"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
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 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.
is it weird that I can feel myself heavily identifying with the murderbot? it feels like it should be weird.
it's hard to pull off a sardonic robot protagonist, and I think this did it
"All Systems Red" by Martha Wells is the captivating first installment in The Murderbot Diaries series. At 156 pages, this novella packs a punch, immersing readers in a corporate-dominated, spacefaring future where planetary missions are overseen by the Company, which supplies security androids to ensure the safety of exploratory teams. However, in a society where cost-cutting trumps all, true safety often takes a back seat.
Enter Murderbot, the misanthropic security android assigned to protect a small expedition on a distant planet. With a penchant for binge-watching entertainment videos and a tendency to do only the bare minimum required, Murderbot is unlike any protagonist you've encountered. Despite its reluctance to engage with humans, Murderbot's journey is both humorous and profoundly touching.
I experienced "All Systems Red" through both the audiobook and the ebook, which made the story even more immersive. This dual approach enhanced my connection to the narrative and the …
"All Systems Red" by Martha Wells is the captivating first installment in The Murderbot Diaries series. At 156 pages, this novella packs a punch, immersing readers in a corporate-dominated, spacefaring future where planetary missions are overseen by the Company, which supplies security androids to ensure the safety of exploratory teams. However, in a society where cost-cutting trumps all, true safety often takes a back seat.
Enter Murderbot, the misanthropic security android assigned to protect a small expedition on a distant planet. With a penchant for binge-watching entertainment videos and a tendency to do only the bare minimum required, Murderbot is unlike any protagonist you've encountered. Despite its reluctance to engage with humans, Murderbot's journey is both humorous and profoundly touching.
I experienced "All Systems Red" through both the audiobook and the ebook, which made the story even more immersive. This dual approach enhanced my connection to the narrative and the characters, particularly Murderbot, with whom I formed an unprecedented emotional and empathetic bond. Wells masterfully weaves deeper themes into the story, exploring societal issues without being heavy-handed or preachy. These subtle layers invite readers to reflect on broader implications while enjoying the adventure.
This novella is a masterclass in blending humor, heart, and intelligence. It made me laugh out loud, tugged at my heartstrings, and kept me thoroughly engaged from start to finish. "All Systems Red" is not just smart and well-written; it’s also highly addictive, offering a unique and exhilarating adventure. I can't wait to dive into the next book in the series and continue this remarkable journey.
In summary, "All Systems Red" is an exceptional start to The Murderbot Diaries, delivering a story that is fun, funny, and deeply moving. It’s a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh and engaging sci-fi adventure.
It's a short novel so I can't expect much in character development outside of the main one, but that is my one critique: I'd like to know more about the other members of the crew and their situations.
But overall it was a fun listen; engaging, interesting, suspenseful.
Nothing too fancy here but an entertaining and fast paced character focused adventure story. Looking forward to picking up the next installment.
Not bad, slightly entertaining, fun premise. But not very good either. Maybe it was the narration: it felt... off. I had to fiddle with the speed-settings during most of the book (1.15x speed). I think better narration could have made it a more immersive read. But maybe the mechanical voice was intentional, it is about a bot :-)
Still, I liked it enough as a short palate-cleanser that I jumped into the sequel.
... But is forced to prove for and earn for it's own existence, despite it's anthropophobia.
I think the author dedicated the murderbot's whole personality to autism, or at least autistic traits in generall, and then gleefully showed it into a hostile adventure. This results in an awkward, yet oddly funny story about someone who just wants to earn their upkeep and then go do their own thing in their free time, being highly relatable to any other human worker.
A fun, quick sci-fi read.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The idea is simple enough. "Murderbots" are engineered constructs comprised of biological and mechanical components. They're created to kill things and follow orders but are capable of more under certain circumstances, such as those created via a hacked or malfunctioning "governing module." This is the story of one such entity, caught up in an unusual scenario when a "simple planetary survey mission" goes sideways. It's a solid read and works, both as a standalone and as the setup for the "Murderbot Diaries" series it kicks off. Highly recommended for those seeking a fast-paced, charming, and generally-lighthearted (despite a few somewhat-grim moments) introduction to modern science fiction but veterans of the genre will likely find a lot to enjoy as well.
I really enjoyed this book. I like the idea that the Android is just lazy, because what do you want when you are a free agent? No one knows, so murderbot can choose to do good or bad
short and great
I could’ve read this in 1 sitting if I had the time. No unnecessary filler to get through. Not too much focus on combat. A great read!
