My review of Murderbot Diaries was that 1-4 should have been released as a single novel. Together they form a fantastic story instead of underwhelming novellas. Network Effect is exactly that -- a long-form Murderbot adventure that showcases what Martha Wells can do when not restricted by word count.

Network Effort is fantastic. Murderbot's distinct narration and voice is still the highlight, but combining it with a unique mix of science-fiction action and detective mystery really makes Murderbot something special. There is a fantastic mix of energy weapons flying around while your brain is engaged with the intellectual challenges, barely keeping up with the AI/construct characters as they try to get ahead of their antagonists.

And finally, the not-friend's return is perfect.

That said, the novel itself isn't. The sense of suspense is never there, and it's mostly a light-hearted romp through a surprisingly grim view of the future. Basically, I'm not emotionally invested. It's fun, but it won't hit me in the feels, and so it's a recommended 4-stars but nothing truly spectacular.

ART's return basically makes this book. Murderbot always needed more characters and ART was the only one that was ever very interesting. The Corporate Rim is absent so you get less of that tongue-in-cheek criticism, but instead we get exposed to Alien Remnants (literally) and while thought provoking, didn't ever feel like much of a threat.

Finally, Three's character was a bit of a fail for me. I appreciated how it was foreshadowed via the flashback chapters, but Three was very boring. Murderbot 2.0 was actually more interesting, but of course, a copy of your MC should be!