"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.
Got through it quickly, not sure it got through to me
3 stars
Didn't realize how short these books were; I breezed through this in an evening. I'm not sure I'm hooked on the series, the worldbuilding felt perfunctory and I couldn't tell if I was intended to empathize with Murderbot, or the humans it was associated with. It does seem perfect for a serialized TV show though; maybe this is the ideal format for the series.
now I want to see The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon
5 stars
This was a fun read, breezed through it in a couple of days. I haven't seen the tv show yet, but it sparked my interest, and generally I've found it better to read the novel before watching the show (that's been my experience with Pachinko and Silo). Also a general rule, there should be more stories centered on robots/androids/cyborgs, especially ones who feel like I do at parties and corporate meetings (maybe if I call myself "murderbot" they'll let me skip the daily scrum). I'm going to get the next book ASAP.
Un constructo, una tripulación y lo que hace el aburrimiento
4 stars
Después de tres años lo he releído (a causa de que la serie de Apple TV+ basada en la novela va a salir en breves) y lo he entendido mucho mejor y me ha gustado muchísimo más. ¿Será cosa de que mi nivel de inglés ha subido o de que he entendido mejor de qué iba la vaina? Ni idea, pero el resultado es que esta novelita corta, entretenida y con une protagoniste más que especial se hace un huequecito.
Como siempre, la culpa de todo es del capitalismo. Incluso el del futuro.
All Systems Red is a wonderfully funny story, but also a deceptively heavy one.
It's true that the protagonist of this book (a socially awkward security android who calls themself "Murderbot") is introduced as this loveably quirky individual who is perpetually wishing everyone would just leave them alone so they can watch TV. However the humor of this setup is only half of what truly makes this story great. Murderbot is an amusing and innocent first-person narrator, but they're also a character who is gradually indicated by Wells to be struggling with some degree of PTSD as a result of an experience whose nature is left deliberately unclear.
The skill which Wells showcases here isn't just her innocent sense of comedy, but in her ability to take what is really a very heavy subject (how people respond to traumatic memories), and use humor to approach these themes with a respect …
All Systems Red is a wonderfully funny story, but also a deceptively heavy one.
It's true that the protagonist of this book (a socially awkward security android who calls themself "Murderbot") is introduced as this loveably quirky individual who is perpetually wishing everyone would just leave them alone so they can watch TV. However the humor of this setup is only half of what truly makes this story great. Murderbot is an amusing and innocent first-person narrator, but they're also a character who is gradually indicated by Wells to be struggling with some degree of PTSD as a result of an experience whose nature is left deliberately unclear.
The skill which Wells showcases here isn't just her innocent sense of comedy, but in her ability to take what is really a very heavy subject (how people respond to traumatic memories), and use humor to approach these themes with a respect and honesty that very few authors manage.
All Systems Red is a "cozy sci-fi" story about an android who claims to want only to spend all day watching futuristic soap operas, but who nevertheless ends up having to save the lives of a bunch of human scientists who have gotten stranded on an alien planet. It's also a story about why people avoid dealing with traumatic memories, and the many issues that arise for them as a result.
The reason this story works is because these two facts are not mutually exclusive. This book is funny, and it's also about trauma.
There's a longer review which I wrote on my blog that I'll link to below. Just be aware that I go into plot spoilers.
A re-read so I can catch up with the series. The story, writing, and world building are all still enjoyable, and Murderbot remains adorably, yet suspiciously, relatable.
i haven't read this in 4 or 5 years, and i forgot how much fun this book is. the semi-bittersweet ending is moderated by the fact that i know there's like 7 more volumes, and i am sorely tempted to speed through them ahead of book club schedule. (^_^)
Could have used more of the bleak backstory hinted at throughout as a setup to contrast how sweet the rest of the story is. Definitely missing something to be a really great story, and I find it a bit puzzling that it's so influential, that I hear other books occassionally described as "Murderbot Diaries but XYZ". I enjoyed it, though. Something to be said for my queer life and relating to the feelings of a construct that needs to act just right for those considered more human, or be parted out. A bit Empty Spaces, perhaps? I think I'll read the next one.
Murderbot is a really compelling character. The story was a little thin, but it served mostly to introduce the character.
Murderbot's clearly depressed and has social anxiety, but deals with it the best they can. I loved the ending, but wonder if we'll see the Preservation crew again.
Freedom is a pure idea. It arises spontaneously, without instruction.
One of the things I like about recent sf is that it doesn’t feel the need to adhere to the old tropes. The protagonist’s secret comes out, and unlike in old sf where there would have been hand-wringing and ostracism, the allies accept the new information, accept the protagonist, and the story moves on. Old sf would definitely have killed off one of the protagonist’s group for shock value, but that isn’t a given nowadays. Old sf likes to explore the axis of the powerful against the underdog, but now the force driving the story is bureaucracy, opportunism, and selfishness. I like this first Murderbot story because it (the story, but also Murderbot) is relatable.
