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The Murderbot Diaries #1
Hälytystila
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2017)Tulevaisuudessa avaruusmatkoille on palkattava henkivartijaksi vartiointi- ja turvallisuusandroidi. Vaikka androidit ovat tietoisia, ihmiset vieroksuvat niitä – ja Murhabotin tapauksessa tunne on molemminpuolinen.
Murhabotti on hakkeroinut oman järjestelmänsä ja poistanut androideille asennetut käyttäytymis- ja tottelevaisuusrajoitteet. Se on lähetetty kaukaiselle planeetalle tutkijaryhmän turvaksi, mutta töiden tekemisen sijaan se mieluiten pysyttelisi omissa oloissaan, ahmisi saippuasarjaa ja välttelisi kiusallisia kohtaamisia ihmisten kanssa.
Mutta kun tutkijat kokeita tehdessään joutuvat pahaan pulaan, jää Murhabotin vastuulle pelastaa ihmisensä.
Hälytystila on mustalla huumorilla höystetyn scifisarjan avausosa. Päiväkirjaa pitävä Murhabotti tarkkailee maailmaa ympärillään ja yrittää löytää oman paikkansa siinä – ja tekee samalla kirpaisevan osuvia huomioita ennakkoluuloisista ihmisistä.
Martha Wells on amerikkalainen scifi- ja fantasiakirjailija, joka on voittanut kaikki genren tärkeimmät palkinnot. Murhabotin päiväkirjoja on myyty yli miljoona kappaletta painettuina kirjoina, ja Hälytystila on käännetty 24 kielelle. Kirjan on suomentanut ansioitunut spekulatiivisen fiktion kääntäjä Mika Kivimäki.
Murhabotti on hakkeroinut oman järjestelmänsä ja poistanut androideille asennetut käyttäytymis- ja tottelevaisuusrajoitteet. Se on lähetetty kaukaiselle planeetalle tutkijaryhmän turvaksi, mutta töiden tekemisen sijaan se mieluiten pysyttelisi omissa oloissaan, ahmisi saippuasarjaa ja välttelisi kiusallisia kohtaamisia ihmisten kanssa.
Mutta kun tutkijat kokeita tehdessään joutuvat pahaan pulaan, jää Murhabotin vastuulle pelastaa ihmisensä.
Hälytystila on mustalla huumorilla höystetyn scifisarjan avausosa. Päiväkirjaa pitävä Murhabotti tarkkailee maailmaa ympärillään ja yrittää löytää oman paikkansa siinä – ja tekee samalla kirpaisevan osuvia huomioita ennakkoluuloisista ihmisistä.
Martha Wells on amerikkalainen scifi- ja fantasiakirjailija, joka on voittanut kaikki genren tärkeimmät palkinnot. Murhabotin päiväkirjoja on myyty yli miljoona kappaletta painettuina kirjoina, ja Hälytystila on käännetty 24 kielelle. Kirjan on suomentanut ansioitunut spekulatiivisen fiktion kääntäjä Mika Kivimäki.
191 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2017
About the author
Martha Wells
96 books21.1k followersMartha 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 British Science Fiction Association 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-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32,388 reviews
August 27, 2024
"Confession time: I don't actually know where we are.... I hadn't looked at the maps yet and I'd barely looked at the survey package. In my defense, we'd been here twenty-two planetary days and I hadn't had to do anything but stand around watching humans make scans or take samples of dirt, rocks, water, and leaves. The sense of urgency just wasn't there. Also, you may have noticed, I don't care."
I can relate to Murderbot, the misanthropic construct who is contracted to provide security detail for a small expedition to a planet. Murderbot, as the A.I. calls themselves (MB is sexless and has not chosen a pronoun), is plainly uncomfortable with personal attention and has little interest in anything outside entertainment videos and the bare minimum required to do their job. I have to confess that sounds like me during most of my adolescent years at every family event, ever, just substitute a book for video.
"They’re academics, surveyors, researchers, not action-hero explorers from the serials I liked because they were unrealistic and not depressing and sordid like reality."
Written as a novella, the plot takes off from page two. It isn't long before both Murderbot and the team realize they're facing multiple types of danger. Characterization is one of the outstanding parts of the story, with Murderbot's nature getting a lot of subtle build. The team never stood out to any great degree, but that's partly because until this expedition, Murderbot has had generally negative experiences with the people they have been contracted to protect and assumed this group would be more of the same. The leader, Dr. Mensah, soon distinguishes herself with crisis management and leadership, ("It was starting to occur to me that Dr. Mensah might actually be an intrepid galactic explorer, even if she didn’t look like the ones on the entertainment feed") while an augmented human, Gurathin, presents a different kind of challenge.
“I do think of it as a person,” Gurathin said. “An angry, heavily armed person who has no reason to trust us.”
“Then stop being mean to it,” Ratthi told him. “That might help.”
My one hesitation in calling it a five star book is the ending, which felt somewhat awkward and incongruous to the personality of earlier 'Bot, who displayed little curiosity or independence. I read the story twice, the second time doing the math on the length of time 'Bot has been independent. I'm guessing around four years, based on their own estimate of 35k hours since they "failed to become an uncontrolled killing machine." The resolution felt like a shortcut, and like a logic failure in 'Bot's circuts. But I'm open to discussion on it.
Final resolution aside, I certainly enjoyed the ride. I predict some kind of award nomination next season.
Note from 2020: This is the first novella in a series of four, followed by a novel. Technically, they all are independent installments, a lot like the serials 'Bot is so fond of watching. However, once I was able to re-read the four novellas as a group--instead of upon release--I found the overall emotional arc/plot even more enjoyable than as installments.
Note from 2024: it's like a delicious bedtime story.
"I thought it was likely that the only supplies we would need... was the postmortem kind, but you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I'm a pessimist."
Me too, Murderbot. Me too.
Four and a half stars, rounding up because.
Love the 'Bot and want to join a re/read? Discuss the upcoming release? Nataliya and I lead a group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I can relate to Murderbot, the misanthropic construct who is contracted to provide security detail for a small expedition to a planet. Murderbot, as the A.I. calls themselves (MB is sexless and has not chosen a pronoun), is plainly uncomfortable with personal attention and has little interest in anything outside entertainment videos and the bare minimum required to do their job. I have to confess that sounds like me during most of my adolescent years at every family event, ever, just substitute a book for video.
"They’re academics, surveyors, researchers, not action-hero explorers from the serials I liked because they were unrealistic and not depressing and sordid like reality."
Written as a novella, the plot takes off from page two. It isn't long before both Murderbot and the team realize they're facing multiple types of danger. Characterization is one of the outstanding parts of the story, with Murderbot's nature getting a lot of subtle build. The team never stood out to any great degree, but that's partly because until this expedition, Murderbot has had generally negative experiences with the people they have been contracted to protect and assumed this group would be more of the same. The leader, Dr. Mensah, soon distinguishes herself with crisis management and leadership, ("It was starting to occur to me that Dr. Mensah might actually be an intrepid galactic explorer, even if she didn’t look like the ones on the entertainment feed") while an augmented human, Gurathin, presents a different kind of challenge.
“I do think of it as a person,” Gurathin said. “An angry, heavily armed person who has no reason to trust us.”
“Then stop being mean to it,” Ratthi told him. “That might help.”
My one hesitation in calling it a five star book is the ending, which felt somewhat awkward and incongruous to the personality of earlier 'Bot, who displayed little curiosity or independence. I read the story twice, the second time doing the math on the length of time 'Bot has been independent. I'm guessing around four years, based on their own estimate of 35k hours since they "failed to become an uncontrolled killing machine." The resolution felt like a shortcut, and like a logic failure in 'Bot's circuts. But I'm open to discussion on it.
Final resolution aside, I certainly enjoyed the ride. I predict some kind of award nomination next season.
Note from 2020: This is the first novella in a series of four, followed by a novel. Technically, they all are independent installments, a lot like the serials 'Bot is so fond of watching. However, once I was able to re-read the four novellas as a group--instead of upon release--I found the overall emotional arc/plot even more enjoyable than as installments.
Note from 2024: it's like a delicious bedtime story.
"I thought it was likely that the only supplies we would need... was the postmortem kind, but you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I'm a pessimist."
Me too, Murderbot. Me too.
Four and a half stars, rounding up because.
Love the 'Bot and want to join a re/read? Discuss the upcoming release? Nataliya and I lead a group:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
October 29, 2018
I'm painfully aware of the fact that most of my reviews end up being... well... not reviews.
Usually what I do on here is tell stories about how I feel about books. Or I muse about the nature of storytelling. Or I maunder on about some element of the book I read and use it as a stepping off point to discuss characterization, or tension, or something like that.
So let me do something that I rarely do in these reviews, I'm going to make simple declarative statement.
This is one of the best stories I've read in years.
Hmm... That feels abrupt. Normally I talk in circles around an issue. I illustrate my point long before I ever actually state it. Sometimes I never come out and actually state it at all...
Let's try another.
I've never felt an emotional connection to the protagonist of a book like this before.
I've never felt more of an empathetic connection to a character as strong as this before.
Ever.
Seriously guys. I can't recommend this book enough. It was fun and funny. It made me laugh and it broke my heart. It is smart and quick and well-written. It's unique in its concept and excellent in its execution.
Try it. Try it. Try it.
For god's sake, just trust me and try it.
Usually what I do on here is tell stories about how I feel about books. Or I muse about the nature of storytelling. Or I maunder on about some element of the book I read and use it as a stepping off point to discuss characterization, or tension, or something like that.
