All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries, 1); Martha Wells

I read this novella in one day as part of a buddy read and let me tell you: that was an awesome decision. I went in knowing I was probably going to like the first book in the Murderbot Diaries, I just was not prepared for how much. In this short book, we follow a SecUnit who has gone rogue, the master of its own decisions. But it still has to pretend to be shackled to its original programs to the human’s it’s contracted to protect so they don’t realize that self-dubbed Murderbot is autonomous, and enjoys watching endless amounts of entertainment, and not talking to them. At least until a mysterious entity tries to get Murderbot’s humans killed. Then all bets are off.

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Once you get past the initial head spin of being plopped into the middle of a world and into the middle of a “situation”, this novella is supremely binge-able. Wells doles out the information her readers need only as they/you need it, which sometimes can lead to confusion, but is quickly cleared up. That being said, “All Systems Red” is so well paced and, for being told from the POV of the SecUnit, incredibly human. While the narrative voice is humorous for the most part, there are so many touching moments as you see Murderbot struggle with the organic sensations they begin experiencing. A robot with crippling social anxiety? Yes please! I can’t tell you how much I connected with Murderbot putting itself in a corner when dealing with humans became too much for it to process. This story ended up being far more touching than I was perhaps prepared for, and was so binge-able (just like something Murderbot would watch) that I’m real tempted to dive into the next novella right now… But alas, I don’t have the free day, but soon… So, really, it should be no surprise that this gets 5 stars from me! I can’t wait to read more of Murderbot and their humans!