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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

this will please a great number of Murderbot fans.

Dear Martha Wells...I love your first four installments of the one and only homicidal android. This one was not for me. Did not take me long before I started counting how many times he was asked 'Are you alright' and 'you okay' and how do you feel?. Started fast forwarding whenever a human would tentatively approach him or begin a conversation with him. Ms. Wells...please understand...if that family comes back again or ART's family or any other family insists on coming with him on away missions where he is better off on solitary duty...I am going to fast forward. I cannot grade your story for there are great many chunks that I missed. And I won't be returning to this book. This male robot without a phallus and called it... is one thing. The endless chatter from the humans, their need to impose themselves in his life on and off missions...and second guess him at every turn is another. Thank you for introducing me to Murderbot. I am forever grateful. I'll just line up the first four books for a mass listening binge as I await the next installment...if any..of the slave that freed himself. Kevin...as usual...your voiceover narration was pitch perfect. Love those non verbal grunts and exclamations. Cheers!

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

Brilliant Sci-fi

I really want to give Murderbot a hug and watch some ‘media’, even though he won’t like the hug!

Please never stop writing Murderbot stories Martha (and Kevin please read them all for us)

Murderbot is fantastic

Absolutely love all the Murderbot stories. Having a full length one is a treat. Hopefully many more.

Quite possibly the best sci-fi I have read

if your here you're likely to have already come to terms with the fact that the earl books are ridiculously short... I decided to treat myself anyway and get the lot as it really interested me.

I don't want to spoil it and all I'll say is this is the best of books 1 and 2 and so much more. Do it you won't be disappointed.

Omg I love Murderbot

Absolutely loved this. The narrator is really good and imbues Murderbot particularly with dry humour. The action never stops, and I wish there were more Murderbot to read!

Can't wait for the next one

Great series. Looking forward ro the next one! Interesting how a story about a bot can be so addictive!

What if Murderbot but more

I love the Murderbot series. The previous novellas have been some of my favourite reads of the year so the first full length novella was an interesting prospect. I really liked the brevity of the novellas so I as a little trepidatious going into some more long form. Overall though I still really liked it, everything else I love about the series is still here but there's more of it. Murderbot is still hilariously cynical, cringe inducingly anxious, and charmingly endearing. One of the real strengths of the longer page count is that the book is able to dig down more into Murderbot and it's this exploration of character that works so damn well. Also one of my favourite non human, non augmented human, definitely an asshole side characters is back.

I'm not as into the main plot of Network Effect, the whole lost colony with nefarious something or other mystery didn't work that well for me and really wasn't all that compelling but it does expand the world building well. I think for the most part I prefer the shorter stuff but Network effect really does set things up well for the series going forward in a way a novella certainly couldn't have achieved while also deepening the characterisation which is great.

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!!

Good as always

I always liked this seris of novels. I did prefer the shorter versions, this seems slightly too long and i realised what i like about the previous instalments was they were fast and zippy. Its a nice abit of action movie, like an action movie i am not sure that murderbot withstands really deep super long book length analysis and world building. I felt i was waiting for the cool bits and i like how matha wells seemed to fit a lot of world building in a short amount of time in the previous works.

Never the less the story is still really good dont let this put you off. I think the stories work best in chronological order and after reading the others i would definitely read this one and i still liked it, just felt a little slow and drawn out in places because of the previous length and beat.

Brilliant as always

I love murderbot and it’s humans and ART and please please don’t stop writing them 🙏❤️ perfect narration as always!