Reviews with content warning for Death - All Systems Red

Very fun, has a very strong character voice and a fun premise, though the pacing and plotting fall a little flat. I was reading it digitally and was a little caught off guard that it was a novella, and it felt like the book was caught off guard too since it does end rather abruptly. It's not a work of high art but does have a very fun character exploration that's worth diving into.

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lavenderdolmeh's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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dexkit10's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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onceuponanothernovel's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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rlgreen91's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This was a delightfully run read! I had heard good things about this series from friends and it sounded like it was right up my alley, but it's always nice when something meets and even surpasses your expectations.

One thing I really enjoyed seeing was this sort of hidden discussion emerging on what it means to be a person versus what it means to be human. In real life, they are one and the same - to be human is to be a person is to be human. While I do think the reality of an augmented human, much less a SecUnit-type bot, is pretty far off, these are considerations that we'll need to consider in those hypothetical futures - what does it mean to have autonomy, free will, and privacy when you have a range of persons, only some of which are human. I'm sure as we go along and Murderbot continues to live we'll touch on these questions and more.

A fun, engaging quick read. Looking forward to continuing the series, likely kicking off the New Year with the sequel. 4 stars.

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