Review – All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries, Book 1) by Martha Wells (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 176 pages
Publisher: Tor.com
Release Date: January 22, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1250214713
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Murderbot Diaries
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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.”

This is the first novella in the Murderbot Diaries. Right now there are four novellas in this series with a fifth full length book planned to publish in 2020. This was a great read, I really enjoyed it!

The SecUnit (self-named Murderbot) is accompanying a group of scientists on an expedition to study a new planet. The scientists don’t know that Murderbot has hacked its own governor module and now thinks independently of its owner, The Company. When things start to go very wrong planet-side, Murderbot ends up saving one of the scientist’s lifes. As Murderbot and the crew get drawn deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the planet, it becomes clear to the scientists that Murderbot isn’t like other SecUnits.

I really enjoyed this science fiction read. It’s main theme is around artificial intelligence and androids learning to think and act on their own. There is also a lot of mystery, adventure, and exploration in this book. This short novella packs a big story for its length. My only complaint would be I didn’t really engage with the characters all that well.

Overall I enjoyed this and plan on reading the next book in the series. The premise is very fun and the world we visited was intriguing. I am curious to see what Murderbot does in the next book as well. I would recommend to those who enjoy science fiction reads that focus on artificial intelligence and independence for man-made androids.