Book Report: All Systems Red (65)

2. Martha Wells, All Systems Red (2017) (1/9/23)

This novella (149 pages long) is the first of four in a series dubbed The Murderbot Diaries, set in a universe worn out by corporate indifference and bureaucratic inertia. It is the story of Murderbot, a "Sec[urity]Unit with organic components," which has been leased by "the company" to a group of scientists investigating the resources of a remote planet. It has also gone a bit rogue, by . . . well, let me let it explain, by way of the opening paragraph of the book:

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, but probably, I don't know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.

But as a cynical, grumpy SecUnit devoted to—and maybe even a little bit in love with—the leader of this group of researchers, Dr. Mensah, this Murderbot is a total joy. It is also very smart. When things go awry, first with the unexpected appearance of a subterranean threat, then when technological hiccups start happening—such as map sectors going missing and the autopilot on a transport hopper cutting out—Murderbot begins to take a more active interest in what's going on. Then a research station on the other side of the planet is attacked, all the occupants killed, and it shifts into high gear, its autonomy (thanks to the hacked governor module) the only thing protecting its humans from hostile takeover. 

This book is a romp, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment. The fact that these books are short doesn't hurt either.

Here's another example of the delightful voice of this book. You can almost see Murderbot rolling its eyes. The scene takes place as the crew decide who is going to head to the neighboring station, DeltFall, to find out why they've gone silent.

Mensah hesitated, thinking about it, and I could tell she was debating protecting the habitat and the group staying behind with the possibility of whatever had hit DeltFall still being there. She took a breath and I knew she was going to tell me to stay here. And I just thought, That's a bad idea. I couldn't explain to myself why. It was one of those impulses that comes from my organic parts that the governor is supposed to squash. I said, "As the only one here with experience in these situations, I'm your best resource."
     Gurathin said, "What situations?"
     Ratthi gave him a bemused look. "This situation. The unknown. Strange threats. Monsters exploding out of the ground."
     I was glad I wasn't the only one who thought it was a dumb question. . . . I clarified, "Situations where personnel might be injured due to attack by planetary hazards."
     Arada came in on my side. "I agree. I think you should take SecUnit. You don't know what's out there."
     Mensah was still undecided. "Depending on what we find, we may be gone as long as two or three days."
     Arada waved a hand, indicating the habitat. "Nothing's bothered us here so far."
     That was probably what DeltFall had thought, right before they got eaten or torn to pieces or whatever.