A review by thoseoldcrows23
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 My primary take away after finishing All Systems Red is that this story would have worked better as a full-length novel. Novellas are really hard to do well. More often than not, I find they either feel like over written short stories or abridged novels, and this is definitely a case of the latter. The bones are good, but the mystery engine that runs the plot lacks in tension because things move so quickly. Similarly, I feel myself developing affection for the crew Murderbot is with, and provided they show up in the other books I think I'll come to care for them a lot, but as it stands I never felt fully invested simply because there was not enough time. Murderbot themselves is incredibly likable as a main character, though their narration gets repetitive at times (how many times/ways can you say “I’m awkward” in one book?), and the prose, though nothing to write home about, were perfectly serviceable. Overall, though it was far from perfect, I really liked this and think that it's a promising start to the series. 
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