eBook, 156 pages
English language
Published Dec. 13, 2017 by Tor.com.
"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.
"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.
4.5/5
Who doesn’t love a sarcastic and slightly shy murderbot? The story grips you from the start and the main character, a bot with human flesh incorporated into it is the perfect amount of robot who would rather watch TV and human who cares for saving those around it. Loved it! My only complaint was that I wanted more as it was a rather short book.
Very cute and awww and generally great. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Violence: Yes Sexual scenes: No
Very cute and awww and generally great. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Violence: Yes Sexual scenes: No
I read, what, all six Murderbot novels in as many days. Because of that hilarious photo on Martha Wells' website of her reading a Murderbot novel aloud to… search and rescue robots at Texas A&M University. Because I have friends who are just like Murderbot and ART in terms of sarcasm and assholery (respectively). But mainly because Martha Wells is a pen-wielding goddess, whom I humbly beg for more.
I read, what, all six Murderbot novels in as many days. Because of that hilarious photo on Martha Wells' website of her reading a Murderbot novel aloud to… search and rescue robots at Texas A&M University. Because I have friends who are just like Murderbot and ART in terms of sarcasm and assholery (respectively). But mainly because Martha Wells is a pen-wielding goddess, whom I humbly beg for more.
I’m not quite sure why this is loved so much… this was very much in “fine” territory for me.
I liked the very last pages the most. I thought that was an excellent way to end the story and showed something a little more nuanced. I honestly have my rating at 3 stars mainly for that! And for the fact that I think this is decent for what it is trying to be. I also did enjoy the middle suspense of the story when Murderbot is exploring the other habitat. I was sucked in for that part.
Otherwise… I was kind of bored. There are a lot of characters and names thrown at me at the start, and I never felt like I had them all straight. I think you could maybe argue that that’s how Murderbot sees them, but I don’t think so. She knows specific details about them …
I’m not quite sure why this is loved so much… this was very much in “fine” territory for me.
I liked the very last pages the most. I thought that was an excellent way to end the story and showed something a little more nuanced. I honestly have my rating at 3 stars mainly for that! And for the fact that I think this is decent for what it is trying to be. I also did enjoy the middle suspense of the story when Murderbot is exploring the other habitat. I was sucked in for that part.
Otherwise… I was kind of bored. There are a lot of characters and names thrown at me at the start, and I never felt like I had them all straight. I think you could maybe argue that that’s how Murderbot sees them, but I don’t think so. She knows specific details about them and doesn’t mix them up. Whereas I could not see any of them as individuals except for Mensah and Gurathin because they played some specific roles as the story progressed. I think that contributed to me just not caring about the story or their danger which maybe doesn’t speak well of me.
An engagingly-written novella with a comic book sensibility. Fun: I would have absolutely devoured this when I was younger.
The ratings had my expectations too high I guess, I liked it enough but it was nothing extraordinary
A first space opera novella in a series about a security android. Good story, interesting protagonist.
Fast fun and immersive. Feels like you're inside the head of a video game character, in a universe that feels advanced but very natural even without large amounts of world building
Fast fun and immersive. Feels like you're inside the head of a video game character, in a universe that feels advanced but very natural even without large amounts of world building
This was fun! I see why this series is so beloved.
This was surprisingly short and awesome! The main character thinks of themselves as an violent, unfriendly, selfish outsider, but they are actually the opposite. They love everyone around them and will sacrifice themselves any chance they get. That was a surprise.
So contrary to what I expected this is a really happy, hopeful book. It's also very exciting with continuous action. The main character's personality is the primary focus of the series and I think it's well done. I don't think you should look at it as an exploration of AI but rather as an exploration of real human neurodivergent experiences. And only good things happen to them. (Okay they get bitten, shot, and crashed, but that's not something they really mind.)
The book is rather light sci-fi. The AI aspect is not serious. The space aspect is not serious. Planetary exploration is not serious. But it's still fun and …
This was surprisingly short and awesome! The main character thinks of themselves as an violent, unfriendly, selfish outsider, but they are actually the opposite. They love everyone around them and will sacrifice themselves any chance they get. That was a surprise.
So contrary to what I expected this is a really happy, hopeful book. It's also very exciting with continuous action. The main character's personality is the primary focus of the series and I think it's well done. I don't think you should look at it as an exploration of AI but rather as an exploration of real human neurodivergent experiences. And only good things happen to them. (Okay they get bitten, shot, and crashed, but that's not something they really mind.)
The book is rather light sci-fi. The AI aspect is not serious. The space aspect is not serious. Planetary exploration is not serious. But it's still fun and it makes good use of being set in the future. There are lots of digital systems (drones, cameras, updates) and a lot of "hacking". People can basically hack anything as the plot requires. I don't actually find this entirely unrealistic. Are computer systems today more secure than 20 years ago? I don't think so. It's not a stretch to expect they will be even less secure into the far future.
Another source of plot elements, fun, and commentary on the real world is the social structure of this future. Companies that try to cut costs anywhere they can. When you're exploring an alien planet. With the robots you were contractually obliged to rent.
Honestly, what can I say that everyone else hasn't already said? Go read this. Then do what I did - because I am late to the party - and get the rest of the series.
There's a reason that everyone says "I love Murderbot!"
Honestly, what can I say that everyone else hasn't already said? Go read this. Then do what I did - because I am late to the party - and get the rest of the series.
There's a reason that everyone says "I love Murderbot!"
that bot didn't actually murder very much at all
that bot didn't actually murder very much at all
A good Sci-Fi short story, and sets up an interesting character for future stories.
Captivating sci-fi that explores AI consciousness in a meaningful way. I don’t really like the “novella” business model here. It seems like these short volumes could have been combined into one larger book. Anyhow, it’s better then trying to digest these 1,200 page tomes produced but other authors,
Awkward and indifferent robot that just wants to watch the entertainment feed, especially its favorite show Sanctuary Moon was exactly what I wanted to read. Fun and pretty hilarious. I definitely laughed aloud.
Purchasable
https://www.ebook.de/de/product/28297712/martha_wells_all_systems_red.html.