lindsayerin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Slavery
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I like this book, but I didn’t have as much action as the first one. I did really like the exploration of how the bot thinks about themselves in terms of being human, artificial intelligence, being an object and a tool versus its own entity.
this second novella reads a bit like a side-story. Plot-wise it was very thin. I’ve got the feeling this series would be better suited to be read as a novel.
this second novella reads a bit like a side-story. Plot-wise it was very thin. I’ve got the feeling this series would be better suited to be read as a novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
cozyscones's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Medical content
thereadinghammock_mserinv's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ok, after putting off reading MurderBot for so long, I finally get what all the hype has been about! Short but still very impactful, Martha Wells manages to cram so much into these novellas. I did read them a bit out of order, book two then book one, but MurderBot is just as funny. And I loved ART! I have heard that we get more if ART in future books, and I look forward to revisiting MurderBot's favorite research vessel again.
There's also so much social commentary packed into a very contained story. The commoditization of people and places. The autonomy or lack thereof of the constructs, despite being fully sentient AI systems. The constructs being ACTUAL AI systems and not whatever knockoff theft software we're trying to pass off as AI these days. Exploring the concepts of morality and autonomy when free choice is a conceptual gray area. So, so, so much in such short, digestible, and delightfully sarcastic and relatable packages.
There's also so much social commentary packed into a very contained story. The commoditization of people and places. The autonomy or lack thereof of the constructs, despite being fully sentient AI systems. The constructs being ACTUAL AI systems and not whatever knockoff theft software we're trying to pass off as AI these days. Exploring the concepts of morality and autonomy when free choice is a conceptual gray area. So, so, so much in such short, digestible, and delightfully sarcastic and relatable packages.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Violence
helfire124's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Great book couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Kidnapping, and Medical content
twistykris's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Medical content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
bekahmccue's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
huntress's review against another edition
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Violence, Stalking, and Medical content
Moderate: Death and Body horror
ekcd_'s review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence
bebidocrimes's review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love ART, it reminds me of another ship bound AI character I love. I think Murderbot calling it an asshole is in character, but probably not an accurate assessment. I'm not convinced we've seen the last of ART. I enjoyed seeing Murderbot realize it still enjoys helping clients, I wonder if we'll see more conflict over what it thinks it wants versus what it thinks its been trained for. Is it what it *really* wants?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Cursing, Death, Violence, Gore, and Gun violence