Welcome to another rerun of Sanctuary Moon! Well, no, not really. This is another chapter in the Murderbot diaries, and while it is numbered with the mystical, magical 7, it really comes immediately after number 5, Network Effect. That’s because number 6 – Fugitive Telemetry – immediately follows the events of number 4, Exit Strategy, which happened right before Network Effect. I know, I know, it’s like George Lucas was responsible for the numbering. Oh, well, it is what it is, and at least we’re back in the original timeline after that little Sherlock Murderbot stunt in the last novella. (Which I enjoyed tremendously.)
Which is my way to say that you should probably read / re-read Network Effect before System Collapse. Or maybe the whole series, because why not?
Alright, confession time: I was recently diagnosed of probably suffering from dysthymia, sometimes also called a high functional depression, which really removes the fun from functional. It sounds way better than it feels. I’m putting this here because that diagnosis made me realize stuff – about myself, but also about Murderbot. Or my inner Murderbot, if you’re inclined to call it that. Because Murderbot knows it’s not human, but if you go back in the series, it is really clear that Murderbot starts with a pretty low self-esteem. It is showing signs of anxiety, and with hindsight, a lot of depression.
And it’s still doing its job. That’s how we meet Murderbot, back in All Systems Red, and I now finally know why I felt so connected to it all along: because that’s me. I’m Murderbot! Well, minus all the shooting and stuff, but basically, were the same. And while Murderbot starts a rerun of Sanctuary Moon when it is depressed, I start another reread of Murderbot!
Those mental issues are going on through System Collapse, and that has to do with redacted. Yes, that’s actually part of the text, and no, Martha does not explain it, at least not in full. I am a lucky person in that I’m part of a Murderbot discuss group on Goodreads, and we had a lot of discussions about that redacted thing. PTSD was one thing that has been thrown around, for example, and I concur.
I wasn’t telling you about my own depression earlier on because I’m looking for sympathy (I’m not), but to make a point here – about this incredible feat Martha Wells delivered: Murderbot is the most humane and relatable protagonist I’ve encountered for a very, very long time. It might look near invincible (after all, we’ve seen it enduring a lot of damage and surviving), but it is pretty vulnerable on the inside. And I like to think it is more humane on the inside than it might give its organic parts credit for. And that’s the reason behind this series success – because after all, not only is Murderbot much more human than it wishes to be.
But also there’s a Murderbot in every one of us!
Crossing the Pond Reviews 
One reply on “System Collapse [Murderbot #7], by Martha Wells”
So sorry to hear about the dysthymia diagnosis. You certainly are high functioning because you single-handedly kept this blog going during my RA flare up. To top it all off, I just came off of having COVID, so you were really left carrying the entire weight of this blog. BRAVO, Stefan.
I know you also had to take care of your father, who was extremely ill. Your plate was certainly full.
I get that escaping into fiction can be therapeutic. You certainly masked your symptoms well, my friend. If you ever feel the need to vent or just rant, please feel free to shoot me an email. You have my respect for being able to carry on despite your many burdens.
Excellent review, as always, Stefan. When I saw this title somewhere on either NetGalley or GoodReads, I immediately thought of you and was going to shoot off an email, but I figured you were already in the know, having done that marvelous interview with the author. Hope you manage to deal with your dysthymia: it seems that so many people rely on you – including the team at Crossing the Pond Reviews. You are a lyrical powerhouse, Stefan!
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