All Systems Red
- Martha Wells
- Albany, WA
- April 2, 2023
GOODREADS BOOK BLURB:
“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”
In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. 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 is 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, Murderbot 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 Murderbot to get to the truth.
In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. 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 is 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, Murderbot 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 Murderbot to get to the truth.
SERIES / GENRES:
FIRST WORDS:
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.
MY REVIEW:
solid, good read:
☆☆☆☆☆ 4/5
An exciting start to a series of primarily novellas, I’m intrigued to see where it’s headed next.
Wells sets the scene and explains not only the world but our protagonist very quickly. There’s action, violence, and danger from the beginning, and we’re left to piece everything together on the fly. This is done so well that I was fully on board much sooner than usual for a sci-fi novel. There are no hurdles or barriers to entry here; Murderbot is upfront about everything you could want and many things you don’t.
Murderbot perfectly embodies every anxious, cynical, socially awkward person. I love so much about Murderbot, and it was easy to relate to this genderless, self-aware, security android. The melodramatic, cynical, sarcastic inner monologue. The social anxiety and lack of social awareness. The voracious appetite for media. The conflicting desire and fear of being treated as more than a SecUnit. The contempt for human stupidity. It’s all gold. And while it’s a bit much in this first book, I have high hopes it’s leading somewhere interesting.
Wells plants a lot of seeds here. It’s hard to see in what direction the series will lead, which is awfully refreshing, and I may be new to her writing, but I have a lot of faith in her ability to nurture these seeds into something extraordinary in future instalments.
Wells sets the scene and explains not only the world but our protagonist very quickly. There’s action, violence, and danger from the beginning, and we’re left to piece everything together on the fly. This is done so well that I was fully on board much sooner than usual for a sci-fi novel. There are no hurdles or barriers to entry here; Murderbot is upfront about everything you could want and many things you don’t.
Murderbot perfectly embodies every anxious, cynical, socially awkward person. I love so much about Murderbot, and it was easy to relate to this genderless, self-aware, security android. The melodramatic, cynical, sarcastic inner monologue. The social anxiety and lack of social awareness. The voracious appetite for media. The conflicting desire and fear of being treated as more than a SecUnit. The contempt for human stupidity. It’s all gold. And while it’s a bit much in this first book, I have high hopes it’s leading somewhere interesting.
Wells plants a lot of seeds here. It’s hard to see in what direction the series will lead, which is awfully refreshing, and I may be new to her writing, but I have a lot of faith in her ability to nurture these seeds into something extraordinary in future instalments.
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