A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.But in a … their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
more
This might be one of my favorite portrayals of a robot ever. This novella kicks off a series that’s currently at five books, and if you’re a fan of witty, comedic Sci-Fi you owe it to yourself to check it out.
One of my absolute favorite reads of last year, the Murderbot Diaries are incredibly funny and deeply thoughtful stories about what it means to be a person, from the POV of a mildly depressed, always anxious Security Unit (human/robot construct under external control, theoretically, if it hasn’t hacked its governance module, which would be illegal so it definitely hasn’t done that) who absolutely Does Not Care about the ridiculous research scientists its supposed to be protecting. At all. Nope. Except they keep *talking to it like a person* which is very uncomfortable and then stumbling into danger and interrupting SecUnit’s time for watching entertainment shows. Highly recommended series.
I really like her character Murder bot. Well written and interesting
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) was a fun book to read. Martha Wells does a wonderful job creating a future universe with many new worlds to visit, enjoyable human characters (some enhanced), and a Security Unit robot that has both organic and inorganic parts and a need to watch the equivalent of futuristic soap operas and TV shows.
I give nothing away by saying that the robot gained a measure of consciousness, hacked its own systems and, while occasionally depressed, decides to take a measure of action that makes it quite memorable even as it ruminates over its own version of existential angst.
I look forward to reading more of the Murderbot Diaries. Add it to your list!
Every writer wishes they had created Murderbot. A Security Unit that has hacked his governor module, freeing himself from the cruel control of The Company, Murderbot has very insightful comments on humans. Despite his/her (you pick–Ms Wells never says) desire to be left alone to watch soap operas, Murderbot is constantly sucked in to new situations to defend humans.
Fun, fast scifi romp told in first person by a self-described “heartless killing machine” who happens to also be shy, socially inept — and snarky. All of the Murderbot Diaries — five now, number six coming in April 2021 — are fun and well worth your time.
So good! A fun read with the type of Martha Wells characters I love to love (ie, not well adjusted to society, in this case because it’s a robot that has attained self awareness but not a lot of social skills, unsurprisingly). The reason Wells is one of my favorite authors is that she creates non-sexist worlds. That seems like a little thing, but it’s actually huge. And she writes fun, engaging stories that are deeper than you think at first glance.
ALL SYSTEMS RED is a story about editing… Really. I originally tried to read this book when it first came out, but I set it down after two chapters because I had a hard time with the editing. There were commas everywhere and other problems, too. If it was a good book, I wouldn’t have known because I couldn’t get past the editing, and that’s a lesson for publishers right there. Hire competent editors! Then it got nominated for and won a Hugo award, so I decided to buy it in audio instead. At least with audio, I can’t see the editing. And, finally, it was enjoyable! There were a few confusing aspects to the story about who everyone was and why they were on the planet, but overall, I liked Murderbot a lot. I will being picking up more of his continuing adventures in audio. (Purchased via Chirp)
Great space opera by a great writer. Read them all, read them now!
First of four closely connected novellas. The main character is a security cyborg capable of deadly defense, but it would much rather be left alone to watch soap operas. Its grudging fondness for the people it defends is hilarious and sweet. One of the best sci fi series I’ve ever read.
I devoured All Systems Red in one sitting. Another fab sci-fi. Short (which I kinda liked, ‘cause my attention span is pretty blah right now), action-packed and with an anti-social hero who I totally identify with.
Looking forward to reading book 2!
I love Murderbot!
I kept hearing about this amazing series of books and finally broke down and read All Systems Red, the first in the series. Absolutely delightful.
For a robotic killing machine built for destruction, Murderbot displays some very endearing human qualities that make him incredibly personable and easy to relate to. The story was fast-paced and action-packed with some nice twists and turns along the way. The opening scene grabs you by the throat and the story moves along at a brisk pace, pausing just long enough to give you time to learn about the characters and the futuristic world in which they reside.
To date there are four novellas and one full-length novel, with another novel on the way. If you like cerebral science fiction with a sense of humor, these books are definitely worth checking out.
A little pricey for a novella.
I LOVE Murderbot! What a great debut of a great character. Filled with sardonic wit, intrigue, and more than one character with secrets to hide. “All Systems Red” is the gateway to a wild new series; buy your ticket and go for a ride.
Great opener for the series, now I want to know more!
This is not my usual fare, a straight sci-fi novella, but when one of my favorite authors and writing teachers, Jennifer Crusie, kept blogging about re-reading it and using it as an example of good writing, I decided to pick it up. Am I glad I did. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a story about a misanthropic security robot’s diary, but it wasn’t this snarky, thrilling and fully human story.
Murderbot, as it calls itself for reasons explained in the story, is a part organic and part mechanical AI ‘construct.’ As such, it’s a vehicle for a fully pertinent study in identity and the finding thereof. Cognizant of the power of names, it has named itself and kept the name secret, hoping to hide in plain sight. Having given itself free will, it has broken the Company’s rules, but only for the purpose of secretly vegging out on thousands of hours of entertainment, mostly space operas. (It’s the bot in your mother’s basement, so to speak.)
When all hell breaks loose, Murderbot has to pull itself together and figure out how to work with and possibly save the annoying, touchy-feely humans it’s contracted to protect. While this is told through Murderbot’s point of view, and it doesn’t really want to connect with the humans any more than necessary, I did have a bit of trouble in the beginning with keeping the somewhat large cast straight. That quibble aside, I’m now queued up at the library for book 2.
Murderbot is a cyborg and its job is to protect scientists while they explore unchartered lands. Contrary to other Murderbots, it destroyed the module that forces it to obey human orders. And what it likes best is watching media and series all the time, while doing an excellent job at multitasking. There’s adventure, and lots of action, and interesting meditations on what it means to be a person, a human being. Only one thing terrifies the non-human Murderbot: emotions.
This is such a wholesome read! I love the character so much. I think it reacts very realistically when thinking of the situation it’s in and I love it for that.
This is a short, quick, and thoroughly fun read, although it was a bit odd for the first quarter or third of the book when the protagonist was continually referring to itself as murderbot and yet knowing that it was actually “the good guy”, As a computer system administrator where you are basically invisible to everyone when things are working and the center of all attention when, and scapegoat for, anything that is failing, I could totally see the character trying to do a reasonable job just so people would go away once in a while.