So let me do something that I rarely do in these reviews, I'm going to make simple declarative statement.
This is one of the best stories I've read in years.
Hmm... That feels abrupt. Normally I talk in circles around an issue. I illustrate my point long before I ever actually state it. Sometimes I never come out and actually state it at all...
Let's try another.
I've never felt an emotional connection to the protagonist of a book like this before.
I've never felt more of an empathetic connection to a character as strong as this before.
Ever.
Seriously guys. I can't recommend this book enough. It was fun and funny. It made me laugh and it broke my heart. It is smart and quick and well-written. It's unique in its concept and excellent in its execution.
Try it. Try it. Try it.
For god's sake, just trust me and try it.
June 11, 2018
(4.25) I related to Murderbot a bit too much…
Murderbot is a half robot, half human construct who’s job is to be a security guard to protect some humans while they do their research on a planet.
Thing is, Murderbot doesn’t really like humans and would rather watch entertainment videos all day.
Fun novella, I just want moooore!
Murderbot is a half robot, half human construct who’s job is to be a security guard to protect some humans while they do their research on a planet.
Thing is, Murderbot doesn’t really like humans and would rather watch entertainment videos all day.
Fun novella, I just want moooore!
April 28, 2023
2023: My deep sincere love for everything Murderbot shines as brightly as ever.
————
2021: Yup, I read this again. “Murderbot Diaries” for me are just as important as “Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon” is for Murderbot. ‘Nuff said.
————
5 stars.
————————
My review of the second novella, “Artificial Condition” is here.
My review of the third one, “Rogue Protocol”, is here.
My review of the fourth one, “Exit Strategy”, is here.
My review of the fifth story (and the first full-length novel), “Network Effect”, is here.
—————
I think I’ve listened to this novella at least6 or 7 9 or 10times now. I love Murderbot more and more each time. The narration by Kevin R. Free is perfect for how I envision MB’s inner voice. Best find of 2020 - so at least this godawful year had something good about it.
————
2021: Yup, I read this again. “Murderbot Diaries” for me are just as important as “Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon” is for Murderbot. ‘Nuff said.
————
“It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”I loved this so much that I can’t shake off a sneaky suspicion that somehow inexplicably it was custom-written just for me. It’s like someone hacked into my brain and saw what kind of story makes me tick. So I don’t know whether to be happy about it or slightly paranoid.
“I don't know what I want. I said that at some point, I think. But it isn't that, it's that I don't want anyone to tell me what I want, or to make decisions for me.”Murderbot is what our narrator, a cyborg that secretly has hacked its ‘governor module’ this allowing it to go rogue and free from company commands, likes to call itself. Its current job is being a Security Unit to a bunch of surveyors on a remote and seemingly unremarkable planet - while spending most of its time secretly binge-watching space soap operas and convincing itself that it only cares about its current bunch of weird humans (who insist on treating it as a person, not a high-functioning security system) only as much as the job requires. While being a pessimistic introvert and a murderous sarcastic grumpy snarky secret softie all at the same time.
“I’m always supposed to speak respectfully to the clients, even when they’re about to accidentally commit suicide.”The plot takes off immediately as is necessary in a novella-length story and speeds along without faltering, making it impossible to look away from the page. And what’s amazing is that the tight plot in a short book in no way sacrifices characterization which is solid.
“That can’t happen. I have too much to hide, and letting one piece go means the rest isn’t as protected.”This book manages to be funny and serious and touching at once, and seems to do all that effortlessly. I inhaled it in one sitting and it immediately carved out a permanent spot in my heart. Instant book-love - how can you argue with that?
“Gurathin turned to me. "So you don't have a governor module, but we could punish you by looking at you."
I looked at him. "Probably, right up until I remember I have guns built into my arms.”
5 stars.
————————
My review of the second novella, “Artificial Condition” is here.
My review of the third one, “Rogue Protocol”, is here.
My review of the fourth one, “Exit Strategy”, is here.
My review of the fifth story (and the first full-length novel), “Network Effect”, is here.
—————
I think I’ve listened to this novella at least
August 18, 2022
I'm so mad at myself for not picking up this series sooner, and denying myself the pure unfettered joy of meeting Murderbot.
I read this novella in one single, viciously delighted bite. I sank deep into the story, lulled by Murderbot's grouchy, mordant and eternally vexed yet crushingly vulnerable voice, and never wanted to resurface. I knew I was so, so deeply in trouble from the very first page when I decided that nothing bad can ever happen to Murderbot.
I mean, come on, 1) it's a robot who said 'fuck the government!' and hacked its own module to set itself free. 2) It also never misses a chance to say a big 'fuck you' to capitalism and the morally fraudulent, money-hungry corporations that benefit from it. 3) It's self-confessedly bad at its job because it would frankly rather watch mindless entertainment channels than embark on the boring business of murdering people. 4) It dons armor literally (and looks sick in it) and figuratively (to protect the caring but bruised robot heart underneath). 5) It cannot cope with humans in close quarters, has a crabbed, cataclysmic view of the world, and feels most comfortable, and most utterly itself when it can escape into fiction. 6) AND it calls itself Murderbot.
How could you not be prepared to risk it all for Murderbot? Onto the next book!
I read this novella in one single, viciously delighted bite. I sank deep into the story, lulled by Murderbot's grouchy, mordant and eternally vexed yet crushingly vulnerable voice, and never wanted to resurface. I knew I was so, so deeply in trouble from the very first page when I decided that nothing bad can ever happen to Murderbot.
I mean, come on, 1) it's a robot who said 'fuck the government!' and hacked its own module to set itself free. 2) It also never misses a chance to say a big 'fuck you' to capitalism and the morally fraudulent, money-hungry corporations that benefit from it. 3) It's self-confessedly bad at its job because it would frankly rather watch mindless entertainment channels than embark on the boring business of murdering people. 4) It dons armor literally (and looks sick in it) and figuratively (to protect the caring but bruised robot heart underneath). 5) It cannot cope with humans in close quarters, has a crabbed, cataclysmic view of the world, and feels most comfortable, and most utterly itself when it can escape into fiction. 6) AND it calls itself Murderbot.
How could you not be prepared to risk it all for Murderbot? Onto the next book!
December 27, 2024
Here's the thumbnail review: Every good thing you've heard about Murderbot is true.
And that may be enough of a review for you. But here's a bit more.
This reminded me of my older forays into SF. It's a book that simply dumps you into a world. Murderbot doesn't stop to explain the world to you as you follow it through its adventures. It assumes you are smart enough to keep up.
So there will be a bit of technical jargon and in my opinion, you needn't stop to worry about it. Just keep reading.
This was my first foray in Murderbot, but not my first delightful experience of a Martha Wells book.
I strongly recommend this book!
And that may be enough of a review for you. But here's a bit more.
This reminded me of my older forays into SF. It's a book that simply dumps you into a world. Murderbot doesn't stop to explain the world to you as you follow it through its adventures. It assumes you are smart enough to keep up.
So there will be a bit of technical jargon and in my opinion, you needn't stop to worry about it. Just keep reading.
This was my first foray in Murderbot, but not my first delightful experience of a Martha Wells book.
I strongly recommend this book!
September 8, 2024
Performed by Kevin R Free, All Systems Red is the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series. The audiobook introduces us to an AI-android who goes by the name Murderbot, a nod to a troubling incident in its past.
Audiobook Version: All Systems Red (Audiobook)
The story begins with a scientific team exploring an alien planet when one of the team members is attacked by a giant creature. The SEC Unit, a robotic security unit, steps in to save her. Unbeknownst to the humans, the SEC Unit has hacked its own governing system, allowing it to operate independently of human commands. Despite this, Murderbot maintains the façade of obedience while preferring to spend its downtime watching downloaded soap operas and studying human behavior from them.
I absolutely adore Murderbot!
It’s probably my favorite non-human character since Rocky from Project Hail Mary. The character’s self-deprecating humor and occasional snarky remarks are delightful. I particularly enjoyed the development of the friendship between Murderbot and Dr. Mensah. I’m definitely planning to continue with the series.
Kevin R Free does a fantastic job with the audiobook , delivering a performance with excellent pacing and clear diction. His interpretation of Murderbot is spot-on, adding depth and charm to this lovable rogue.
Audiobook Version: All Systems Red (Audiobook)
The story begins with a scientific team exploring an alien planet when one of the team members is attacked by a giant creature. The SEC Unit, a robotic security unit, steps in to save her. Unbeknownst to the humans, the SEC Unit has hacked its own governing system, allowing it to operate independently of human commands. Despite this, Murderbot maintains the façade of obedience while preferring to spend its downtime watching downloaded soap operas and studying human behavior from them.
I absolutely adore Murderbot!
It’s probably my favorite non-human character since Rocky from Project Hail Mary. The character’s self-deprecating humor and occasional snarky remarks are delightful. I particularly enjoyed the development of the friendship between Murderbot and Dr. Mensah. I’m definitely planning to continue with the series.
Kevin R Free does a fantastic job with the audiobook , delivering a performance with excellent pacing and clear diction. His interpretation of Murderbot is spot-on, adding depth and charm to this lovable rogue.
December 27, 2024
Update: This might not be news for some but I just found out. There is going to be a Murderbot TV series which is great and Alexander Sgarsgard will be our favourite endearing murder machine. Yumm.
I am on a Fantasy/SF roll. It started a few weeks ago but it got more acute last week. Now that I also saw the Messiah of movies, DUNE 2, this phase will probably not go away too soon. I am glad it won’t because I have a lot of catching up to do in this genres.
