A review by jadejade
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny hopeful reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The first book in The Murderbot Diaries is an amusing sci fi that made me laugh aloud. The titular Murderbot is narrating and it's like watching an introvert at a party where everyone insists on including them in every activity, despite their discomfort. Also the party has pew pew.

Although I loved the understated performance of the voice actor, I have two criticisms of the audiobook recording:
1) the term "kilos" is used when I think "kms" is meant, although I don't have the physical text to confirm. I'm surprised that this issue was not picked up, as hearing a measurement of weight every time a measurement of distance is meant always gave me pause.
2) the sound was set very low and I really had to crank up the volume.

These issues are relatively minor and I'm keen to continue the series. It may become a new favourite!

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