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System Collapse
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System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7)[November 30, 2023]
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Yes, the redacted stuff threw me for a loop. I even restarted the audiobook because I thought I’d missed something.Sneaky!
Iain, LOL! I would love to have the video editing capabilities to create that opening! Obviously there would be some awesome action scenes, but then cut in a random shot of Murderbot staring at a wall. Or a pained eyeroll at the humans getting themselves in danger again.
I also must cut in scene of a cosy movie night on ART. Arada and Overse are curled up together, Murderbot is sitting in its own bubble with arms crossed and no one touching it, but Mensah is looking over fondly, next to Amena with her bowl of popcorn... yeah after all these mission crazies, they all deserve a relaxed evening of media. :)
Speaking of cinematic scenes, one that slammed its way into my eyeballs was in Network Effect when Murderbot is hobbling away out of the gravity lift from the targetControlSystem body, fearing it had been seen, and just when you wonder for its escape - BOOM! Three slams down into what I imagine to be an epic superhero pose before kicking ass.
Just one of many dramatic visuals - what are your favorites. everyone?
(This is assuming you visualize and don't have aphantasia.)
The above reminded me of the scene (in #4?) when Mensa tells MB that she watched Sanctuary Moon... and asked MB why it likes the show so much--not to know why the show is likeable, but because she wanted to understand MB by learning what MB liked about it.
Nirkatze, I was thinking of that scene too. And just how wonderfully Mensah questioned what's really at the heart of the matter. I think when someone asks me about a piece of media I like, the tendency is to give a plot summary, when really what I would like to share is what the story means to me.I did this the other day - (sidetrack anecdote) (view spoiler)
Got to remind myself of this for reviews as well. Especially for favorites that are hard to review. Just be subjective and personal about it.
Chapter 2(view spoiler)
Art said, Please stop excessive speaking on the mission feed and they all shut up.Martha Wells clearly was a forum Mod at some point, because Mods everywhere felt that. Also: wish fulfillment, much?
Good instincts Mel... I also had some Locked Tomb vibes, though I was thinking more Harrow than Nona, totally see that connection too... also really interesting point about forum Mod--I haven't been, but I feel like I understand from your comment!
Chapter 3So I know that half the crew is new to us, but I'm reminded again about the one aspect of the Murderbot books that is lacking, and that is fleshed out secondary characters. We spend lots of time with Murderbot, but it's usually working alone or in a big team, so it's hard to get a handle on everyone's personalities.
Seth, Martyn, and Kaede were part of the argument/discussion-call it the argucussion-with Mensah and Pin-Lee on the comm from the preservation responder. So Thiago and Turi and Overse had stopped working on what they were doing and tagged in to mission one to give Karime advice and look things up if she needed it. Matteo and Arada were working on medical upgrades.See, everyone is very... efficient. Which is great for getting out of the way so that the plot can move forward. But I still make grabby hands every time bits of character leak out, because when I imagine that crew movie night, I want to know how they'd all be sitting.
(I still think it's amazing how ART was so instantly endeared to us, basically over the course of a single chapter. Clearly Wells has no problem making us have feelings about characters.)
Hehehe...It was a bad idea to let them go alone."It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."
**lifts Murderbot into the air to triumphant fanfare**
Murderbot: I did not agree to this cosplay
@NirkatzeAh yeah, I could see the Harrow comparison, although Harrow was more surreal, and less... [redacted.]
I think the Mod woes apply not just to forums, but also workplace conferences, or video game raiding parties, or anywhere you want to say, "we have a separate chat for that."
Still Chapter 3😂😂😂
I love how we're so used to Murderbot's POV with its drones gathering intel, and then you get a line like this:
Tarik added,"Uh, why is there a drone in my face?"Like, the Preservation crew has had drones flying into their faces all this time, so they are just... used to it. But it's so delightfully awkward, like Murderbot's descriptions of a giant overbearing ART sidling up into the same armchair. Just, not subtly breathing over your shoulder and staring levels of awkward.
"Ignore it," Ratthi said.
Murderbot: Why does your face look like that?
*gathers intel*
Don't mind me.
Mel, I almost feel like I’d rather have you interpret these books for me than actually read them. Almost. This was thoroughly entertaining.
Mel, I love the Zelda shout out lol
Felina wrote: "Mel, I almost feel like I’d rather have you interpret these books for me than actually read them. Almost. This was thoroughly entertaining."
Hah, ditto! LOL!
@Mel, re: Harrow--(view spoiler)
re: Chapter 3--I love how you pulled this moment out... I remember when that came around, having similar "oh, lol" feels... I'd never thought of the situation from non-MB POV before...
