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A review by richardrbecker
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
All Systems Red is a super short novella with an impressive hook that will make you want to read the rest of the series. The first installment (a mere 160 pages) introduces a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, with our protagonist being self-aware SecUnit (part AI, part machine, part clone) that refers to itself as Murderbot.
Murderbot also has a secret. It has hacked its governor module, which is designed to make it subservient to the human crews it protects during planetary missions. Because the SecUnit operates without a governer module, it has considerably more free will, which is especially interesting as it chooses to protect its humans despite being scornful toward them.
Disabling its governor module has an additional advantage for the crew because another hacker may have used that module to take control of SecUnits operating on nearby missions. The results are disastrous, forcing Murderbot and its humans to reevaluate their relationships.
Despite the novella obviously being written as a hook for a series of short installments, the read is engaging and well worth it. There is no doubt I'll be visiting Wells again in the near future.
Murderbot also has a secret. It has hacked its governor module, which is designed to make it subservient to the human crews it protects during planetary missions. Because the SecUnit operates without a governer module, it has considerably more free will, which is especially interesting as it chooses to protect its humans despite being scornful toward them.
Disabling its governor module has an additional advantage for the crew because another hacker may have used that module to take control of SecUnits operating on nearby missions. The results are disastrous, forcing Murderbot and its humans to reevaluate their relationships.
Despite the novella obviously being written as a hook for a series of short installments, the read is engaging and well worth it. There is no doubt I'll be visiting Wells again in the near future.