Martha Wells goes straight to the heart of the story and into our Murderbot – the self-named Security Unit (SecUnit), who unwittingly adopts the role of an action hero, much like those featured in the entertainment TV serials and films he’s obsessed with. Assigned to protect a group of scientists conducting research survey on a faraway planet, he does his best to distance himself from them, until these humans are suddenly in danger, and with it he might just have to reveal he’s not like the other “bots” out there.
“I COULD HAVE BECOME a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering…”
A manufactured cloned construct – a highly advanced machine with part organic material – he’s supposed to just walk, talk and follow orders like every other SecUnit. But our protagonist has managed to bypass any systems that might control him, and as such he thinks and feels like any human – even if he denies it to himself – but one thing he can’t deny is his emotions, which show in full multicolour expressiveness, especially his fear of being too close to humans. However, in being hidden by a visor and mirroring the actions of a normal SecUnit no one has noticed he’s different, but when the humans he’s been assigned to protect keep facing “accidents” – his visor comes down and with it the end of his secret.
Wells does away with any unnecessary angst by having a likeable crew, and making the villains of the story unknown characters – who remain out of sight till the end. Due to this you’re able to focus on the developing relationships between Murderbot and the crew, in particular the crew’s leader Mensah. But this is not a romance novella, but an action genre with a lot of comedy.
Murderbot is funny, very funny. But what about the name? This is the name he’s given himself, showing the fear, judgement and guilt he holds. And though the name is only referred to briefly by others, it stays with you – not out of worry about what he could do – although it does remind you just how much stronger he is than humans – but the depth of how he feels.
“After that it was easy to finish it off. Physically easy”, these short snippets show the emotional impact he feels – being in an almost love-hate relationship with emotions. This short novel contains enough punch without it being overwhelming. It also contains some short sly remarks that could easily reference today’s corporate tech and data-mining world; “But the company would access all those recordings and data mine them for anything they could sell. No, they don’t tell people that. Yes, everyone knows it. No, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
There are a few misdirections of course, and a couple of jumps in logic, but this prevents the story pace from ever being slow, and maintains a steady course of waiting to see what happens while having faith in Murderbot. However; “…if everything didn’t go to shit. Which it did, but only partly, so yay for that.” One potential red herring mentioned through much of the novel is sadly resolved way too quickly, while the eventual face-off lacked any final punch – but the author Wells has gone for a clever ending, rather than a bang.
All Systems Red is the first in a series following Murderbot, all written in the first person as he records what happens. Besides having a brilliant leading character, and a great surrounding ensemble of crew members, Wells has built the context of the company, corporate corruption, planetary systems and most importantly the difference in society regarding how you’re made. There being humans, augmented humans and SecUnits, although there’s a mentioning of the far more intimidating military units, which are sure to raise their heads in future versions.
Although part of a series, All Systems Red can be easily enjoyed on its own, its ending nice and tidy with only a few faint questions. But you won’t want to stop at just one of his diaries, you’ll want to know what happens to this reluctant hero, and the journey he takes along the way.
Other Notable Works by Martha Wells:
- The Murderbot Diaries
+ Fugitive Telemetry (6) 2021
+ Network Effect (5) 2020
+ Exit Strategy (4) 2018
+ Rogue Protocol (3) 2018
+ Artificial Condition (2) 2018 - Books of the Raksura
+ The Harbors of the Sun (5) 2017
+ The Edge of Worlds (4) 2016
+ The Siren Depths (3) 2012
+ The Serpent Sea (2) 2012
+ The Cloud Roads (1) 2011 - Stories of the Raksura, Vol 2: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below 2015
- Stories of the Raksura, Vol 1: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud 2014
Book Edition Information
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
ISBN: 978-0-7653-9752-2
Cover Illustration: Jaime Jones
Cover Design: Christine Foltzer
Presented Edition: 2017 Kindle Edition
Background image courtesy of Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash
