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aelsaj711's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
4.25
Murderbot is a delightful character to explore, as well as the rest of the cast of characters. Sci-fi has always been a been intimidating to me as a genre, and while I was a bit slow to get into the book, by the end I couldn't put it down! I think this book definitely fits into the "cozy sci-fi" genre of books, while still being quite gripping. This book packs a lot of story in so few pages, which I think is a testament to the author's skill. Can't wait to proceed to the next book in the series!
kavreb's review against another edition
5.0
An interesting premise with a unique voice, a half-organic machine made for defensive killing who has hacked himself and would rather watch TV all day, but the annoying clients stumble into a spooky mystery so it has to deal with it, despite its occasionally crippling social anxiety.
The way the bot’s point of view is expressed gives one the feeling like you're looking at the world from a completely different brain, the sense of practicality and a degree of emotionality mingling in an interesting compote, and I've found lately that I really like stories that give me that.
Now add to it a mystery that begins with such delicious uncertainty and spookiness and a level of tangible threat that I was hooked instantly. It didn't exactly detract that I also enjoy the setting on a personal level, an isolated space station threatened by something unknown. The story here also doesn't go too big, knowing just how far to reach, and no more, so that it would work. No saving planets and civilisations here, and it works wonderfully.
The main problem I had was that there were too many characters with too few individually identifying factors that you were expected to keep track of too fast. I could only manage one really, Mensa, the group’s leader, and all the others became an amalgamation of “the others”. By the end I could describe a few more characters, but I'd be damned if I could name any more.
But it doesn't matter - All Systems Red is a delicious bite-sized action-survival story with a fascinating character whose idiosyncrasy adds a comic layer to it without ever undermining the threat they're facing. There are cool ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere, like the mentality within how the bots fight, and I liked how the author offered just enough world-building to make its central narrative exciting and the ending open enough to want to start with the next story. Though to be honest, the Murderbot itself was reason enough already.
The way the bot’s point of view is expressed gives one the feeling like you're looking at the world from a completely different brain, the sense of practicality and a degree of emotionality mingling in an interesting compote, and I've found lately that I really like stories that give me that.
Now add to it a mystery that begins with such delicious uncertainty and spookiness and a level of tangible threat that I was hooked instantly. It didn't exactly detract that I also enjoy the setting on a personal level, an isolated space station threatened by something unknown. The story here also doesn't go too big, knowing just how far to reach, and no more, so that it would work. No saving planets and civilisations here, and it works wonderfully.
The main problem I had was that there were too many characters with too few individually identifying factors that you were expected to keep track of too fast. I could only manage one really, Mensa, the group’s leader, and all the others became an amalgamation of “the others”. By the end I could describe a few more characters, but I'd be damned if I could name any more.
But it doesn't matter - All Systems Red is a delicious bite-sized action-survival story with a fascinating character whose idiosyncrasy adds a comic layer to it without ever undermining the threat they're facing. There are cool ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere, like the mentality within how the bots fight, and I liked how the author offered just enough world-building to make its central narrative exciting and the ending open enough to want to start with the next story. Though to be honest, the Murderbot itself was reason enough already.
kyjade_x's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
ryanmeckel's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fast paced, interesting read that does some great world building and character development in under 200 pages. Definitely picking up the next in the series, this was phenomenal.
emilypaddon's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I know this book is probably objectively good and I am in the minority in not liking it, but I thought it was boring and just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like that we were thrown in without any explanation about their world and how things work. I was confused a lot of the time and didn’t really care about the characters because a lot of them didn’t really have any defining characteristics. I feel like murderbot’s defining characteristics were being self conscious and liking to watch TV. I don’t even know who the bad guys were or what they wanted. I just finished it today and probably couldn’t summarize it if I was asked.
brandleberry's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ryzzen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
olivarez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0