Science Fiction
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All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (The Murderbot Diaries, 1)
Winner: 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Alex Award
Winner: 2018 Locus Award
One of the Verge's Best Books of 2017
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
Winner: 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Alex Award
Winner: 2018 Locus Award
One of the Verge's Best Books of 2017
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
Editorial Reviews
"I love Murderbot!" ―Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice
"The Murderbot series is a heart-pounding thriller that never lets up, but it's also one of the most humane portraits of a nonhuman I've ever read. Come for the gunfights on other planets, but stay for the finely drawn portrait of a deadly robot whose smartass goodness will give you hope for the future of humanity." ―Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous
"Clever, inventive, brutal when it needs to be, and compassionate without ever being sentimental." ―Kate Elliott, author of the Spirit Walker trilogy
"Endearing, funny, action-packed, and murderous." ―Kameron Hurley, author of The Stars are Legion
"Not only a fun, fast-paced space-thriller, but also a sharp, sometimes moving character study that will resonate with introverts even if they're not lethal AI machines." ―Malka Older, author of Infomocracy
"We are all a little bit Murderbot."―NPR
"Wells gives depth to a rousing but basically familiar action plot by turning it into the vehicle by which SecUnit engages with its own rigorously denied humanity." ―Publishers Weekly starred review
"I already can't wait for the next one." ―The Verge
"Meet your favorite depressed A.I. since Marvin." ―B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
"A great kick-off for a continuing series." ―Locus
"Wells imbued Murderbot with extraordinary humanity, and while this is a fun read, don't make the mistake of thinking it's not a profound one."―LA Times
PRAISE FOR MARTHA WELLS
"Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to be―poignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up." ―Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War
"The Cloud Roads has wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It's that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn't go where ten thousand others have gone before. I can't wait for my next chance to visit the Three Worlds!" ―N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. For readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the ti...
"The Murderbot series is a heart-pounding thriller that never lets up, but it's also one of the most humane portraits of a nonhuman I've ever read. Come for the gunfights on other planets, but stay for the finely drawn portrait of a deadly robot whose smartass goodness will give you hope for the future of humanity." ―Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous
"Clever, inventive, brutal when it needs to be, and compassionate without ever being sentimental." ―Kate Elliott, author of the Spirit Walker trilogy
"Endearing, funny, action-packed, and murderous." ―Kameron Hurley, author of The Stars are Legion
"Not only a fun, fast-paced space-thriller, but also a sharp, sometimes moving character study that will resonate with introverts even if they're not lethal AI machines." ―Malka Older, author of Infomocracy
"We are all a little bit Murderbot."―NPR
"Wells gives depth to a rousing but basically familiar action plot by turning it into the vehicle by which SecUnit engages with its own rigorously denied humanity." ―Publishers Weekly starred review
"I already can't wait for the next one." ―The Verge
"Meet your favorite depressed A.I. since Marvin." ―B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog
"A great kick-off for a continuing series." ―Locus
"Wells imbued Murderbot with extraordinary humanity, and while this is a fun read, don't make the mistake of thinking it's not a profound one."―LA Times
PRAISE FOR MARTHA WELLS
"Martha Wells writes fantasy the way it was meant to be―poignant, evocative, and astonishing. Prepare to be captivated 'til the sun comes up." ―Kameron Hurley, author of The Mirror Empire and God's War
"The Cloud Roads has wildly original world-building, diverse and engaging characters, and a thrilling adventure plot. It's that rarest of fantasies: fresh and surprising, with a story that doesn't go where ten thousand others have gone before. I can't wait for my next chance to visit the Three Worlds!" ―N. K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. For readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the ti...
Readers Top Reviews
Cristea Adrian
Ok if you've run out of good sci-fi. The writing is unimpressive, but I've seen much worse. It seems like the author is trying too hard to write a genre that they're not fully familiar with. The style is completely strange, like the baffling use of 'kilos' instead of 'clicks' or 'kilometers'. Does the author really think 'kilos' is a measure of length? (hint: it's a kilogram, a measure of mass)
TielhardCristea A
Finally a modern SF story I really enjoyed. No ifs, buts or coconuts! All Systems Red won the Hugo and the Nebula for a novella in 2019. The story concerns a security android who calls itself, in the privacy of its own brain Murderbot because it once killed a lot of people due to bad programming. Since then it has hacked its own control system to stop it happening again and to enable it to steal and store vast quantities of entertainment programmes which seem to be from a genre somewhere between tellynovellas, Corrie and Mills & Boon. Murderbot is accutely embarrased if it has to talk to humans especially if it is out of its armour. The plot itself is only really a christmas tree to drape the personality of Murderbot on for completeness it involces Murderbot rescuing a Survey team from a deadly situation due to skulduggery. It was great, the only reason I have not given it 5 stars is that it is a light fluffy patisserie of a story and I tend to reserve 5 stars for more solid tomes that comment on great truths or introduce me to new ideas. Sadly I won't be reading the next issues in the Murderbot Diaries series not because I dont want to but because unlike this first book i think they are outrageously expensive.
