Book Review: "System Collapse" by Martha Wells

 

 4.5/5 stars 

*Spoiler alert!*

“So the next time I get optimistic about something, I want one of you to punch me in the face.” 

Good news! System Collapse is not actually the last volume in the “Murderbot Diaries” series. It’ll be a bit of a wait; looks like the next book will come out in 2025. I’m already steeling myself, but again, this book is not the end of Murderbot’s adventures. There is hope.

Anyways, System Collapse picks up directly after the events of Network Effect, where Murderbot finds himself planet-bound—they hate planets, for understandable reasons—and having to protect their humans in the wake of a potential corporate takeover. Barish-Estranza, the corporation in question, is seeking to claim ownership of the whole planet and have all the colonists be their contracted laborers (aka slavery; see Fugitive Telemetry for more on this).  

“Yeah, I'll just code a patch to stop feeling anxiety, wow, why didn't I think of that earlier. (That was sarcasm, I have too much organic neural tissue for that to work. Of course I've already tried it.)”

 

There is already so much going on that Murderbot doesn’t need anything else to deal with. However, the built-up trauma of their time as a SecUnit, including the more recent episode where they almost were killed by an alien remnant/human hybrid (no, it was not great), comes to a head with unexpected performance drops in dangerous situations. Turns out the organic part of them is still susceptible to the very human mental health effects of dangerous situations, including trauma, anxiety, and depression.

  

“But since the thing that happened I don't think I've had an emotion that wasn't the visual equivalent of a wet blanket crumpled on the floor.” 

In this series, Murderbot not only had to figure out how to make their way in the universe as a rogue SecUnit but also had to convincingly pass as an augmented human. Understandably, there was a lot of trial and error. Not to mention, dealing with emotions was not a priority considering their occupation, which involves a bunch of fight-or-flight responses.

 

So, like many humans have done, they repressed these negative emotions and memories to function day-to-day. There is a downside though. This can take a drastic toll on both physical and mental health. Our beloved Murderbot must reckon with their trauma when it explodes—that's what happens when one bottles things up—in the middle of a fraught situation where their humans are in danger from a corporation willing to do anything to protect their planetary claim and investments.  

System Collapse demonstrated how essential a support network is in dealing with mental illness and trauma. ART—otherwise known as Perihelion—and Dr. Mensah have been Murderbot’s core supports, because both have been through quite a bit of trauma themselves and care about Murderbot. (All of them need therapy. I hope they all get it.) Knowing their friends are behind them makes it much easier for Murderbot to both deal with their feelings while still being able to do their security job.

 

Overall, System Collapse expands the world-lore of the Murderbot universe while also giving us undeniable character growth and an important message about mental health. I am glad that I will get to see more of Murderbot in the future, even if it will be a bit of a wait.  

Happy reading! 

--BookOwl