All Systems Red

Where to begin...I loved everything about the Murderbot diaries, from the snarky, neurodivergent-coded main character, to the brilliant writing, to the fast-paced plot and thrilling action sequences, to the beautiful exploration of what it means to be human and what it means to care about people and find people who care about you. I loved the moral complexity of the world, where there were very few "good guys" and "bad guys" and a whole lot of people who are mostly just trying to do their best and get by in a world that isn't always kind. And maybe most of… show more.

This is the story of a rogue SecUnit, a mostly non-organic cyborg, that calls itself Murderbot. The mega-introverted Murderbot just wants to be left alone so it can watch its favorite video serials, but it's repeatedly forced to interact with its clients as it fights to protect them in hostile situations.

The thing I find most engaging about this Hugo and Nebula award winner is the way author Martha Wells crafts a believable inhuman character that still contains a nugget of humanity buried inside.

This is the start of a series so there are more Murderbot books to read after… show more.

I haven't connected with a character like I did with Murderbot since the first time I read Green Rider! Just wanting to be left alone to watch shows while the world happens around you is so relatable, and I couldn't get enough. I read every book in the series in less than a week, even the short stories.

I very much enjoyed the atmosphere of this book as well. It was very reminiscent of the first Alien movie. Creepy, dark. Not really gory. I love a good creature flick and I've rarely read a book which captured that so well.

It's a fresh, terrific take on the sci-fi/techno thriller.

Maybe it’s the millennial in me, but I can’t begin to tell you how much I relate to Murderbot. All it wants to do is get through its workday so it can take a break and watch its shows—and yes, maybe my job is slightly less stressful than acting as security for a science expedition that’s pissed off a bloodthirsty super-corporation, but we all have our struggles. Like socializing with our coworkers. Or capitalism. Or man-eating space worms. 

Probably my favorite thing about Murderbot is the deadpan humor with which it tells its story, which really comes to life in… show more.

As a lifelong lover and reader of science fiction, I’m always impressed when I come across a modern book and series that feels fresh or novel to me. That’s precisely what I got from The Murderbot Diaries at a time when I really needed it, which has made it one of my go-to sci-fi recommendations in recent years, particularly as someone who appreciates a bit of tasteful humor and snark in my futuristic adventures through space.

I love sarcastic main characters, and this applies double when they are not human—something about such a very human trait in some other life form is delightful. The main character in this book is a security unit cyborg who has secretly hacked the module that lets humans control it.

It calls itself Murderbot, and all it wants to do is binge-watch its soap operas in peace, and man, do I relate (except for the killing part). But there is weird stuff happening, and humans are dying, and Murderbot needs to find out why. This is a delightful romp full of… show more.

I fell in love with SecUnit, aka Murderbot, the main character in this book, because its voice is so authentic and lovable as it explains how it detests humans with their feelings and tendency to ask questions, leak fluids, and try to have relationships with it.

Having successfully escaped an electronic control that amounts to slavery, it just wants to be left alone. But that doesn’t happen. I found Murderbot most endearing when it was denying most strenuously that it cared. I couldn’t wait to read all the Murderbot stories after discovering this first one.

I could appreciate the… show more.

This entire series is awesome. The humor is out of this world funny (pun intended). It didn’t take me more than a few pages to warm up to Murderbot, even if he/she is a robot. Oh, there’s enough of a human brain stem left to ensure a soul filled with humor and the best parts of humanity: self-sacrifice, empathy, and cleverness, not to mention a bad attitude towards life and work in general that I could totally sympathize with.

This first adventure includes kidnappings, rescues, intrigue, and burgeoning friendships. These books are a mix of space opera and science fiction.… show more.

I heard so many people rave about the Murderbot Diaries (this is book 1) that I launched my own one-person boycott—until someone gave me a copy. Then, I wondered why I had resisted for so long. It’s fantastic! I love Murderbot’s dry delivery—very similar to my own style of humor. The story is fabulous—full of action, technology, and danger—and Murderbot slowly reveals its backstory and personality as it carries you through the story.

I loved that the built-to-work-tirelessly Murderbot is instinctively lazy, prefers to watch soap operas over doing its job, and cleverly hides those “failings” from the people it… show more.