Sunday, July 25, 2021

All Systems Red: Martha Wells

This first novella in the Murderbot Diaries series is set in a far future where exploratory research groups venture out to distant planets. There is a company that oversees these expeditions and it requires that a security robot accompanies each team (at a price, of course).  


The main character, Murderbot, is partly robotic and partly human. To me it seems closest to an android, with a lot of human parts. Murderbot is the SecBot assigned to a research team headed by Dr. Mensah. As the story begins, it is monitoring the activities of small team sent to investigate a specific area when a very scary large "hostile" explodes out of the bottom of a crater and attacks one member of the team. Murderbot assesses the situation, deals with the hostile, and gets them back to safety, but the SecBot has also been damaged in the incident. It can repair itself during rest but this takes a while.

Along the way the crew and the SecBot discover that there is a third group on the planet, unbeknownst to them. They knew of the existence of a second group and they had been briefly in contact with that group, but the third group could be dangerous to them. When they cannot make contact with the other authorized group on the planet, they realize there may be a big problem.

What made this book such a good read is the narration by Murderbot. That character has an unusual and entertaining personality. It is painfully shy around people, and keeps its distance when possible. The job of a SecBot is not usually too demanding, and this one would rather be watching video that it has downloaded than interacting with people. It has made alterations to itself so that it cannot be remotely controlled by "the company" from afar, but this is a secret it has to conceal from the others. 

Since we only get the story from Murderbot's perspective and the story is novella length, we don't get a lot of character development of team members other than Dr. Mensah. The other team members have varying degrees of sympathy for and trust in the SecBot after the rescue, and they all have to get used to changing relationships.

All Systems Red has good pacing, a lot of action, and is entertaining throughout. It ends with a cliff hanger of a sort, but that was fine with me. Even before reading the book, I expected that I would want to continue the series. I am looking forward to learning more of Murderbot's story.



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Publisher:    Tor, 2019 (orig. pub. 2017)
Length:        149 pages
Format:        Hardcover
Series:         Murderbot Diaries, #1
Genre:         Science fiction thriller
Source:        Purchased in June 2020.


17 comments:

Cath said...

I really must look into these books! I've read The Cloud Roads by her and was impressed (again I must get back to that series) but the premise of this series has me very intrigued. She's such a good writer.

Currently reading the fourth Aubrey/Maturin story, The Mauritius Command, and struggling a little. It's very 'battlish' (not a word I know) and battles are not my favourite part of this series. I think inevitably with any series you get instalments you love and one or two that drag a bit.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Although this is not my kind of book, a good writer can make the medicine go down. Good for you for being an adventurous reader.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

My son very much enjoyed it.

https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2021/02/scotts-take-all-systems-red-murderbot.html

Margot Kinberg said...

What an interesting perspective for a story, Tracy! I can see how that alone kept your interest. I'll have to tell my husband about this one; he's a bigger fan of sci fi than I am, and I'm pretty sure he'd enjoy it.

TracyK said...

Cath, I hope you do try this All Systems Red. I want to try something else by Wells, but I will read more of this series first.

That is interesting about The Mauritius Command. I agree that the battles are not my favorite part of the Aubrey / Maturin series either. I finished the third book, H.M.S. Surprise, recently and enjoyed it a lot. Now I have to find a copy of The Mauritius Command.

Rick Robinson said...

I got this in ebook, but have yet to get to it. So many books...

TracyK said...

Patti, that is true that a good author can make any genre or type of writing easy (easier?) to read. In this case, it is science fiction and there is space travel, etc. but it reads like a the humorous (mostly) experiences of a cynical introverted personality.

TracyK said...

Margot, It is an interesting perspective and I think your husband would like it. There are three more novellas (I think) followed by a full-length novel.

TracyK said...

Kevin, thank for supplying the link to Scott's review, which is a good one. I had a hard time writing my review.

TracyK said...

Rick, I have an ebook copy of the second novella. I am glad I have it but I really don't like reading ebooks. And I cannot read them at night, my favorite time for reading.

col2910 said...

Probably one I can avoid quite easily.

Rick Robinson said...

Not sure why ebook reading at night is any different than by day, with the screen self-lit. I read ebooks on my iPad, couldn't do it on a phone or Kindle. I use Kindle for Mac app.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Glad you did not mind, TracyK. Thought about whether or not to do so.

Scott said it was a bit difficult to review. His review went through several drafts here at Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library.

TracyK said...

Col, if you don't like science fiction, this would not be for you.

TracyK said...

Rick, there are studies that show that any use of electronics before bed can affect sleep, including computers. There are specific lighting options on some tablets and e-readers that may help, but I have problems with sleep in general so I don't take a chance. It differs from person to person; my husband can go to sleep immediately after using a tablet or drinking caffeine at bedtime.

TracyK said...

Kevin, you and Scott both write great reviews. I enjoy reading them.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

On behalf of mini me and I, thank you.