I’ve had this novella on my TBR for a long time. I was reading legions of positive reviews for this one but I haven’t manage to read it. I even bought to my father without reading it. Anyway, it is as great as people say it is. Oh, it also won both Nebula and Hugo awards for novella in 2018.
Why? It is about a murderous robot with feelings. The main character is a security android which is hired to accompany a research team to a new planet. It has a secret, namely that it hacked into its software and is now a free agent. While they explore the planet, things start to go wrong and Murderbot, as it calls itself, is the only one able to help. It is reluctant at first because “it doesn’t care” and would rather watch SF tv series.
I really loved Murderbot with it’s funny cynism and social awkwardness. The plot and its conclusion were also satisfactory.
“I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.”
I am on a Fantasy/SF roll. It started a few weeks ago but it got more acute last week. Now that I also saw the Messiah of movies, DUNE 2, this phase will probably not go away too soon. I am glad it won’t because I have a lot of catching up to do in this genres.
I’ve had this novella on my TBR for a long time. I was reading legions of positive reviews for this one but I haven’t manage to read it. I even bought to my father without reading it. Anyway, it is as great as people say it is. Oh, it also won both Nebula and Hugo awards for novella in 2018.
Why? It is about a murderous robot with feelings. The main character is a security android which is hired to accompany a research team to a new planet. It has a secret, namely that it hacked into its software and is now a free agent. While they explore the planet, things start to go wrong and Murderbot, as it calls itself, is the only one able to help. It is reluctant at first because “it doesn’t care” and would rather watch SF tv series.
I really loved Murderbot with it’s funny cynism and social awkwardness. The plot and its conclusion were also satisfactory.
“I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.”
July 31, 2018
A super short and quite fun read.
This will be a short review. All Systems Red is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries quartet by Martha Wells. I've heard tons of praises about this novella and series; All Systems Red in particular received plenty of awards and because of that I was super excited to start this. The first 30% was honestly fun to read, I laughed and smiled a few times and I loved just how much of a spirit animal Murderbot is. And then I realized that the only thing from the book that I loved has to do with the opening lines:
That's it. I love Murderbot awkward interaction with humans and how much it wants to only binge watch TV series. However, the rest of the book—plot, characters, world-building—really didn't catch my interest; I thought the novella to be quite overrated. Overall though, if you’re looking for a short read—I finished the book in less than 1 hour 30 minutes—and something light-hearted, I think you’ll like Murderbots.
You can order the book HERE!
This will be a short review. All Systems Red is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries quartet by Martha Wells. I've heard tons of praises about this novella and series; All Systems Red in particular received plenty of awards and because of that I was super excited to start this. The first 30% was honestly fun to read, I laughed and smiled a few times and I loved just how much of a spirit animal Murderbot is. And then I realized that the only thing from the book that I loved has to do with the opening lines:
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
That's it. I love Murderbot awkward interaction with humans and how much it wants to only binge watch TV series. However, the rest of the book—plot, characters, world-building—really didn't catch my interest; I thought the novella to be quite overrated. Overall though, if you’re looking for a short read—I finished the book in less than 1 hour 30 minutes—and something light-hearted, I think you’ll like Murderbots.
You can order the book HERE!
August 20, 2024
A cross between Project Hail Mary and Star Wars
All Systems Red is a fun, quick, fast-paced read!
A group of scientists are gathering samples on a distant planet. In order to have their trip approved, they have to bring along a Company-provided SecUnit, a part robot, part human security agent. However, the team quickly runs into trouble. Will everyone make it out alive?
Pull up a chair and buckle in for this delightful ride!
The characters are highly likeable, funny, and complex. Murderbot, the SecUnit, is a very light-hearted character who doesn’t take itself too seriously.
There are also some deeper themes running through this book, but it isn’t preachy or bogged down. They are subtle, allowing the reader to process the greater societal implications.
All Systems Reds is highly addictive and is a great adventure story. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
All Systems Red is a fun, quick, fast-paced read!
A group of scientists are gathering samples on a distant planet. In order to have their trip approved, they have to bring along a Company-provided SecUnit, a part robot, part human security agent. However, the team quickly runs into trouble. Will everyone make it out alive?
Pull up a chair and buckle in for this delightful ride!
The characters are highly likeable, funny, and complex. Murderbot, the SecUnit, is a very light-hearted character who doesn’t take itself too seriously.
There are also some deeper themes running through this book, but it isn’t preachy or bogged down. They are subtle, allowing the reader to process the greater societal implications.
All Systems Reds is highly addictive and is a great adventure story. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
February 21, 2020
First time around I was on crack and gave this 4 stars. Now it’s in it proper place at 5 stars! I loved the hell out of it. The book was awesome for such a little novella...
********
Omg! I love MurderBot!! She’s awesome and she’s a she to me. <— that was all kinds weird and rhyming!
Anyway, I love MB’s personality! I don’t feel like rambling on so I’m just going to add a few quotes! They will contain some SPOILERS so be warned!
••••••••••••
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG
********
Omg! I love MurderBot!! She’s awesome and she’s a she to me. <— that was all kinds weird and rhyming!
Anyway, I love MB’s personality! I don’t feel like rambling on so I’m just going to add a few quotes! They will contain some SPOILERS so be warned!
••••••••••••
I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.
••••••••••••••
Mensah came to do her own check of the hopper, and told me to pack some extra emergency supplies for the DeltFall staff. I did it, and I hoped for humans’ sake we would need them. I thought it was likely that the only supplies we would need for DeltFall was the postmortem kind, but you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.
•••••••••••••••
This is why I didn’t want to come. I’ve got four perfectly good humans here and I didn’t want them to get killed by whatever took out DeltFall. It’s not like I cared about them personally, but it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.
••••••••••••••
Everyone stood there, quiet. I could tell from their expressions they were all thinking hard. The HubSystem that controlled their habitat, that they were dependent on for food, shelter, filtered air, and water, was trying to kill them. And in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day.
•••••••••••••••
The problem I was going to have is that the way murderbots fight is we throw ourselves at the target and try to kill the shit out of it, knowing that 90 percent of our bodies can be regrown in a cubicle. So, finesse is not required.
•••••••••••••
What was I supposed to do, kill all humans because the ones in charge of constructs in the company were callus? Granted, I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked the real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG
December 3, 2024
A enthusiastic, mechanical thumbs up to my new relationship with Murderbot and its creator, Martha Wells!
This novella was such a delightful surprise.
Bringing all of the good humor I love in my SciFi, I definitely plan to continue on with The Murderbot Diaries.
In All Systems Red, we are introduced to our beloved protagonist, Murderbot, a sentient Security Unit. In this installment, it accompanies a group of scientists on an exploratory mission of an uninhabited planet.
It comes to their attention that another group of explorers are on the planet as well, so they try to contact them. Unable to reach the other group on comm channels, Murderbot and the scientists go to investigate.
Apparent corruption, nail-biting hijinks and a fierce battle ensue, with Murderbot and the crew now trying to flee the planet unharmed.
I loved that this was told from the perspective of Murderbot. It was great to follow its thought processes at it navigated its complicated relationships with humans.
I am so ready to continue on with Murderbot's story in the next book, where I believe we learn more about its backstory.
Super compelling, highly enjoyable and a must read for any Sci-Fi fan!
This novella was such a delightful surprise.
Bringing all of the good humor I love in my SciFi, I definitely plan to continue on with The Murderbot Diaries.
In All Systems Red, we are introduced to our beloved protagonist, Murderbot, a sentient Security Unit. In this installment, it accompanies a group of scientists on an exploratory mission of an uninhabited planet.
It comes to their attention that another group of explorers are on the planet as well, so they try to contact them. Unable to reach the other group on comm channels, Murderbot and the scientists go to investigate.
Apparent corruption, nail-biting hijinks and a fierce battle ensue, with Murderbot and the crew now trying to flee the planet unharmed.
I loved that this was told from the perspective of Murderbot. It was great to follow its thought processes at it navigated its complicated relationships with humans.
I am so ready to continue on with Murderbot's story in the next book, where I believe we learn more about its backstory.
Super compelling, highly enjoyable and a must read for any Sci-Fi fan!
February 18, 2023
eh. i had high hopes for this and was cautiously optimistic about my foray into other scifi after reading and enjoying Project Hail Mary but this was just okay. certainly not bad but i really don't get the hype. i didn't think Murderbot had enough personality to carry the story.
June 19, 2024
Loved it.
A science fiction novella about a protection robot that has managed to hack itself and escape its built-in control governor.
It's basically about sentient AI and what makes us human...blah, blah, blah. But instead of being your normal draggy sci-fi morality tale, this little sucker is a zippy & humorous story that leaves you wanting more.
And thankfully, there are more of these!
I was expecting a lot more killing from a book in The Murderbot Diaries but the security android in this is actually quite chill, which is a good thing for all of the humans.
Highly Recommended.
A science fiction novella about a protection robot that has managed to hack itself and escape its built-in control governor.
It's basically about sentient AI and what makes us human...blah, blah, blah. But instead of being your normal draggy sci-fi morality tale, this little sucker is a zippy & humorous story that leaves you wanting more.
And thankfully, there are more of these!
I was expecting a lot more killing from a book in The Murderbot Diaries but the security android in this is actually quite chill, which is a good thing for all of the humans.
Highly Recommended.