Excellent book. I'll be checking out more Murderbot diaries. Interesting tale of a construct designed for security duty that just wants the humans to leave it alone so it can watch its favorite soaps. Hilarious.
The saddest part was losing my ereader with about 8 minutes left to go. Lesson of the day–don't try to read to the last minute on a bus ride you're not familiar with!
What a ride! A short trip into the mind of a Murderbot, uh, sorry, a Security Unit, who narrates this adventure in a unique way. A fun and exciting trip, murder and intrigue, a sinister "Corporation", budding relationships (not necessarily the romantic kind) between the characters, and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments -- and all of this in an audiobook of just 3.5 hours! Recommended to everyone who likes SciFi, robots, robots discovering their personalities and/or humanity, and slightly (?) cynical (?) narrators.
Not recommended to people who are looking for in-depth discussions of mysterious, or super-sophisticated plotlines. This is a short novella with a straightforward plot.
I'm looking forward to discovering how this character will develop, and what other adventures Murderbot will encounter in the subsequent books
Kevin R. Free does a great job as a narrator, with the right balance between acting and natural-sounding speech.
I do think …
What a ride! A short trip into the mind of a Murderbot, uh, sorry, a Security Unit, who narrates this adventure in a unique way. A fun and exciting trip, murder and intrigue, a sinister "Corporation", budding relationships (not necessarily the romantic kind) between the characters, and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments -- and all of this in an audiobook of just 3.5 hours! Recommended to everyone who likes SciFi, robots, robots discovering their personalities and/or humanity, and slightly (?) cynical (?) narrators.
Not recommended to people who are looking for in-depth discussions of mysterious, or super-sophisticated plotlines. This is a short novella with a straightforward plot.
I'm looking forward to discovering how this character will develop, and what other adventures Murderbot will encounter in the subsequent books
Kevin R. Free does a great job as a narrator, with the right balance between acting and natural-sounding speech.
I do think it's a missed opportunity not to use a more androgynous voice though - the protagonist is decidedly non-binary, and the narrator's deep, "masculine"-sounding voice took this element of the story away for me.
If you are looking for a somewhat more serious execution of this trope, have a look at [b:Klara and the Sun|54120408|Klara and the Sun|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603206535l/54120408.SY75.jpg|84460796] (see my review) - less murderous extraplanetary adventuring, more domestic interactions between "robots" and humans.
A fun book. The sarcastic remarks of the main character/artificial construct was the best part. I couldn’t imagine the side characters very well, and most of the book was a repetitive talk of “scanner this, scanners that.” It has some fun action here and there and has peaked my interest to maybe read the sequels someday soon.
This short story is a fine prologue. The world-building was excellent and I enjoyed the cynical, realistic look at how corporations would behave in space. Cost cutting, reuse of old parts, general laziness... it's a very realistic view at the output of humans no matter what century it is. Unfortunately, the story is not particularly engaging.
For one thing, it'll take a while for the book to pick up pace and actually find the plot. And on the other... well, at its heart, it's the internal narration of Murderbot, a robot that is either sentient or on the verge of being sentient. We get small glimpses of how society treats these constructs as well as the varying different factions that make up humanity. But these are all far and few between, as the story focuses on a very, by-the-book mystery/thriller. You don't get emotionally invested, nor will you be surprised …
This short story is a fine prologue. The world-building was excellent and I enjoyed the cynical, realistic look at how corporations would behave in space. Cost cutting, reuse of old parts, general laziness... it's a very realistic view at the output of humans no matter what century it is. Unfortunately, the story is not particularly engaging.
For one thing, it'll take a while for the book to pick up pace and actually find the plot. And on the other... well, at its heart, it's the internal narration of Murderbot, a robot that is either sentient or on the verge of being sentient. We get small glimpses of how society treats these constructs as well as the varying different factions that make up humanity. But these are all far and few between, as the story focuses on a very, by-the-book mystery/thriller. You don't get emotionally invested, nor will you be surprised at any of the plot twists. You may chuckle here or there at Murderbot's highly practical view of life, but that's about it.
That said, I'm happy enough to read book 2 and think of this more like the first act of a larger novel. But since this is a standalone novella, I'm forced to rate it on its own merits, and it's... fine.
This had been highly recommended to me by so many people. Like others, it took me a minute to really get into it. But once I was into it, I was involved. I laughed out loud at several parts.
Purchasable
https://www.ebook.de/de/product/28297712/martha_wells_all_systems_red.html.