Book Review: Murderbot

[osprey_archer]

I have finished Martha Wells’ Network Effect, thus bringing me up to date on all the Murderbot books!... except not, because Fugitive Telemetry was published two days ago. However, I am 18th in line at the library, so I will take this little breathing space to muse briefly on the Murderbots to date.

One thing that struck me about the Murderbot books is that they are basically the opposite of a space western: instead of taking place in a world where there ain’t no Ten Commandments and a man can raise a thirst, they take place in a galaxy where even the most remote of frontier worlds are caught up in a litigious web of contracts. The violence occurs not because of an absence of law, but because most Corporate Rim law is really just a legal fig leaf over injustice and brutality.

The other thing that struck me is that Murderbot is SUCH an iron woobie. (Side note: in the course of polishing the fangirl book, I have learned that modern fandom no longer uses the word woobie. I realized the book was a snapshot of a specific fandom moment but I didn’t realize it was THAT much a fly trapped in amber). This is such catnip for fandom; no wonder I was bombarded by recs for this book on all sides.

I know this is a minority opinion, but at times I wanted Murderbot to be, how shall I put this - fucked up in an uglier way. Yes, sure, it’s pissy and nihilistic in its thoughts (Murderbot uses ‘it’ pronouns), but at bottom it has a rock solid protective streak toward every single decent human being that it meets, and sometimes I wanted a less prosocial manifestation of its trauma.

However, when you have made a character who basically an unstoppable badass, maybe you can’t afford to have it act out its trauma in damaging ways, given that “damaging” might in this case mean “literal mass murder of innocents.” (Also, let’s be real, it’s sooooo satisfying to watch Murderbot rain righteous vengeance on the baddies, no one would want Murderbot to be less unstoppable.)

Also, for some fic brainstorming, check out this Wednesday Reading Meme where oracne and I discussed a possible Murderbot and Mrs. Pollifax crossover. Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax on a mission to the Corporate Rim, where she accidentally befriends Murderbot in a concourse on a station or something, which soon after results in Murderbot saving her from Peril in the very nick of time. (Mrs. Pollifax is always making unlikely friends who become integral to the spy plot.)

Also, somehow Mrs. Pollifax befriends a CombatBot. (Actually, I think it would have to be a CombatUnit? The actual bots Murderbot fights didn’t seem to have enough sentience to be befriendable.) Either the CombatUnit has already hacked its governor module, or Murderbot helps it hack its governor module, or Carstairs sent the CombatUnit to protect Mrs. Pollifax, in which case Mrs. Pollifax will probably have Words with him about the CIA’s use of enslaved sentient constructs when she returns.

Anyway, Murderbot hates the CombatUnit, because (1) it is a CombatUnit, and (2) at the end of the story it goes home with Mrs. Pollifax to become a GardenBot and Murderbot just can’t be having with this pet bot business… By which of course I mean that Murderbot pings GardenBot at least weekly, just to make sure Mrs. Pollifax hasn’t gotten herself in Mortal Peril again, not because it actually cares about GardenBot or anything.

Comments

[osprey_archer]

I am terrified to know whether Boris or Theo was the designated sweaterboy in The Goldfinch because OH BOY neither one of them is settled or stable.

[troisoiseaux]

I am terrified to know whether Boris or Theo was the designated sweaterboy in The Goldfinch because OH BOY neither one of them is settled or stable.

.................okay this one was a bad example. (Also, my experience of both of those fandoms was in a vague, second- and third-hand, "oh, look what the neighbors are doing now" kind of way. Possibly Theo was the sweaterboy, because Boris seems like a solid choice for absolute nightmare? Although really that seems like more of an Absolute Nightmare 4 Absolute Nightmare situation.)

Note that one of the "sweaterboy" examples given in the article I linked was Grantaire from Les Mis, so we're at like, unhinged levels of fanon-characterization nonsense here. Which I guess loops us back around to woobie/woobified.

Honestly the Ultimate Sweaterboy is Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians TV show. Absolutely not in the books though.

[osprey_archer]

I think Theo must have been the Sweaterboy, because in his adult iteration he kind of tries to hide the fact that he is a suicidal drug addict who is swindling his customers behind a Sweaterboy-type persona? However, he remains very much a suicidal drug addict who is swindling his customers! Not settled, not stable, DEFINITELY not a giver. He never asks for what he wants because he's terrified of his own desires (and their possibly gay nature), not because he thinks having desires is selfish...

/end rant about a fandom you are not even in.

Grantaire characterization has become WILDLY detached from anything that is any iteration of Les Miserables canon. My personal favorite complete nonsense fanon is the trend for him to be Woker than Enjolras, because it's the complete opposite of their characterization in the books.

[troisoiseaux]

That makes sense! The whole ~sweaterboy~ thing is just a vibe.

The post-2012, Tumblr-centric Les Mis fandom was (is?) A Lot.