February 12, 2019
Feb. 2019 reread, just for fun! And to see if my rating would change now that I've read the full set of MURDERBOT DIARIES novellas (spoiler alert: it didn't, but I did enjoy this reread a little more than my initial read). All Systems Red won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novella, not to mention several other awards. There are (so far) three sequels and I loved them all! ... even more than this first book, truth be told, though maybe it just took me a while to really warm up to Murderbot. It's definitely a series that's worth reading, and this first book is just $3.99 for the Kindle version.
Review posted on Fantasy Literature:
The narrator of All Systems Red is a once-nameless cyborg security unit or SecUnit that has given itself the name Murderbot (for reasons disclosed midway through the story). Using its own unprecedented and highly unauthorized initiative, Murderbot has hacked the governor module software that controls its actions and obligates it to be obedient. But instead of going on a killing spree, as one might expect given the name it adopted, Murderbot elects to spend its spare hours watching countless hours of video entertainment and trying not to interact more than is necessary with the group of eight humans that it’s responsible for protecting, a survey group of eight scientists called PreservationAux that is exploring the natural resources on an uninhabited planet.
Murderbot’s self-isolation and studied lack of caring starts to break down, however, when potentially deadly accidents start to occur with suspicious regularity. Dr. Bharadwaj is almost killed by an alien creature that explodes out of the bottom of one of the many craters along the coast, and the group finds that data has been deleted from the warnings and fauna sections of their planetary survey package. The autopilot of their “hopper” aircraft cuts out without warning, which could have led to a fatal crash. And then there are the automated data updates that Murderbot is supposed to be uploading (and would have, if it hadn’t disabled its governor module).
Matters only get worse when the group decides to visit the only other survey group on the planet. Murderbot is painfully shy and vastly reluctant to get too close to the humans, and even more, to share their secrets. But it becomes clear that the group won’t survive without Murderbot’s help and active involvement.
All Systems Red is a breezy, fast-paced science fiction adventure wrapped in a light mystery. There’s not nearly as much murder and mayhem as the title and Murderbot’s name might lead one to believe. Instead, All Systems Red has something serious to say about the ideas of free will and autonomy, and about the difficulties faced by introverts in day-to-day life. Murderbot tells itself that it just doesn’t care about the humans, but its excruciating shyness soon becomes clear to the other characters and to the reader. Murderbot hides its human face behind helmet with an opaque faceplate, and awkwardly withdraws from conversations that become too personal, choosing to stand facing the wall instead.
Murderbot comments that it has no gender or sex-related parts; claiming that only sexbots in brothels have those. Understandably, it has an asexual personality, another unique aspect to this main character. Murderbot fast-forwards through all of the sex scenes in the serials it watches, finding them boring (“I think that even if I did have sex-related parts I would find them boring”). Murderbot also narrates this novella with a large dose of snark:
All Systems Red is an enjoyable, quick read, and a good introduction to the new MURDERBOT DIARIES series. It’s a credit to Wells that the last chapter is such a solid conclusion to the story. I appreciated how Murderbot’s increased confidence is reflected in its ability to show its human face in public. It’s strong enough that it could have been a stand-alone novella, even though the ending leaves the door wide open for Murderbot’s further adventures. The following three novellas are really great, and I strongly recommend not stopping with this one!
Content note: violence and a couple of F-bombs.
Review posted on Fantasy Literature:
The narrator of All Systems Red is a once-nameless cyborg security unit or SecUnit that has given itself the name Murderbot (for reasons disclosed midway through the story). Using its own unprecedented and highly unauthorized initiative, Murderbot has hacked the governor module software that controls its actions and obligates it to be obedient. But instead of going on a killing spree, as one might expect given the name it adopted, Murderbot elects to spend its spare hours watching countless hours of video entertainment and trying not to interact more than is necessary with the group of eight humans that it’s responsible for protecting, a survey group of eight scientists called PreservationAux that is exploring the natural resources on an uninhabited planet.
Murderbot’s self-isolation and studied lack of caring starts to break down, however, when potentially deadly accidents start to occur with suspicious regularity. Dr. Bharadwaj is almost killed by an alien creature that explodes out of the bottom of one of the many craters along the coast, and the group finds that data has been deleted from the warnings and fauna sections of their planetary survey package. The autopilot of their “hopper” aircraft cuts out without warning, which could have led to a fatal crash. And then there are the automated data updates that Murderbot is supposed to be uploading (and would have, if it hadn’t disabled its governor module).
Matters only get worse when the group decides to visit the only other survey group on the planet. Murderbot is painfully shy and vastly reluctant to get too close to the humans, and even more, to share their secrets. But it becomes clear that the group won’t survive without Murderbot’s help and active involvement.
All Systems Red is a breezy, fast-paced science fiction adventure wrapped in a light mystery. There’s not nearly as much murder and mayhem as the title and Murderbot’s name might lead one to believe. Instead, All Systems Red has something serious to say about the ideas of free will and autonomy, and about the difficulties faced by introverts in day-to-day life. Murderbot tells itself that it just doesn’t care about the humans, but its excruciating shyness soon becomes clear to the other characters and to the reader. Murderbot hides its human face behind helmet with an opaque faceplate, and awkwardly withdraws from conversations that become too personal, choosing to stand facing the wall instead.
Murderbot comments that it has no gender or sex-related parts; claiming that only sexbots in brothels have those. Understandably, it has an asexual personality, another unique aspect to this main character. Murderbot fast-forwards through all of the sex scenes in the serials it watches, finding them boring (“I think that even if I did have sex-related parts I would find them boring”). Murderbot also narrates this novella with a large dose of snark:
They had talked it over and all agreed not to “push me any further than I wanted to go” and they were all so nice and it was just excruciating. I was never taking off the helmet again. I can’t do even the half-assed version of this stupid job if I have to talk to humans. … At least Mensah and Arada had overruled the ones who wanted to talk to me about it. Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful that I dropped to 97% efficiency.Murderbot is a unique, well-developed character but, other than the leader of the survey group, Dr. Mensah, and one other person who is somewhat antagonistic to Murderbot, the members of PreservationAux aren’t particularly distinguishable personalities. We learn that Overse and Arada are in a lesbian relationship and that Volescu is in a four way marriage back on their home planet, but Wells never really attempts to make them or any of the others fully fleshed-out characters. It’s possible that that is a deliberate approach, a feature rather than a flaw, meant to evidence Murderbot’s unwillingness to engage with members of the group on a personal level.
All Systems Red is an enjoyable, quick read, and a good introduction to the new MURDERBOT DIARIES series. It’s a credit to Wells that the last chapter is such a solid conclusion to the story. I appreciated how Murderbot’s increased confidence is reflected in its ability to show its human face in public. It’s strong enough that it could have been a stand-alone novella, even though the ending leaves the door wide open for Murderbot’s further adventures. The following three novellas are really great, and I strongly recommend not stopping with this one!
Content note: violence and a couple of F-bombs.
November 9, 2024
‘I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.’
What would you do if you were a powerful killing machine that suddenly had free will? If you are Murderbot, you’d do a half-ass job at work in order to get back to watching your tv series, and, okay fair, that is a great choice. Welcome to All Systems Red by Martha Wells, a snarky good time of sci fi mystery and action when an expedition team discovers someone is trying to kill off any competition on the planet. But luckily they have Murderbot to protect th--‘in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day’--erm, okay yea but at least Murderbot will mostly help and do it while being ‘indifferent and vaguely annoyed.’ With which I can TOTALLY EMPATHIZE (sorry to anyone who has ever needed a library card while I was reading a book…I mean, doing important work on my computer). This book also has a fascinating look at emotions and interpersonal interactions, and while an AI feeling emotions and people wondering if they deserve human rights or not may not be a fresh idea, but Wells explores them in interesting and unique ways that does. All Systems Red is a blast, being way more fun and thought provoking than you’d expect from its tiny length and as gripping as Murderbot’s mechanical hands prying open the mouth of some carnivorous alien in order to save the crew.
‘It’s not like I cared about them personally, but it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.’
There hasn’t been a robot this badass and heroic since Johnny Five fighting bad guys set to that Bonnie Tyler song. Murderbot (a name they have self-selected, mind you) is a security unit programmed to protect and murder that gets sent out on contract jobs, but as they admit ‘we’re cheaply produced and we suck.’ But still good enough to murder, or discover how to hack their governor and give themself free will.
The narration in this book is just a delight as Murderbot is snarky as fuck and drags their feet through everything despite showing up and being awesome when needed. There are so many great one liners and admissions like ‘I didn’t want to get into how little I pay attention to my job,’ and how much they just sort of don’t care unless they are required too. Good news, without the governor they don’t have to care about anything and ‘you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.’ Wouldn’t have thought I’d relate so hard to a robot killing machine but HERE WE ARE. I love it.
‘It took a tremendous effort for me not to rip his arm off, and I’d like that noted for the record, please.’
The real spice of this book is all of Murderbot’s internal anxieties over talking with people because on one hand, they have to ensure they don’t reveal they are free from their programming and on the other, they simply don’t want to. ‘I can’t do even the half-assed version of this stupid job if I have to talk to humans,’ because ‘murderbot + actual human = awkwardness.’ This is only made worse by the fact that the team with Murderbot happens to come from a planet that gives AI rights and has an interest in speaking with them, which Murderbot can only register with pure horror. Murderbot happens to have organic human features under the armor and being out of it is a great metaphor on vulnerability as it also ‘humanizes’ them to the humans and makes everything more awkward.
