All Systems Red

, #1

eBook, 156 pages

English language

Published May 2, 2017 by Tordotcom.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-9752-2
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ASIN:
B01MYZ8X5C
ISFDB ID:
2161845
Goodreads:
32758901

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"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.

3 editions

reviewed All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)

A Light and Quick Read

This introduction to Murderbot is swift, concise, and light. While I read it in a single two-and-a-half-hour sitting, I wouldn't say it hooked me. Rather, it provided the same level of entertainment as a run-of-the-mill genre film. Martha Wells delivers on her authorial promise but doesn't offer compelling prose, deep character work, or much in the way of worldbuilding. I found myself underwhelmed, especially after the endless hype I've heard over the past few years. This is another classic case of "I'm not the target audience".