This book series got me through the latter half of 2020 (specifically the period of the American election and its fallout) which is no mean feat. I read them repeatedly, over and over again, so many times that I genuinely could not even venture a guess as to how many times I've read the whole series through anymore. I still pull them out in between the other things I'm reading. I adore Murderbot and its adventures. It may honestly be the most relatable character in fiction I've ever met. My single solitary complaint about the entire series is that there isn't more of it and I already have the next part on pre-order, which I await with baited breath.
(I've gifted copies of the first volume to five different people so far, and the only reason I haven't given it to more is because I'm just not that sociable as to be regularly exchanging gifts with all that many folks.)
For those of you unfamiliar with the Murderbot Diaries (which I assume is most if not all of the people reading this, as that's generally the point of perusing book reviews) let me curtail the aimless gushing and focus on some specifics: the first four books in the series (this one included) are short novellas, and while I'm generally a fan of longer fiction their length is absolutely perfect. They're all self-contained adventures, but they build together into a longer connected storyline -- sort of like the episodes within a television season. You can read and enjoy each one on its own merits, but you'll probably find yourself wanting to do them all in proper order so you can get the full experience of Murderbot's life. (Yes, the main character is named Murderbot. It chose the name itself, and while the first volume gives you enough information to understand why you will learn more of the story behind that name, and its emotional weight, as the series goes on.)
After the four novellas, there is an extremely brief short story that you can find online for free (titled "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory") and while a number of people have complained about it, I honestly thought it was a great interlude. And given that it's free and will probably take you less than twenty minutes to read, I don't see why there's any reason to skip it. It's fun to get a different perspective on things, and it offers some lovely background characterization of one of the most important secondary characters in the series. It makes a nice bridge to the novel which follows, too.
The novel reads a lot like the shorter adventures, especially at the start, and in a way it just feels like it's longer because there are more events taking place so it takes more words to tell what happened, rather than that the author set out to specifically "write a novel" as opposed to a novella -- which is nice, because the tone and style and everything remain beautifully consistent throughout the whole series -- but at the same time, the fact that it DOES spend more time on one plot and one group of characters means there is a chance to get a little more in-depth with various things and people, and that's nice too. Some stories/series are more suited to one type of writing or another, but I feel like with the Murderbot Diaries there is no wrong length. Whether you're sitting down for ten minutes or ten hours, you're going to get the same delightfully enjoyable experience out of these books.
As to the writing itself, it alternates between engrossing, hilarious, heart-rending, and painfully accurate. You're going to identity with and relate to Murderbot so much that you'll find yourself (at least, if you're anything like me you will) also thinking of humans as an "other" during the course of your reading, as you mentally (or out-loud; no judgement if you're one of those people who exclaims aloud as you read; I rarely do, but this seems like an appropriate book series for that sort of behavior) shout at them to not do stupid things and just listen to their SecUnit, please!
It's very much a found-family story, albeit a slow-build one, and despite the occasional body-count (really a rather small number, given that the series is about a character named Murderbot) it's ultimately a story of good people and happy endings. Murderbot will sometimes punch you straight in the heart with an emotional moment or observation, but it's the good sort of pain that only the best stories cause. I love these books more than I can fairly describe, and I hope you'll give them a chance because I think you'll love them too.
P.S. for anyone concerned, there is surprisingly little gore for how much violence is inherent in the life of a Murderbot. A fair amount of swearing, yes, and the occasional (usually annoyed, sometimes disgusted, always disinterested) reference to the existence of sex as a human activity that exists, but there are no lengthy passages expounding in great detail upon the injuries or deaths that take place throughout the series. I suppose some people might find the no-nonsense way Murderbot presents such things disquieting, but I don't think even squeamish people are likely to be too upset.
The only trigger-warning I can think to give is to caution people that there are definitely parallels/references to abuse in Murderbot's past and the emotional kick of those might be unpleasantly familiar to abuse survivors. YMMV of course, but I expect that the way current characters deal with Murderbot and its trauma likely makes for a more positive and supportive process than a triggering one, but if that is something to which you think you may be sensitive, please do brace yourself ahead of time.
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Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency.Highlighted by 4,153 Kindle readers- I hate having emotions about reality; I’d much rather have them about Sanctuary Moon.Highlighted by 3,356 Kindle readers
- The sense of urgency just wasn’t there. Also, you may have noticed, I don’t care.Highlighted by 2,770 Kindle readers
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Fun, exciting, mysterious, and thought-provoking: The Murderbot Diaries has it all!
It’s been a WHILE since I finished a book and even longer since I finished a book and enjoyed it enough to write a review. All Systems Red, a sci-fi novella by Martha Wells, balances an exciting romp across an alien planet with an endearing and realistic cast of characters. The main character, a security Android who calls themself Murderbot, is tasked with protecting a team of scientists doing survey work on an undeveloped planet. Without giving away too much of the plot, things don’t go well and their routine survey mission turns into a race to survive the planet’s own deadly fauna as well as an ominous threat from a little closer to home.All Systems Red is a fun and easy read, told from the first person perspective of Murderbot, a “construct” made up of both organic and artificial parts. Despite being a novella and short by nature, the book is paced perfectly and expertly balances plot with character building. Murderbot quickly, albeit somewhat accidentally, endears themselves to the reader with their often comedically exasperated opinion of humans, their love of serial television soaps, and their insistence that they don’t care what happens, when they demonstrably care quite a bit.It’s a fascinating look at the nature of sentience, what it means to be human, what it means to be Not Human, and how all three of these concepts marry together to create something new. It gave me vibes along the lines of TNG era Star Trek, with a splash of other sci-fi stories with robot focuses such as Blade Runner and Almost Human.I ordered the next few books in the series before I had even finished this one because I knew I was going to want to immediately pick up the next one as soon as I finished. They arrive tomorrow and I can’t wait to see where Murderbot’s journey takes them next.
Top reviews from other countries
Chris
Veel te duur voor wat je ervoor krijgt.
Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 25, 2024
Marcius Fabiani
Volume inicial da premiada série "The Murderbot Diaries"
Reviewed in Brazil on June 15, 2021