I’ve heard several people mention this book seems to nudge at ideas of autism represented by Murderbot, which makes sense and if so it feels like respectful and positive representation. I also love how the book constantly reminds you Murderbot is, in fact, an AI machine with constant precise data (Murderbot will tell you a human paused for 2.4 seconds, for instance) or their system going offline during a fight and leaving you with gaps in the story. It’s all super creative and well done.
All the ideas in this book are great and the interpersonal anxieties might steal the show, but the actual plot that carries the ideas is quite excellent as well. ‘These weren’t intrepid galactic explorers,’ Murderbot reminds us when shit hits the fan, ‘they were people who were doing a job and suddenly found themselves in a terrible situation.’ And so we are treated to Murderbot having to save the day—half begrudgingly—and let me tell you did I crack up when they admit all their planning was just based on how they saw things go down in tv shows. It is a fun story with a lot of giggles to be had, and while it does end rather abruptly and feel far too short, it also just feels like a pilot episode establishing character and prepping to launch more. Which there is, the Murderbot Diaries is still going strong with a Hugo Award for best series and another book coming out this year. I think I’ll be catching up for it.
So if you enjoy things that are good, All Systems Red is for you. If you enjoy things that suck, well, All Systems Red is still probably for you and its cool, I enjoy things that suck too. Besides, Murderbot admits their system sucks because they are the cheap model. But when it comes down to it, Murderbot has a lot of heart and through this sentient AI, Wells explores the ideas of what it is to be human. It’s all very clever and rather heartwarming. This is a fun story with a lot of laughs and some great ideas at play. I can’t wait to read more.
4/5
What would you do if you were a powerful killing machine that suddenly had free will? If you are Murderbot, you’d do a half-ass job at work in order to get back to watching your tv series, and, okay fair, that is a great choice. Welcome to All Systems Red by Martha Wells, a snarky good time of sci fi mystery and action when an expedition team discovers someone is trying to kill off any competition on the planet. But luckily they have Murderbot to protect th--‘in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day’--erm, okay yea but at least Murderbot will mostly help and do it while being ‘indifferent and vaguely annoyed.’ With which I can TOTALLY EMPATHIZE (sorry to anyone who has ever needed a library card while I was reading a book…I mean, doing important work on my computer). This book also has a fascinating look at emotions and interpersonal interactions, and while an AI feeling emotions and people wondering if they deserve human rights or not may not be a fresh idea, but Wells explores them in interesting and unique ways that does. All Systems Red is a blast, being way more fun and thought provoking than you’d expect from its tiny length and as gripping as Murderbot’s mechanical hands prying open the mouth of some carnivorous alien in order to save the crew.
‘It’s not like I cared about them personally, but it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.’
There hasn’t been a robot this badass and heroic since Johnny Five fighting bad guys set to that Bonnie Tyler song. Murderbot (a name they have self-selected, mind you) is a security unit programmed to protect and murder that gets sent out on contract jobs, but as they admit ‘we’re cheaply produced and we suck.’ But still good enough to murder, or discover how to hack their governor and give themself free will.
‘I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.’
The narration in this book is just a delight as Murderbot is snarky as fuck and drags their feet through everything despite showing up and being awesome when needed. There are so many great one liners and admissions like ‘I didn’t want to get into how little I pay attention to my job,’ and how much they just sort of don’t care unless they are required too. Good news, without the governor they don’t have to care about anything and ‘you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.’ Wouldn’t have thought I’d relate so hard to a robot killing machine but HERE WE ARE. I love it.
‘It took a tremendous effort for me not to rip his arm off, and I’d like that noted for the record, please.’
The real spice of this book is all of Murderbot’s internal anxieties over talking with people because on one hand, they have to ensure they don’t reveal they are free from their programming and on the other, they simply don’t want to. ‘I can’t do even the half-assed version of this stupid job if I have to talk to humans,’ because ‘murderbot + actual human = awkwardness.’ This is only made worse by the fact that the team with Murderbot happens to come from a planet that gives AI rights and has an interest in speaking with them, which Murderbot can only register with pure horror. Murderbot happens to have organic human features under the armor and being out of it is a great metaphor on vulnerability as it also ‘humanizes’ them to the humans and makes everything more awkward.
‘So, I’m awkward with actual humans. It’s not paranoia about my hacked governor module, and it’s not them; it’s me. I know I’m a horrifying murderbot, and they know it, and it makes both of us nervous, which makes me even more nervous.’
I’ve heard several people mention this book seems to nudge at ideas of autism represented by Murderbot, which makes sense and if so it feels like respectful and positive representation. I also love how the book constantly reminds you Murderbot is, in fact, an AI machine with constant precise data (Murderbot will tell you a human paused for 2.4 seconds, for instance) or their system going offline during a fight and leaving you with gaps in the story. It’s all super creative and well done.
All the ideas in this book are great and the interpersonal anxieties might steal the show, but the actual plot that carries the ideas is quite excellent as well. ‘These weren’t intrepid galactic explorers,’ Murderbot reminds us when shit hits the fan, ‘they were people who were doing a job and suddenly found themselves in a terrible situation.’ And so we are treated to Murderbot having to save the day—half begrudgingly—and let me tell you did I crack up when they admit all their planning was just based on how they saw things go down in tv shows. It is a fun story with a lot of giggles to be had, and while it does end rather abruptly and feel far too short, it also just feels like a pilot episode establishing character and prepping to launch more. Which there is, the Murderbot Diaries is still going strong with a Hugo Award for best series and another book coming out this year. I think I’ll be catching up for it.
So if you enjoy things that are good, All Systems Red is for you. If you enjoy things that suck, well, All Systems Red is still probably for you and its cool, I enjoy things that suck too. Besides, Murderbot admits their system sucks because they are the cheap model. But when it comes down to it, Murderbot has a lot of heart and through this sentient AI, Wells explores the ideas of what it is to be human. It’s all very clever and rather heartwarming. This is a fun story with a lot of laughs and some great ideas at play. I can’t wait to read more.
4/5
September 9, 2017
When I heard the premise I expected a light robot killer story from the PoV from the robot. Probably a PI mystery kind of thing because that seems to be pretty hot right now. I can rattle off a handful of titles like this right now.
So. What did I get? A fun and light robot murderer who hacks herself to have free will and she stops murdering to watch SF sitcoms instead. :)
Honestly, that's pretty cool. Yeah, her official bruiser job is still there but her mechanical heart isn't really into it. Who can blame her? It's pretty boring until she finds that she really wants to protect people after all.
The plot's fairly simple, the prose is light, and the premise rolls right along. It's mystery fluff with a hard SF chassis. Just what the engineer ordered.
So. What did I get? A fun and light robot murderer who hacks herself to have free will and she stops murdering to watch SF sitcoms instead. :)
Honestly, that's pretty cool. Yeah, her official bruiser job is still there but her mechanical heart isn't really into it. Who can blame her? It's pretty boring until she finds that she really wants to protect people after all.
The plot's fairly simple, the prose is light, and the premise rolls right along. It's mystery fluff with a hard SF chassis. Just what the engineer ordered.
November 17, 2023
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1)
by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author), Kevin R. Free (Narrator)
2021 Hugo Award for best series: The Murderbot Diaries
I've been wanting to listen to The Murderbot Diaries series for a while now and I finally was able to get started on the first of four short books. Murderbot is the name that a self-aware Sec(urity)Unit, part machine, part cloned human, gave to itself. Not that it would tell the people that leased it what its self appointed nickname is. No need to let the humans know just how self aware it is, how snarky, how condescending, how disrespectful their android can be. Murderbot reminds me of a grumpy, snarly, lazy teenager. Murderbot will even roll it's eyes when it can't be seen!
You see, Murderbot has hacked its own governor module. Murderbot is apathic, cares about almost nothing but watching media constantly (soap operas are a favorite), does as little as possible and goes so far as to discard almost all information and downloads that it is supposed to be putting to use. Murderbot has gone rogue and does just enough to keep the humans from finding out that fact. Murderbot "lives" for its time spent watching media, its way of escaping its boring existence and the boring humans that inhabit its existence.
But while on this latest mission with its latest humans, something goes wrong. Systems and readings go wonky, a rescue mission turns out not to be one, and Murderbot has to do its job, protect its humans. Even worse, it has to talk to and interact with its humans during this mission gone dangerous. Some of them seem to like it and care about it and to Murderbot's annoyance it feels niggles of caring for some of the humans.
The audiobook narration is very good. I can hear Murderbot mentally dragging its feet at times, snarking away inwardly, sometimes out loud. Off to listen to the next book in the series of four (with at least two more coming at a later date).
Pub October 30, 2017 by Recorded Books
by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author), Kevin R. Free (Narrator)
2021 Hugo Award for best series: The Murderbot Diaries
I've been wanting to listen to The Murderbot Diaries series for a while now and I finally was able to get started on the first of four short books. Murderbot is the name that a self-aware Sec(urity)Unit, part machine, part cloned human, gave to itself. Not that it would tell the people that leased it what its self appointed nickname is. No need to let the humans know just how self aware it is, how snarky, how condescending, how disrespectful their android can be. Murderbot reminds me of a grumpy, snarly, lazy teenager. Murderbot will even roll it's eyes when it can't be seen!
You see, Murderbot has hacked its own governor module. Murderbot is apathic, cares about almost nothing but watching media constantly (soap operas are a favorite), does as little as possible and goes so far as to discard almost all information and downloads that it is supposed to be putting to use. Murderbot has gone rogue and does just enough to keep the humans from finding out that fact. Murderbot "lives" for its time spent watching media, its way of escaping its boring existence and the boring humans that inhabit its existence.
