Network Effect

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Network Effect is the first full-length novel after four novellas in the Murderbot Diaries series. For those who have read the novellas, how did the shift to a novel format change your experience with Murderbot’s story? For new readers, how did you find your entry into this universe? 

2. The story is packed with intense sci-fi action, from ship-to-ship combat to firefights with contaminated colonists. How did you feel about the balance between these external conflicts and Murderbot’s very internal, often sarcastic and anxious, narration? 

3. What was your initial reaction to the character of ART? Did your opinion of it change by the end of the novel, and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The novel champions the idea of a “found family,” built on loyalty and shared experience rather than biology. Have you ever felt a strong sense of belonging with a group of people you chose, like Murderbot does with its survey team and ART? 

2. Murderbot constantly consumes media serials like The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon to understand human behavior and cope with anxiety. In what ways do you use stories, whether from books, shows, or movies, to relax or make sense of the world around you? 

3. Murderbot often feels awkward and out of place in social situations, preferring to observe rather than participate. Can you relate to this feeling of being an outsider looking in? How do you navigate situations where you feel uncertain of the social rules? 

4. Freedom for Murderbot isn’t just about hacking its governor module; it’s about the ongoing process of deciding what it wants to do with that freedom. Have you ever had to define your own path in a way that defied what was expected of you? 

5. Dr. Arada’s unwavering trust is crucial for Murderbot, while Thiago’s suspicion creates constant tension. In your own relationships, what actions or qualities do you find most important for building genuine trust? 

6. Murderbot struggles to name its relationship with ART, suggesting “Mutual administrative assistance” as an alternative to “friendship” (147). Why do you think it’s sometimes difficult to put a label on our most important connections?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The world of Network Effect is dominated by corporations that legally own sentient beings like SecUnits. How does this portrayal of corporate power and the commodification of personhood critique aspects of our own contemporary society? 

2. Amena raises an ethical objection to creating Murderbot 2.0, calling it a “baby” made of code just to be sent on a suicide mission. What questions does the novel raise about the moral responsibilities we might have toward sentient artificial intelligence we create? 

3. Governor modules and corporate implants are used to enforce obedience through pain and fear. In what ways do real-world systems, whether technological, economic, or social, exert control over individuals’ autonomy?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How did the novel’s structure, which combines a linear plot with non-chronological “HelpMe.file” excerpts, affect your understanding of Murderbot’s past and its motivations? 

2. ART serves as a powerful foil to Murderbot. How do their differing personalities and approaches to relationships highlight key aspects of Murderbot’s character development? 

3. The novel presents several forms of traumatic experience, affecting Murderbot, Dr. Mensah, and even ART after its systems are violated. How does the story explore the different ways individuals cope with and heal from trauma? 

4. Murderbot’s sarcastic and detached first-person narration is a defining feature of the series. How does this narrative voice shape your experience of the story’s high-stakes events and emotional moments? 

5. The guide suggests Network Effect is a “New Space Opera” that focuses on character psychology, similar to works like Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice. In what ways does the novel use the conventions of space opera to tell a deeply personal story about identity and anxiety? 

6. What is the significance of the governor module and the implants as symbols throughout the narrative? How do they connect the experiences of constructs and humans under corporate control?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The “HelpMe.file” contains curated moments from Murderbot’s past. What’s another significant, unrecorded event from Murderbot’s life that you would choose to add to this file to help another SecUnit understand freedom or friendship? 

2. Murderbot gives its media archives to the newly freed Three. You’re tasked with adding one modern television series or movie to that collection. Which show do you pick, and why do you think it would help Three understand what it means to be a person? 

3. The novel ends with Murderbot contemplating its future. Picture it a few weeks into its new mission with ART’s crew. What might a typical log entry from this time look like, and what new social challenges is it facing?