35. Network Effect by Martha Wells

After a side route down classical literature, I jumped back into the Murderbot Diaries. My plan was to read them straight through, but then I got the publishing curve ball that Network Effect takes place chronologically between Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse (which are both together in The Murderbot Diaries vol 3!).  So I had to scramble to find Network Effect, which I'd been planning to buy  later.  It wasn't available at any of the independent or chain bookstores in Montreal.  On a whim, I thought I'd check out the new genre bookstore that I had passed on St-Laurent when it was being renovated.  I was quite unsure of the concept yet hopeful.  Well it turned out that it was open and while no used books was definitely a real nerd genre bookstore, in both languages!  And not only did they have multiple copies of Network Effect but the guy at the counter had read and loved them all and we had a nice nerdy back and forth.  Beings, I present to you Joie de Livres.  Go and consume there.

I am happy to say that Network Effect continues all the great elements of the previous Murderbot books:  awesome sci-fi physical and computer action, hilarious techno-neurodivergent yet overly-emotional and sensitive Murderbot commentary on stupid humans (I love the "privacy blah blah blah" line), super cool space setting with evil corporations and mellow hippy planets thwarting them.  And all this goodness in full novel length!

This time, Murderbot is out with a scientific team from Preservation (including Amena, Dr. Mensah's adolescent daughter) when they get raided by a tougher yet weirdly more primitive transport ship that turns out to be ART, Murderbot's old transport bot/secretly super powerful research AI friend that has somehow been deleted and taken over by these weirdly grey humanoids.  Murderbot gets most of the crew off and seemingly saved except for Amena and the two of them get sucked into a wormhole that leads to an abandoned colony planet and a fun mystery.  This narrative has two main themes that keep you turning the pages:  Murderbot needing to save both him and ART's crew while dealing with a corporate that wants to claim the colony and figuring out the mystery of who these gray people are and how could they have taken over ART with some weird mold.

The climax is really cool as we get not only another SecUnit involved, but also a copy of Murderbot in software form only and the three of them work together with ART.  It's complex and fun and also allows Murderbot to get all in huff constantly because he can't deal with his emotions.  I'm turning into one of those fans who will be demanding more when I finish the last book.