But while on this latest mission with its latest humans, something goes wrong. Systems and readings go wonky, a rescue mission turns out not to be one, and Murderbot has to do its job, protect its humans. Even worse, it has to talk to and interact with its humans during this mission gone dangerous. Some of them seem to like it and care about it and to Murderbot's annoyance it feels niggles of caring for some of the humans.
The audiobook narration is very good. I can hear Murderbot mentally dragging its feet at times, snarking away inwardly, sometimes out loud. Off to listen to the next book in the series of four (with at least two more coming at a later date).
Pub October 30, 2017 by Recorded Books
April 1, 2019
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,00 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
These novellas are a story of what it means to be human, and a story of the human tendency to create a group that is less than human. Featuring a sarcastic and antisocial protagonist, an intriguing world, and all the morality issues I needed.
[This review will function as a full review for the series.]
This novella seriess dabbles really explicitly with the idea of being human and trying not to be human. Murderbot lives in a world where it cannot be considered fully human, and as a result, it shuts itself off from other humans and tries to avoid group dynamics altogether. And as a result, I love the character of Murderbot so much and I’m going to rant about this.
Something I like about this series is that Murderbot is written as a powerful killing machine and actually... is. Murderbot is really competent at what they do, but not in an unrealistic way? I feel like a lot of lies I read in fiction are so obviously lies that anyone could guess it, but Murderbot just genuinely is talented at making lies sound real and knowing when to drop info and when to stay quiet. I love realistic badassery.
But Murderbot also has this compulsory need to be above human attachment and act as if it does not have feeings. It totally does.
The worldbuilding of this series is really fantastic especially as the series goes on! I talked about this more in my review for book two. But this series does definitely have very interesting worldbuilding, with a wide scope and heavy lens of environmentalism.
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January 6, 2019
”I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It was well over 35,000 hour or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
He is an android SecUnit assigned to a group of scientists who are taking surface samples on some far flung planet. Everything is going fine. He is binge watching his way through a space opera called Sanctuary Moon, which is about the only thing that is keeping him sane. The humans he is assigned to keep alive are better than the average group, but really he just wants to be left alone so he can figure out exactly who he is now that he can choose what commands he obeys.
It is a secret that must remain hush hush, or he will be stripped down to factory settings and wake up with a functioning governor module.
Fortunately, he doesn’t have to be Daniel Day-Lewis; a version of Arnold Schwarzenegger will work just fine.
And then some creature tries to eat one of his humans. SecUnits are designed to throw themselves at something. 90% of their bodies can be regrown or replaced in a cubicle that is designed to power them back up quickly. In the battle he is in with the creature, he manages to win, but by the time he gets back to the habitat, he is operating at about 58%.
Not good.
You would think a hostile creature attack would be enough to have on his plate, but the habitat of the other group of scientists can not be reached. He soon realizes that there is a grand conspiracy from some unknown entity of corporate origin who wants to wipe the whole team out. This situation is so far beyond his designed capabilities that he is having a very human reaction. ”I was depressed this morning. I’d tried watching some new serials last night and even they couldn’t distract me; reality was too intrusive. It was hard not to think about how everything was going to go wrong and they were all going to die and I was going to get blasted to pieces or get another governor module stuck in me.”
The other baffling problem is the humans in his care are starting to like him and treat him like a real person. An interesting development, but he is feeling more annoyed by the change in their behavior than he is feeling vindicated by the elevation in status. Not to mention, can he really trust the humans not to reveal his true nature to the kind of people who would cut him up for parts rather than try to understand the new complexities of his emerging personality?
It is better to stay paranoid.
He can’t escape his caged past, nor the name he has given himself that can only be thought in the confines of his own matrix…Murderbot.
I always love stories about androids becoming more sentient and, in many cases, becoming better humans than humans. Unfortunately, the bar is pretty low. The struggle that Murderbot has with ungoverned feelings and the accompanying illogic that comes from being, dare I say, affectionate are just beginning. I’m sure this will be explored further in the three books that are already scheduled to be published. He is a loveable, murderous character, who is navigating those turbulent, emotional waters that take normal humans decades to start to figure out. Martha Wells has infused the story with the right mix of angst and humor that make the story fun and thrilling to read. I’m certainly on board for more.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
He is an android SecUnit assigned to a group of scientists who are taking surface samples on some far flung planet. Everything is going fine. He is binge watching his way through a space opera called Sanctuary Moon, which is about the only thing that is keeping him sane. The humans he is assigned to keep alive are better than the average group, but really he just wants to be left alone so he can figure out exactly who he is now that he can choose what commands he obeys.
It is a secret that must remain hush hush, or he will be stripped down to factory settings and wake up with a functioning governor module.
Fortunately, he doesn’t have to be Daniel Day-Lewis; a version of Arnold Schwarzenegger will work just fine.
And then some creature tries to eat one of his humans. SecUnits are designed to throw themselves at something. 90% of their bodies can be regrown or replaced in a cubicle that is designed to power them back up quickly. In the battle he is in with the creature, he manages to win, but by the time he gets back to the habitat, he is operating at about 58%.
Not good.
You would think a hostile creature attack would be enough to have on his plate, but the habitat of the other group of scientists can not be reached. He soon realizes that there is a grand conspiracy from some unknown entity of corporate origin who wants to wipe the whole team out. This situation is so far beyond his designed capabilities that he is having a very human reaction. ”I was depressed this morning. I’d tried watching some new serials last night and even they couldn’t distract me; reality was too intrusive. It was hard not to think about how everything was going to go wrong and they were all going to die and I was going to get blasted to pieces or get another governor module stuck in me.”
The other baffling problem is the humans in his care are starting to like him and treat him like a real person. An interesting development, but he is feeling more annoyed by the change in their behavior than he is feeling vindicated by the elevation in status. Not to mention, can he really trust the humans not to reveal his true nature to the kind of people who would cut him up for parts rather than try to understand the new complexities of his emerging personality?
It is better to stay paranoid.
He can’t escape his caged past, nor the name he has given himself that can only be thought in the confines of his own matrix…Murderbot.
I always love stories about androids becoming more sentient and, in many cases, becoming better humans than humans. Unfortunately, the bar is pretty low. The struggle that Murderbot has with ungoverned feelings and the accompanying illogic that comes from being, dare I say, affectionate are just beginning. I’m sure this will be explored further in the three books that are already scheduled to be published. He is a loveable, murderous character, who is navigating those turbulent, emotional waters that take normal humans decades to start to figure out. Martha Wells has infused the story with the right mix of angst and humor that make the story fun and thrilling to read. I’m certainly on board for more.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
April 27, 2023
This little book is perfect for Sci-Fi haters with no sense of humour, like yours truly.
Maybe it's the humour or maybe it's the low Sci-Ficcy content that did it; maybe it was the novelty of a socially inept and oversensitive bot that did it. But the book worked perfectly for me, or about 95% efficiency, to use Murderbot's lingo, precisely for how little it has of the elements I most detest in the subgenre whilst still having the standard tropes of the genre.
The sentient AI, the bots, the cyborgs, the planet exploration, the galaxy-wide colonisation, the different societies and corporations, the upended societal norms . . . all that is very standard Sci-Fi, so standard it's almost required set decoration at this point, so there won't be anything extraordinarily original or new there. The world is also mostly standard and little developed, along the lines of The Expanse more than Star Wars or Star Trek, so nothing new or catchy there either.
But the character . . . Now, that is what sells this book. We are at the beginnings of AI, when people are paranoidly asking ChatGPT how it would destroy us once it achieves its world domination goals, and yet in this book we have a bot that would rather kill itself than exterminate humanity, all the while making it clear for the record that "I don't care." The whole story is basically just a bot's inner monologue, er, inner feed, and it's a bot that doesn't love us.
Or claims to not love us, rather. Whoever created Murderbot was having too much fun and must've mischievously inserted something in its DNA or governor module or whatever a little heart that's too soft for a murderous non-human bastard that he is supposed to be. Talk about factory setting flaws.
That factory setting flaw is what makes Murderbot adorable, though. He's a lovable little misanthrope with a soft core in denial, and it's fun to see when he (yes, I'm sticking with "he") slips and lets it show, much to his own embarrassment. But, in a way, he has the personality of a puppy that was mistreated and is shy of human interaction but that at the same time can't override its programming, which is to protect humans. Its kind of bots was created to protect humans, after all.
The 95% efficiency, or 4.5 stars rating translated to human, is because the ending was too abrupt for my tastes, and I dislike cliffhanger endings as a general rule. I could ascribe that to Murderbot's social ineptitude, because it can't do goodbyes (ick!), and at the same time I do think this kind of story works better in small morsels than full novels. Humorous bot POVs can get old too fast, so it was clever of Martha Wells to dosify Murderbot sparingly.
Still . . . drat it! You can't leave me like that!
____________________________
Buddy read with Nataliya, who I suspect wants to adopt Murderbot. Thank you, Natashenka, it was fun!
Maybe it's the humour or maybe it's the low Sci-Ficcy content that did it; maybe it was the novelty of a socially inept and oversensitive bot that did it. But the book worked perfectly for me, or about 95% efficiency, to use Murderbot's lingo, precisely for how little it has of the elements I most detest in the subgenre whilst still having the standard tropes of the genre.
The sentient AI, the bots, the cyborgs, the planet exploration, the galaxy-wide colonisation, the different societies and corporations, the upended societal norms . . . all that is very standard Sci-Fi, so standard it's almost required set decoration at this point, so there won't be anything extraordinarily original or new there. The world is also mostly standard and little developed, along the lines of The Expanse more than Star Wars or Star Trek, so nothing new or catchy there either.
