REVIEW: ALL SYSTEMS RED BY MARTHA WELLS

A self-aware android that refers to itself as Murderbot openly admits its shortcomings as a heartless killing machine, preferring to watch TV shows over killing, captured my attention. The plot unfolds quickly, leaving almost no time for idling. Even when Murderbot is idle, watching episodes of Sanctuary Moon whenever it can, it is highly entertaining. The rise and fall of events consistently hold enough action and mystery to keep me anticipating what happens next.

As far as the plot twists go, none of my guesses were fully correct, but I liked that it kept me pausing and guessing. The worldbuilding is minimal but provides enough information for the reader to intuitively imagine the setting. I’m definitely reading the entire series. This book does NOT have enough chapters. Although I was able to guess the ending, I didn’t mind because the execution was solid.

Murderbot is a charming, unreliable narrator, and I was delighted to witness the evolution of its motivations. Initially, its goals are simple: to coast through the contract, doing the bare minimum while watching Sanctuary Moon, its favorite TV show, during its idle time in peace. However, as the plot unfolds, Murderbot embraces its autonomy, making its own decisions and developing its own opinions. What starts as a desire to avoid responsibility evolves into a relentless drive to protect the humans it initially claimed to despise.

As far as character development goes, Murderbot begins as an android who follows instructions selectively, but gradually shifts into someone who actively decides for itself and strives to find its own purpose. I like that by the end of the book, Murderbot has developed a newfound trust in the kindness of humans, becomes honest with its emotions, and even ends up having a favorite human. It’s a believable and satisfying character arc.

Murderbot’s internal conflict stems from its self-limiting belief that it hates humans and that the feeling is mutual. As a coping mechanism, it watches Sanctuary Moon, using the show as a way to avoid confronting its emotions. However, the overwhelming kindness of the PreservationAux team only makes Murderbot more uncomfortable. It also struggles with anxiety over hiding the fact that it has awareness, emotions, and opinions. This internal conflict is not only sufficient but also wholesome and at times, funny.

My favorite supporting character is Dr. Mensah, who imposes a strict rule for her team to respect Murderbot’s boundaries, which helps Murderbot to start trusting humans.

Eventually, a threat to PreservationAux’s safety forces Murderbot’s secrets into the open. I liked how the uncomfortable conversations between Murderbot and the team take place, building trust and allowing them to work as a cohesive team. This unity makes it possible for them to find out what happened with DeltFall and defend themselves against external forces trying to harm them.

Since Murderbot doesn’t naturally have the initiative to control its actions as it was built to follow commands, I appreciated how the plot drove both the internal and external conflicts toward resolution. Murderbot’s unreliable narration kept the tension high throughout, making sure it was almost always present from the start of the story.

Although Dr. Mensah's leadership plays a key role in resolving the conflict within PreservationAux, I really appreciated how she helped draw Murderbot out of its shell. The problems introduced in the story were more than enough to challenge Murderbot’s autonomy, testing its mental faculties and emotional limits, these challenges were crucial in reaching the resolution.

Navigating both the internal and external conflicts alongside Murderbot throughout the story was stressful at times, but it was that fun kind of stress, the kind that keeps you turning pages.

Additionally, the external threats to PreservationAux and Murderbot push the team to rely on each other’s skills and to trust in the power of friendship, of course. Ha!

The writing style is intriguing and held my undivided attention, serving as the key factor in maintaining my interest throughout the book. Despite being set in a futuristic world, there is no information overload. Martha Wells' effective worldbuilding relies on a logical flow and highly intuitive tech jargon.

Other than Dr. Mensah, none of the supporting characters stand out. I think this is by design and works well with the book, especially considering how short it is.

Also, despite being a half-robot, half-human construct, Murderbot proves to be a relatable protagonist, which makes you want to root for it.

This is not the type of book I usually pick up. For some inexplicable reason, the series title reeled me in. "Murderbot Diaries" had me wondering: "What is a murderbot? It sounds cute, like a robot vaccum cleaner. Is it as big as a robot vaccum cleaner? Why does it have a diary? Is the diary in a form of system monitoring logs?" Since I needed answers, I impulsively borrowed the eBook from our local library app, silently hoping it wasn’t a book filled with grotesque violence. I did not even bother reading the synopsis. As I am typing this, I realized that to expect "no violence" from a series that begins with "murder" is, without a doubt, unreasonable. Then again, I finished this entire book within a few hours. The delightful surprise is that the book has earned an slew of prestigious accolades, including the Alex, Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards—so my high expectations will likely be met. Murderbot's character voice compelled my attention. Here is the first paragraph sealed the deal:

5 stars! I recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced book that can be read in a day. Whether you're a science fiction aficionado or this is your first adult science fiction book, it is an easy read. I don’t usually read science fiction, but I’m adding the entire series to my to-read list.

I cannot recommend this enough! This is now my benchmark for all my future sci-fi reads. It’s earned a bunch of awards for a reason!