A review by agusv
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency.”

I'm writing this review after having finished the whole series and immediately re-read ‘All Systems Red’, so I will probably be making (non-spoilery) allusions to the story as a whole here.

First of all, the 4/5 rating is solely due to me having spent the first part of the book confused by the many characters and the complex world-building, which, with the plot being fast-paced and action-packed, was difficult to understand at first. Despite my ratings of the individual books, the series as a whole is, undoubtedly, a 5/5 for me.

I adored Murderbot as a character. Its personality is exactly the right mix of sarcastic, badass, apathetic and protective. I read the entire series in two weeks, and by the end, even with 7 books and 2 short stories, I still wished I could have spent more time reading its point of view. Wells did an excellent job of crafting a relatable and endearing protagonist and showcasing its skills in all of these very cinematic action scenes, and interspersing that excitement with quieter scenes in which Murderbot is left vulnerable to its (ugh) emotions.

I think what made me love this series was the twist at the very end of ‘All Systems Red’, and all that it entailed for the future instalments. The moment I read the last few sentences, I was hooked, and the book went from ‘fun story to pass the time’ to one of my favourites in a millisecond. Murderbot’s thoughts on matters such as autonomy, personhood, and humanity in general were what truly touched me. That, and the violent desire to eviscerate anything that threatened its humans- a desire that wasn’t born of its primary function, but rather its own choices.

“I don’t know what I want. I said that at some point, I think. But it isn’t that, it's that I don’t want anyone to tell me what I want, or to make decisions for me.
That's why I left you, Dr. Mensah, my favorite human
”

So, even if sci-fi is not your thing, if you like your books with 1) lovable asocial protagonists, 2) digs at capitalism, 3) emotional and complex friendships, 4) badass action sequences, and 5) reflections on human (and inhuman) nature, I would definitely recommend you give Murderbot a shot. For my part, I can’t wait for the next book and the upcoming TV series.
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