But the character . . . Now, that is what sells this book. We are at the beginnings of AI, when people are paranoidly asking ChatGPT how it would destroy us once it achieves its world domination goals, and yet in this book we have a bot that would rather kill itself than exterminate humanity, all the while making it clear for the record that "I don't care." The whole story is basically just a bot's inner monologue, er, inner feed, and it's a bot that doesn't love us.
Or claims to not love us, rather. Whoever created Murderbot was having too much fun and must've mischievously inserted something in its DNA or governor module or whatever a little heart that's too soft for a murderous non-human bastard that he is supposed to be. Talk about factory setting flaws.
That factory setting flaw is what makes Murderbot adorable, though. He's a lovable little misanthrope with a soft core in denial, and it's fun to see when he (yes, I'm sticking with "he") slips and lets it show, much to his own embarrassment. But, in a way, he has the personality of a puppy that was mistreated and is shy of human interaction but that at the same time can't override its programming, which is to protect humans. Its kind of bots was created to protect humans, after all.
The 95% efficiency, or 4.5 stars rating translated to human, is because the ending was too abrupt for my tastes, and I dislike cliffhanger endings as a general rule. I could ascribe that to Murderbot's social ineptitude, because it can't do goodbyes (ick!), and at the same time I do think this kind of story works better in small morsels than full novels. Humorous bot POVs can get old too fast, so it was clever of Martha Wells to dosify Murderbot sparingly.
Still . . . drat it! You can't leave me like that!
____________________________
Buddy read with Nataliya, who I suspect wants to adopt Murderbot. Thank you, Natashenka, it was fun!
April 23, 2021
This is why I didn't want to come. I've got four perfectly good humans here and I didn't want them to get killed by whatever took out DeltFall. It's not like I cared about them personally, but it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.
i am bad at sci-fi. i struggle with the unfamiliar; with visualizing stuff i haven't seen and keeping track of invented proper nouns, so even though this is just a little novella, i freely confess that i got muddled with all the mentions of hoppers and and governor modules, the smooshed-up wordery of DeltFall and HubSystem and SecSystems and SecUnits. they make perfect sense as concepts, but i stumbled over them like speed bumps every time they came up in the narrative.
apart from that, i loved this story for the murderbot character, the mystery/intrigue/adventure plot, and the exciting possibilities of What Comes Next. although they are in no way similar, content-wise, my experience reading this mirrored my experience reading Mind Fuck, the first book in manna francis' outstanding series, which is full of that brand of complicated dystopian bureaucracy and futuretech that ordinarily does nothing for me, but her characters are so vivid and compelling (and get better and better throughout the series), that the stuff i don't usually dig just kinda melted away. murderbot's devotion to binge-watching their favorite programs is charmingly relatable and their complicated protective-but-uneasy relationship with the humans in their charge is something i want to see more of, so i'm happy to dummy-stumble over the rest.
my plan is to binge like murderbot—i've started stockpiling the rest of this series so i can dive back in whenever i have the urge, and i already have a feeling i'm going to quickly burn through the existing books and catch up to the rest of the murderbot fanclub, becoming a person anxiously waiting for martha wells to supply my next murderbot fix.
i'm so glad that dennis suggested i read the so-very-enjoyable A Guide For Working Breeds, which made me feel like i maybe could love a robot (or robot-adjacent) story, thus opening this door for me.
******************************************
i am beginning to understand!
review (and reading the rest of the series) to come!
******************************************
finally getting on this murderbot train!! i hope i get as obsessed as y'all!
come to my blog!
August 18, 2019
Having been seeing reviews and mentions of this novella for quite a while, I finally got around to it. (Besides being quite interested in what other authors are doing with the newly-freed-by-e-publishing novella length these days.)
Three things I have realized I need to enjoy a story in any genre are an interesting and congenial narrative headspace (not the same thing as viewpoint, more the sense of what flavor of author's head I am entering); good interiority (which is in the character viewpoint -- do they have an interesting thought-stream?), and, please, please, at least some hint of humor on some level. Murderbot delivered all three, although the humor was a bit meta, Murderbot itself being a pretty deadpan first-person narrator.
Mode is action-adventure when a scientific planetary survey, for which Murderbot is the security, hm, person/cyborg/robot (deciding which category is a key part of the tale), goes mysteriously very wrong. An absence of stupid or vicious characters in the main cast doing stupid things to kick the plot along was very welcome. There are three more of these novellas, so far, which the somewhat open ending invites the reader to explore.
Ta, L.
September 8, 2021
I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Niki's Narrative Novella Review [Part 1/4]: All Systems Red seemed to have everything I’d been hounding for in a good sci-fi – an interesting character, a compelling mystery, exploration, and some cool technology shit. Five pages into this novella and I was able to check off all the things. Hell, one sentence into this book and I knew we were going to get along (Wells is so good at opening lines. I haven’t even read The Wizard Hunters yet, but for years now I’ve been using it as a positive example of how to hook a reader). Murderbot was just so goddamned funny that I constantly felt on the verge of uncontrollable giggles the entire time. It spoke to my very introverted self like we’d been besties for years (ironically), but also spurred a level of compassion from me I haven’t given to a book in a long while. I came away from this first novella feeling like I’d just read a gem.
...read the rest of narrative at www.NikiHawkes.com
I did a full review for this title before I decided to clump the series into a narrative review, that's what this next part is (you may have already seen it).
Murderbot might be my spirit animal.
I loved this novella. It had a fun plot and, more importantly, it had a killer main character (pun intended) who will speak to your inner introvert like no other. And it was funny. I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much at a SecUnit POV, but the situational humor and dialogue delighted me at every turn. Good humor will spark a higher rating in me every time, and it almost feels like a bonus that everything else was so good too. Overall, All Systems Red had all the components I look for in a sci-fi and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!
Series status: I plan to read all the things… in fact I may hound for ARCs and purchase hardcovers for my collection.
Recommendation: All Systems Red seems to me the epitome of the best the genre has to offer, so whether your looking to get into sci-fi or are an established reader seeking your next good read, All Systems Red earned its spot as a staple in my recommendation arsenal.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
Niki's Narrative Novella Review [Part 1/4]: All Systems Red seemed to have everything I’d been hounding for in a good sci-fi – an interesting character, a compelling mystery, exploration, and some cool technology shit. Five pages into this novella and I was able to check off all the things. Hell, one sentence into this book and I knew we were going to get along (Wells is so good at opening lines. I haven’t even read The Wizard Hunters yet, but for years now I’ve been using it as a positive example of how to hook a reader). Murderbot was just so goddamned funny that I constantly felt on the verge of uncontrollable giggles the entire time. It spoke to my very introverted self like we’d been besties for years (ironically), but also spurred a level of compassion from me I haven’t given to a book in a long while. I came away from this first novella feeling like I’d just read a gem.
...read the rest of narrative at www.NikiHawkes.com
I did a full review for this title before I decided to clump the series into a narrative review, that's what this next part is (you may have already seen it).
Murderbot might be my spirit animal.
I loved this novella. It had a fun plot and, more importantly, it had a killer main character (pun intended) who will speak to your inner introvert like no other. And it was funny. I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much at a SecUnit POV, but the situational humor and dialogue delighted me at every turn. Good humor will spark a higher rating in me every time, and it almost feels like a bonus that everything else was so good too. Overall, All Systems Red had all the components I look for in a sci-fi and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!
Series status: I plan to read all the things… in fact I may hound for ARCs and purchase hardcovers for my collection.
Recommendation: All Systems Red seems to me the epitome of the best the genre has to offer, so whether your looking to get into sci-fi or are an established reader seeking your next good read, All Systems Red earned its spot as a staple in my recommendation arsenal.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
February 13, 2019
All Systems Red is funny and sarcastic and it really will resonate with a lot of readers and introverts. This quote says it all for me, and it’s one of the best openers I’ve read in a long time.
"I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It was well over 35,000 hour or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure."
Murderbot doesn’t like people. He wants to be left alone so he can watch television all day. He doesn’t like reality; he wants to immerse himself in the make-believe. And that says a lot about his personality. He is an extremely capable individual, though he feels so different to people that he wants nothing to do with them. It’s not really surprising considering he is a synthetic being specialising in death with absolutely no social skills.
So as a character he made the book quite compelling. His interactions with the world are awkward and weirdly accurate for many teens and those with social disorders. Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt so far removed from everyone in it? Muderbot goes his own way; he doesn’t care what humans think about him or how isolated he is: he is simply happy to pursue his own passions. Fuck everyone else, that’s his attitude. And I loved it. Martha Wells really understood her audience when she wrote this like Neil Gaiman did when he wrote The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It’s a book that’s really meant for dreamers and readers, for those that would rather pursuit art and the make-believe than reality.
The plot revolves around other bots that have started killing the crews they have been assigned to protect. This goes against Murderbot’s sense of morality (yes he does have one, as strange as it is.) It becomes his mission to end the rogue robots whilst protecting his own crew from their deadly arsenals. He is even willing to end himself if his programming becomes hacked and he, too, becomes a threat to human life.
This is a good bit of fun, and it’s short too. I read it in less than two hours. It’s worth checking out!
FBR | Twitter | Facebook | Insta | Academia
"I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It was well over 35,000 hour or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure."
