent. The narrator and the content are very well matched.