Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“For a being as sophisticated as you are, it is baffling how little understanding you have of the composition of your own mind.”

Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells

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It has been almost three years since I last ventured into the land of Murderbot (January 2019) and while I had to wait like everyone else for Network Effect to publish, I also put it off a little while, over a year in fact. I blame Pandemic brain. Because the minute I picked this one up, I was back with Murderbot and it felt like almost no time at all since I last visited this part of fictional space. Murderbot is still working out this […]

When your buddy has a real chip on his shoulder

Murderbot Diaries All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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cbr13bingo  Rec’d (by y’all) What can I say about Murderbot Diaries All Systems Red that has not already been said? I have nothing new to add to the conversation about Martha Wells series. Only (for those who have not read) this first novella deals with the idea of what is human and what is robot. It asks can a robot be “human” or at least human-like? Can one make that choice themselves or must someone or something validate them, make them “legitimate”? I told a […]

“Possibly I should just stop complaining like a human and get on with it.”

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

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CBR 13 Bingo: Machinery Fugitive Telemetry fills the gap between the ending of the fourth Murderbot novella, Exit Strategy, and the follow up full length novel Network Effect.  As such it helps bridge Murderbot’s development, from the uncertainty of suddenly becoming a free individual to the more confident, and comfortable in their role, Murderbot of Network Effect.  Physically size wise, Fugitive Telemetry is on par with the other novellas, however, it felt more like a short story to me.  Perhaps that has to do with the action […]

A welcome return to form

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

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[Read as an audiobook from the public library] I got this one a lot sooner than expected, hooray! This was, for me, a welcome return to form for the Murderbot series after the longer and (for me) more confusing and annoying Network Effect. I’ve found that I’m happiest with Murderbot’s grousing on a limited basis — say, four-hour increments or so. Also, if I learned anything from The Mandalorian it’s that I’m highly susceptible to the Monster of the Week format when done well, and I […]

Why is it so short T-T T-T

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

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I’ll admit that I should have finished my re-read of the other Murderbot books before this, but this week has been a bit of a Trial and I just wanted to read something I knew I would like. And I did. I actually managed to force myself to stop about 30 minutes from the end so that I didn’t finish it too quickly. If anything, my largest gripe with this novel is that it is set a) prior to the full length novel Network Effect and b) […]

Slight downer, but nothing serious

Network Effect by Martha Wells

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[Read as an audiobook from the public library] This is a little frustrating, because I really wanted all this to end on a high note. I wanted to like Network Effect at least as much as Artificial Condition, since ART was back. But that just didn’t happen and it kind of bummed me out. That’s certainly not to say I didn’t have a good time or I didn’t enjoy this book, because I absolutely did. So in this feature-length installment, Murderbot finds itself kidnapped by the transport […]



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