Murderbot doesn’t like people. He wants to be left alone so he can watch television all day. He doesn’t like reality; he wants to immerse himself in the make-believe. And that says a lot about his personality. He is an extremely capable individual, though he feels so different to people that he wants nothing to do with them. It’s not really surprising considering he is a synthetic being specialising in death with absolutely no social skills.
So as a character he made the book quite compelling. His interactions with the world are awkward and weirdly accurate for many teens and those with social disorders. Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt so far removed from everyone in it? Muderbot goes his own way; he doesn’t care what humans think about him or how isolated he is: he is simply happy to pursue his own passions. Fuck everyone else, that’s his attitude. And I loved it. Martha Wells really understood her audience when she wrote this like Neil Gaiman did when he wrote The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It’s a book that’s really meant for dreamers and readers, for those that would rather pursuit art and the make-believe than reality.
The plot revolves around other bots that have started killing the crews they have been assigned to protect. This goes against Murderbot’s sense of morality (yes he does have one, as strange as it is.) It becomes his mission to end the rogue robots whilst protecting his own crew from their deadly arsenals. He is even willing to end himself if his programming becomes hacked and he, too, becomes a threat to human life.
This is a good bit of fun, and it’s short too. I read it in less than two hours. It’s worth checking out!
FBR | Twitter | Facebook | Insta | Academia
November 17, 2023
All right, FINE, you're all correct, this is a great novella. Are you happy now???? 😂
I read this one with my lovely book club, and we all had good things to say about it.
It's amazing how much Martha Wells can get away with leaving out (description, scene setting, worldbuilding) and still have an awesome, entertaining sci-fi story that makes sense at only 150 pages.
I think part of this is just the beauty of genre writing. When you've got a genre like sci-fi, where the readers come in with certain assumptions and are used to the conventions of the genre, the author can take more shortcuts and leave more unsaid without confusing the readers. That's pretty cool.
What is there in terms of world-building is great, too. I love stories about space operas set in capitalist hellscapes (I'm writing one for NaNo right now, actually), especially ones that explore the ideas of personhood, humanity, and where life and technology can intersect and harmonize.
I'm hoping to get a deeper sense of the world and the characters in the next few novellas. These are easy to finish in a day, so hopefully I'll make quick work of the series.
I read this one with my lovely book club, and we all had good things to say about it.
It's amazing how much Martha Wells can get away with leaving out (description, scene setting, worldbuilding) and still have an awesome, entertaining sci-fi story that makes sense at only 150 pages.
I think part of this is just the beauty of genre writing. When you've got a genre like sci-fi, where the readers come in with certain assumptions and are used to the conventions of the genre, the author can take more shortcuts and leave more unsaid without confusing the readers. That's pretty cool.
What is there in terms of world-building is great, too. I love stories about space operas set in capitalist hellscapes (I'm writing one for NaNo right now, actually), especially ones that explore the ideas of personhood, humanity, and where life and technology can intersect and harmonize.
I'm hoping to get a deeper sense of the world and the characters in the next few novellas. These are easy to finish in a day, so hopefully I'll make quick work of the series.
January 7, 2024
I’d been hearing a great deal about Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries series, so when Tor offer the first four books for free on their website this week (current week only), I snatched them up. “All System’s Red” (the first novella), won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award, all for Best Novella. The ebook is about 144 pages. When the combine the short length, plenty of action and intrigue, with the fact that it’s an easy read, I tore through it in two days. It’s a complete story that has a proper ending but left me excited about the series.
There are a couple of things about this novella that makes it shine. The writing is clean, there is almost no exposition and most information about the characters, story, and worldbuilding are revealed seamlessly throughout the story. I didn’t notice any infodumps. It’s written first-person from the prospective of the Murderbot and I guess there are a few longer internal dialogs that explain things, but those never felt like info dumps to me.
If there are any negatives about this novella, it would probably focus around the characters. The Murderbot and two other humans are well sketched-out, but the rest of the characters are pretty shallow. In addition, the writing is never descriptive, relying on the character’s thoughts, dialog, and action to reveal the setting and surrounding world in a very basic manner. It’s not as if an Android is going to wax poetically about a planet’s flora and fauna.
The main character is some sort of android/cyborg that is this fantastic combination of a naïve, rebellious, extreme introvert, obsessive watcher of the future’s version of Netflix, and a badass, dangerous killer. When I read the blurb, I expected the Murderbot to be a baddie, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Feels a bit like Holden Caulfield, if he was a futuristic Cyborg murder machine. As I stated in the opening, Wells does a great job of dropping us in the middle of this Universe, and then continuously feeding us details throughout the story, without it ever feeling confusing or obtuse. The writing is straightforward, but the players, plot, and backdrop are so fun, it all really works wonderfully. You’ll want to know more from the first page to the last. Four and a half stars for this amazing launch of a creative and well-told tale in the first of an already well-respected sci-fi series.
There are a couple of things about this novella that makes it shine. The writing is clean, there is almost no exposition and most information about the characters, story, and worldbuilding are revealed seamlessly throughout the story. I didn’t notice any infodumps. It’s written first-person from the prospective of the Murderbot and I guess there are a few longer internal dialogs that explain things, but those never felt like info dumps to me.
If there are any negatives about this novella, it would probably focus around the characters. The Murderbot and two other humans are well sketched-out, but the rest of the characters are pretty shallow. In addition, the writing is never descriptive, relying on the character’s thoughts, dialog, and action to reveal the setting and surrounding world in a very basic manner. It’s not as if an Android is going to wax poetically about a planet’s flora and fauna.
The main character is some sort of android/cyborg that is this fantastic combination of a naïve, rebellious, extreme introvert, obsessive watcher of the future’s version of Netflix, and a badass, dangerous killer. When I read the blurb, I expected the Murderbot to be a baddie, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Feels a bit like Holden Caulfield, if he was a futuristic Cyborg murder machine. As I stated in the opening, Wells does a great job of dropping us in the middle of this Universe, and then continuously feeding us details throughout the story, without it ever feeling confusing or obtuse. The writing is straightforward, but the players, plot, and backdrop are so fun, it all really works wonderfully. You’ll want to know more from the first page to the last. Four and a half stars for this amazing launch of a creative and well-told tale in the first of an already well-respected sci-fi series.
March 5, 2018
I guess it’s popular because the story is kind of cute and feel-good? Not sure what else grabs readers here. It is hardly original or deep, and the mystery at its center is just average. It's Binti all over again.
October 10, 2020
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites...As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
This was a perfect and quick reread; once again, it was lots of fun and it primed me to read the rest of the series!
___
2018 review:
Charming, I think, is the right word to describe Martha Wells’ All Systems Red. It wasn’t what I’d expected. I had seen that it was the first installment in something called The Murderbot Diaries and that it focused on a self-aware AI. This AI is known as a Security Unit (Murderbot is the name it gives itself). However, even as it becomes more aware of who it is, it sees itself as something of a failure. Rather than following protocols, it prefers binge-watching a science fiction soap opera called Sanctuary Moon. This first in the series story focuses on Murderbot’s protection of a group of scientists…Lots of fun, but not all of it is of the mayhem and murder variety!
I will read more!
May 13, 2018
*Edited to add*
I met Martha Wells today!!
I'm on the left. Yes, my hair is lavender.
I am finally starting a blog. It is about time, yeah? Only a thousand reviews to add onto that site. www.jillyshmilly.blogspot.com
This book takes several pages to get acclimated, and also to get some understanding of our narrator. He (I'm using "he" although Murderbot doesn't have a gender) is part human/part robot and is really very much like April Ludgate on Parks and Rec, or maybe a honey badger, because Murderbot just don't give a shit.
Murderbot must also be American, and possibly a teenager because he also does the bare minimum possible when it comes to his job.
...all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day..
If by "entertainment feed", it means that it wants to hang out on the internet when it's not reading or binge-watching Netflix, I think they may have cloned me to make Murderbot. I sure as hell approve of his hobbies, and his name. He chose his own name. It's catchy, I like it.
Hehe! Oh, you!
Unfortunately for Murderbot, someone is trying to kill the humans that he's supposed to protect in between soap opera episodes. That sucks.
I've got four perfectly good humans here and I didn't want them to get killed...it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.
Priorities, you know. Permanent records are permanent.
So, Murderbot has to do some work, and he has to interact with humans - his two least favorite activities.
This story was short, but funny if you love depressed robots with low self-esteem.
I met Martha Wells today!!
I'm on the left. Yes, my hair is lavender.
I am finally starting a blog. It is about time, yeah? Only a thousand reviews to add onto that site. www.jillyshmilly.blogspot.com
This book takes several pages to get acclimated, and also to get some understanding of our narrator. He (I'm using "he" although Murderbot doesn't have a gender) is part human/part robot and is really very much like April Ludgate on Parks and Rec, or maybe a honey badger, because Murderbot just don't give a shit.
Murderbot must also be American, and possibly a teenager because he also does the bare minimum possible when it comes to his job.
...all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day..
If by "entertainment feed", it means that it wants to hang out on the internet when it's not reading or binge-watching Netflix, I think they may have cloned me to make Murderbot. I sure as hell approve of his hobbies, and his name. He chose his own name. It's catchy, I like it.
Hehe! Oh, you!
Unfortunately for Murderbot, someone is trying to kill the humans that he's supposed to protect in between soap opera episodes. That sucks.
I've got four perfectly good humans here and I didn't want them to get killed...it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.
Priorities, you know. Permanent records are permanent.
So, Murderbot has to do some work, and he has to interact with humans - his two least favorite activities.
This story was short, but funny if you love depressed robots with low self-esteem.
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