All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries, #1)

by Martha Wells

All Systems Red by Martha Wells begins The Murderbot Diaries, a new science fiction action and adventure series that tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. It appeals to fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or lain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans. In a corporate dominated s pa cef a ring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid - a self aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as 'Murderbot.1 Scornful of humans, all it really wants is 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 their Murderbot to get to the truth.

• ISBN10: 0765397536
• ISBN13: 9780765397539
• Publish Date: 2 May 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

Entertaining sarcastic story This feels like something Martha Wells wrote to entertain herself and I really enjoyed it.  It's a novella and quite short and I want sequels.
It's told from the point of view of an android who refers to themself as Murderbot.  They have hacked their operating system and are largely autonomous.  More interested in the next episode of a soap than the tedious goings-on around them they are determined to survive.  When everything goes wrong on a survey it's up to the Murderbot to save the humans.
It was funny, wry and interesting and I really enjoyed it and then passed it on to my husband who is reading it with glee too.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Brilliant. RTC

[empressbrooke]

I totally get all the Murderbot love now! Completely delightful, and I can forgive it for being a novella because book #2 picks up right where #1 ends.

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 or 4 Stars

Not as good as I was hoping it would be, but still really enjoyable. Murderbot is adorable.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Murderbot is funny, y'all! I did not expect that, and I honestly did not really expect something called "Murderbot" to be so damn relatable. All it wanted to do was watch its equivalent of Netflix and be left alone, and who among us hasn't felt that? My only real qualm is that it took me a long time to get to know some of the characters and who was who... and I didn't love the turn that the ending took? I mean, takes me the whole novella to end up liking all the characters, and then you ditch 'em? Why you doing me dirty, Murderbot? Overall it was super enjoyable and I definitely will be picking up the next one. Bonus points for me being able to finish in one sitting.

[Quirky Cat]

All Systems Red is about an android (partially synthetic, partially organic) that is charged with protecting a scientific team on a new and relatively unknown planet. Having no name of its own, it names itself Murderbot, which makes sense in a weird sort of way. It took me less than two hours to read, so it doesn't require much time investment (Though I would have loved for it to be longer).

Murderbot is different from all the other SecUnits. It figured out how to hack its way to freedom. Now, he doesn't have to follow orders or install updates automatically. Instead, it can watch all the crummy TV he wants. It pretends to do everything it was programmed to do so nobody catches on, but it isn't required.

Human interaction is awkward for Murderbot. It knows it's not one of them, and they know that, making it difficult for MurderBot to move past it. Despite this, MurderBot grows truly attached to certain crew members it's protecting. Everything about the interactions it has is oddly...human. It's endearing.

My description here has barely scratched the surface of all that makes MurderBot so amazing; please trust me on this! I have read (and listened) to this whole series at least a dozen times at this point...realistically that count is a whole lot higher. 

It is safe to say that MurderBot has stolen my heart. The characters and the series live rent-free in my mind. In fact, it recently occurred to me that MurderBot is to me what Sanctuary Moon is to MurderBot. That gave me a good chuckle. Enjoy!

Highlights:
Cyberpunk meets Solarpunk
Rogue Android/SecUnit
Sarcastic Characters
Space Adventures

Graphic Audio Review:

In case you haven't heard the news, Graphic Audio recently released their production of All Systems Red, the first novella in the MurderBot Diaries series (one of my favorite series of all time). Naturally, I pre-ordered the shit out of that. Since its release, I've listened to it three times. Yes, I know.
At first, listening to the Graphic Audio version of All Systems Red was strange. I'm used to hearing Kevin R. Free's voice, especially for MurderBot. This made me think I didn't like it, or at least I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

Then I listened to it again. It works; it really does! David Cui Cui portrays MurderBot in a slightly different manner than Kevin R. Free. The sarcasm is less of a constant presence. However! His voice helps to highlight other elements of MurderBot's character (such as their more atypical nature).

Speaking of casting and characters, I think the voice for Ratthi (Zeke Alton) is my favorite. Mensah's voice (Khaya Fraites) sounded a little younger than I expected, but otherwise, I don't have any complaints.

If you're on the fence about trying All Systems Red by Graphic Audio, I would highly suggest trying it. It's a fun listen!

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