@Felina & ChristopherHaha, glad to entertain. My brain is honestly just a bunch of cross-referenced fandom memes at this point. :P
@Nirkatze
Re: Harrow - Ahhhh, yeahhhh. Yeah the obvious one-to-one comparison didn't immediately come to mind. ^_^; You're right, that makes sense.
And yeah, I think what makes the drone so funny is the offhand way that Ratthi brushes it off and immediately goes into mission talk. It hammers home how Murderbot must be doing this constantly. And the Preservation crew just accepts it without question, which is so wholesome.
Finished Chapter 5. We just discovered (view spoiler)
Mel wrote: "And the Preservation crew just accepts it without question, which is so wholesome..."I just had another "awwvww!" moment thinking on that... like, not only does the Preservation crew accept it... like, they actively support MB studying and learning about human behavior and emotions, but do it without mentioning or telling it... just silent support...
Chapter 5... some interesting shenanigans upcoming...
Apple TV+ is doing a Murderbot series starring Alexander Skarsgard is in development! The way I squealed lolhttps://variety.com/2023/tv/news/appl...
Seriously?! Is he Murderbot? I think I like that. I’m finally going to get AppleTV.
Felina wrote: "Seriously?! Is he Murderbot? I think I like that. I’m finally going to get AppleTV."I assume he is playing the lead and I can see that.
Very happy for Wells getting this adaptation, but beyond that, no. I'm so upset at these choices. 😭
It's so disappointing for the nonbinary and genderqueer community that a canonically agender character gets straightcast. This one really hurts. I don't want the creators of **American Pie** to touch Murderbot. What were they thinking? This is a staunchly anti-capitalist, queer, ethically non-monogamous, neurospicy, incredibly diverse series, and they give it to a bunch of white bros??
My only consolation is that other queer fantasy fans are similarly bewildered and outraged. I honestly think I'm going to need to buy a bunch of snacks and eat my feelings tonight.
*sniffle*
And read more Murderbot.
Okay folks, I'm being so slow reading this in fits, but I'm back. Rereading the end of Chapter 5 to refresh myself, and I realized I forgot to highlight the most crucial of information!"...[redacted] right leg. For one, there's not a lot of organic tissue on there [redacted]..."
Did we just get an offhand physical description? We've always known that Murderbot is a composite of organic and inorganic parts, but I've always wondered which bits were which. We know the torso cavity is hollow, but in terms of external bits for fanart? Obviously the face and head appear human. And there are sections where organic/inorganic parts are joined that might be visible- but where?
I probably shouldn't think about this too hard, because then I start wondering, "Does this mean Murderbot doesn't use thigh-meat for propulsion? Which would mean, Murderbot doesn't need butt-meat either? Does Murderbot not have a butt? No! I refuse to imagine such a world of clanging metal behinds! Give it the decency of protective butt-padding!" Great... that's a rabbit hole I never needed to go down, but here we are. (-_-;;)
Chapter 6So I just love Murderbot's conversation with bots. And I realized that part of it is that the conversations are "translated" from a high-context culture to a low-context one, which is one of my pet linguistic frameworks.
AdaCol2:query?(translation: why? = why is this necessary and/or why is this considered functional and/or why is this permitted and/or why is this allowed)So much nuance extrapolated! Which is exactly what it's like translating from Japanese to English.
Me: answer null (translation: I don't know and/or unknown and/or I don't want to talk about it)
Ex.
さすが。
(Translation: I should have known someone as always prepared as you would already have the perfect solution.)
Which made me think about how well other aspects of high context cultures apply to bots. Insular, stable, collectivist. Although, there are also elements of low-context precision in hard addresses and information packets and such, so perhaps it is more a blend of both.
</linguistics tangent>
Yay! I finally finished!I liked the line about (view spoiler) and I laughed out loud (in that quiet, pained sort of way) at the ETA exchange at the end.(view spoiler)
Lots of good stuff here (view spoiler)
Grats on the finish Mel! I loved your linguistic tangent. I had similar thoughts during those exchanges--it's always fun trying to explain those nontranslatables to people... was trying to explain よろしくおねがいします to my first year students the other day... Me: "it is my deepest wish that you will treat me well from now on and I entrust myself and this task into your good keeping..."
Students: "Huh?"
Me: "You say it after someone agrees to do something for you, kind of like a thank you but also recognizing their sacrifice of time and effort. You also say it at the end of self-introductions and when meeting someone for the first time, like you are trusting that your acquaintance from now on will go well and bring forth a mutually beneficial future."
Students: "What?"
Me: "Just say it. It'll make sense by 4th year."
Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
Fugitive Telemetry (other topics)System Collapse (other topics)
@Mel--Yeah--I think the next book will be the book we've been expecting for three books, with new adventures and horizons... ..."
"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship [Asshole Robot Transport]. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new [TV Shows]; to boldly go where no [SecUnit] has gone before!"