Reviews with content warning for Gore - Network Effect

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Network Effect by Martha Wells

52 reviews

chefboyavi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

Rating this a bit lower because so far it’s my least favorite of the series. Still an enjoyable read but I found it harder to follow than the previous novellas.

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arinheck's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense 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

5.0

I love Murderbot. I laughed out loud reading this. I cringed. I gasped audibly. I cried. I laughed some more. Truly an epic story that had me on the edge of my seat. New cast of characters were a welcome addition to the Murderbot universe (although I forgot who was who very often). In many ways it was the same old Murderbot story, but also I felt more than ever we saw it grow in this book. TLDR: loved it.

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mothiver's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

Oh this was LOVELY. The little bits of horror that have always been in this series REALLY came to the forefront with this one, and I enjoyed it very much. I do so love Weird Alternative Relationships, and I’ve always been a fan of “what are they? (discussion)” over “will they won’t they”. ART my favourite bitchy spaceship I’m so glad you’re back <3

Man, ART really showed its crew pictures…. they love eachother for real (no romo)…. I’m SUCH a sucker for the “freaking out when the other is in danger/might be dead” trope too, ESPECIALLY when it goes both ways.

My only nitpick would be occasional weirdness with past/present tense in the writing, but it wasn’t all that distracting for me.

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cjwitch's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

MurderBot continues to be the absolute best and most relatable character out there.

There were a few hiccups in this one, due, I think, to this being a longer book than the previous novellas. This felt a bit like two books in one, with a spot in the middle that felt like a conclusion but then continued on to another full adventure. With more room to add narrative, some of the descriptions/plot also got a tad confusing at times.

That said, I absolutely adored every second I spent reading Network Effect and didn’t feel that those slight technical bumps negatively impacted my experience in any way.

We got the original humans from All Systems Red, ART, and got to meet an array of new characters. I loved having more time with all the characters and getting to know them all better. ART and MurderBot’s interactions frequently had me in stitches, and Amena in the mix was just perfection! And 3! I absolutely loved 3, and am fully invested in where its story takes it!

MurderBot’s development in this one was wonderful and the last 1/4 of this book had me at the edge of my seat and feeling all the emotions. I could not put it down.

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maddie_can_read's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative inspiring 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? Yes

3.5

I realized I was expecting a lot more from this full length Murderbot when I started and had a hard time getting into it. I felt a bit disappointed.

I still love the characters, did enjoy the book, and am excited to see what's next for Murderbot.

So happy to see ART again, loved meeting his crew, thought the new characters were good, enjoyed the humour (but thought there could have been more), thought the concept of people getting muttated was really interesting but we didn't go as deep into that as we could've, and loved Murderbot "making a baby" with ART, and Murderbot finally successfully freeing another Secunit from their governor module.

I think shorter-form/ faster pace Murderbot stories work better.

especially if the book follows the same exact plot of Murderbot has to rescue people, develops along the way. I think I felt so disappointed because I thought given the longer format, something out of format would occur? Like we'd see Murderbots relationship with Dr Mensah develop more? But what ended up happening was just a lot more details about like the fight sequences and the the technical aspects of the book that were never why I loved the series because I have a difficult time visualizing these things. So this one felt confusing, especially the audiobook version! Where the new Secunit sounds identical to Murderbot.

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obscurepages's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny tense 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? No

4.5

Excuse me but who gave Martha Wells the right to create this masterpiece?? 😭

Like the first four installments in this series, Network Effect is a delight. But unlike the first four, this one is a full-length novel instead of just a novella. Of course, I was so excited when I learned this was a full novel! More Murderbot, yay! But then, oh. I remember that Martha Wells is a genius when it comes to plots, world-building, and human relationships. I was in for a ride.

This was just so good. I don't think I can fully explain how humorous, tense, exciting, and wonderful this was. And I just love how this book (and the whole series in general) was plot-driven, and yet it did not neglect the characters, no not at all. In fact, you fall in love with the characters as you read! I love Murderbot, I love ART, and I especially love their chemistry together. Like how did these two AI/bot constructs give me a lot of feels? Made me cry and laugh and gasp all throughout the book? (view spoiler) I love their banter and their semi-emotional conversations. Of course, I love their humans, too lol.

And the plot! Somehow the author managed to expound on the corporate greed and corruption in this universe, and we see it more as the characters interact with a new planet and colonies. I also love how the plot delved into alien intelligence and life, especially with the antagonists they were facing here. Wells was able to make this more engaging and unique, and I really enjoyed that.

This, of course, was also action-packed. There might have been a few chapters that seemed idle in terms of pacing. But then I turn into a new chapter, and we're back on the rollercoaster. I thought the storytelling here was just exquisite. The way the author left clues for the readers, which also happened to be crucial for the characters in the book? That was just brilliant. Also, the perspectives?! I did not see that coming, but it was just incredible.

AND ONE LAST POINT: the way this book features robots as the main characters but still highlights the complexity and beauty of humanity and free will? Precious.

Overall, this book is a sensational installment and a great first full novel for the Murderbot series. I am so excited to dive into the next book. 🥹

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Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2024.

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trailofdebris's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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eleanora's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jokehelldo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

Shall I add something? Nope, I don't think so.

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smashingreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful relaxing slow-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Initial thoughts: I loved the ending, but the middle seemed to drag for quite a long time. The audiobook was hard to follow at times because there wasn't ema bold enough transition between current and past.

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