Convincing You to Read Books by Martha Wells
If you have Goodreads and follow Maude Garrett, Amanda Tass, or Amanda Guarragi (me), you know that we have been diving into books by Martha Wells. And if you don’t follow us on there, come on over! Maude has been obsessed with The Murderbot Diaries ever since she read them with the MBC crew.
Amanda Tass has read All Systems Red and gave it FIVE STARS. While we’ve been gearing up to read Network Effect for our BONUS BOOK in February, I have listened to all the audiobooks and have started Network Effect!
It’s hard not to love our favourite SecUnit, but Martha Wells has other series in her bookography that have new worlds to discover.
Martha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the BSFA Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-eight languages.
She is also a consulting producer on the Murderbot series for Apple TV+.
Murderbot diaries
Synopsis
In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, the Company must approve and supply planetary missions. For their safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But safety isn't a primary concern in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighbouring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.
Themes in the Murderbot Diaries series
All Systems Red
non-gendered identity
asexuality
uncovers issues of privacy
acceptance
community
learning to belong
Artificial Condition
the line between human and machine
representations vs. reality
the quest for purpose
Exit Strategy
personhood
independence
selfhood
Rogue Protocol
identity and autonomy
Network Effect
corporate greed
friendship
Fugitive Telemetry
murder mystery
space adventure
morality
friendship
System Collapse
memory lapses
social awkwardness
constructing identity
The Books of the Raksura Series
Synopsis
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is — a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn't tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power... that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony's survival... and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself... and his newfound kin.
Themes in the Raksura Series
The Cloud Roads
examination of identity
focus on race
fitting in
The Serpent Sea
shapeshifters
dragons
paranormal
queer
The Siren Depths
finding a place to belong
isolation
loneliness
The Edge of Worlds
new species
views on nudity
ancient cities with forgotten dangers
The Harbours of the Sun
technology
magic
survival
tHE WITCH KING
Synopsis
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers.
Themes in The Witch King
power
betrayal
genocide
demons posses the bodies of mortals
Why You Should Pick Up One Of Martha Wells’s Books
The science fiction/fantasy series that MBC finds are always a joy to read. After reading the first four novellas from The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells has become one of the club’s favourite authors. In that series, a self-aware SecUnit has hacked its governor module. In a journey of exploring one’s identity, Wells pokes fun at the human world through the eyes of a robot. Wells’s wry sense of humour and layered exploration of the human condition made this series loved by many. There is incredible world-building in all of her novels, but The Murderbot Diaries does stand out above the rest.
Her earlier series, the Raksura Series, has well-written characters and strong development. She can deconstruct characters and rebuild them while creating an epic space fantasy. Wells may have her characters in space, but she grounds them with very human emotions and situations that connect readers to these characters. If you enjoy quirky characters with dry humour, then you have to pick up one of her books.
Which Martha Wells series have you read? Let us know in the comments below, or join our discord today!
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