Nicholas J Nicoll
I kept seeing reviews of this and thought I must read. This book has very engaging character as protagonist who just happen to be an artificial life form; who unfortunately for him as to live in a society that doesn’t seem to be able to except; that if you can create intelligent, it will want the same rights as you: just not what you might want. Murderbot is a very engaging protagonist, to be honest it seems more human than the humans; the fact he finds them difficult to talk too is one of highlights of the book. I would also like to learn more about the society which the author has created and in which he has to find a place. Unfortunately we now come to the one drawback to the series which will stop me reading more:the price. The cost of this the first is exceptable (just) for its length in electronic form, but the next 3 books(more like instalments)are not. Really these first 4 books would make one novel which in hardback form (I might once have been willing to pay),but for electronic.? Having looked at the previews on Amazon the following episodes look good but I’m afraid at these prices I will not be reading at present,a shame really and I have therefore taken a star away. Buy the first one on all accounts to get a good read, if not cheap, but the rest I at least will leave for now.
AndrewJ. E. Murph
I really enjoyed this book and bought 3 of the 4 following in the series, so why have I given it only one star? Because as a series it is way too expensive. Each “book” is actually a novella. The first is arguably priced as one but subsequent 3 novellas are £6.80. Firstly not labelling the books as novellaS is dishonest, and then to hike the price as the Reader gets drawn into the story shows a real contempt for her customers. All together the 4 novellas would made a good size novel so in effect you are paying £22 for one book. The last in the series is a full length book and costs £11. This has left such a bad taste in the mouth that I won’t be buying any of Martha Wells’ other novels.
LA in DallasAndre
** spoiler alert ** I'm sorry, but I cannot do it. I can't refer to Murderbot as "it". I know that's the pronoun she and her colleagues use throughout the book, but as a native English speaker d'un certain âge, I can't help but see "it" as the impersonal pronoun, the pronoun used for things that are things, not persons. And THE WHOLE ENTIRE POINT of All Systems Red is that Murderbot is a person. I could tolerate "they", since, although it is grammatically impersonal, there is long English language tradition of using "they" for a person. But not "it". So, hoping that I don't offend anyone by misungendering our protagonist, I will call her "her" in this review. All Systems Red has two linked plots. Both revolve around mysteries. The obvious one, which I will call Plot One, is hinted at by the last sentence of the publisher's blurb: "But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth." That's an action plot, and it's a good one. I'll say little about it in this review, since I think the less obvious mystery is the heart of the novella, and the most interesting. The mystery at the heart of Plot Two is this question, "What kind of being is Murderbot?" Murderbot refers to herself repeatedly as a "construct", but it is never spelled out what that means. She makes it clear that she has both organic and inorganic components, and that both are essential to her function. She is a security robot, a SecBot, and is chattel of "The Company", which has rented her out to a company of explorers. In the view of The Company, and (initially) the explorers, she is a machine. Murderbot is engaged in a secret revolt against The Company -- as the publisher tells us, she "has hacked its own governor module", making her capable of disobeying commands she is supposedly compelled to follow. And in the course of Plot One she repeatedly displays motivation and independence, which make it completely clear that she is, in fact, a person. I will quote one example here (with minimal context, to avoid spoiling). Murderbot is suspected of binge-watching a TV serial called "Sanctuary Moon". One of the explorers, Ratthi, tests that suspicion. 'Ratthi said, “The one where the colony’s solicitor killed the terraforming supervisor who was the secondary donor for her implanted baby?” 'Again, I couldn’t help it. I said, “She didn’t kill him, that’s a *filthy* lie.”' The word "filthy" (which, in the original is a different word beginning with "f" -- I substituted it so I can post this review on Amazon) is revealing -- it shows that Murderbot, although entirely aware that "Sanctuary Moon" is fiction, is emotionally involved with the characters. You understand this, because you're human, and it is a very human feeling. (This, I thought, was impressive story-telling on Martha Wells' part ...
Short Excerpt Teaser
All Systems RedThe Murderbot DiariesBy Martha Wells, Lee HarrisTom Doherty AssociatesCopyright © 2017 Martha Wells
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7653-9753-9
CHAPTER 1I 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.
I was also still doing my job, on a new contract, and hoping Dr. Volescu and Dr. Bharadwaj finished their survey soon so we could get back to the habitat and I could watch episode 397 of Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
I admit I was distracted. It was a boring contract so far and I was thinking about backburnering the status alert channel and trying to access music on the entertainment feed without HubSystem logging the extra activity. It was trickier to do it in the field than it was in the habitat.
This assessment zone was a barren stretch of coastal island, with low, flat hills rising and falling and thick greenish-black grass up to my ankles, not much in the way of flora or fauna, except a bunch of different-sized birdlike things and some puffy floaty things that were harmless as far as we knew. The coast was dotted with big bare craters, one of which Bharadwaj and Volescu were taking samples in. The planet had a ring, which from our current position dominated the horizon when you looked out to sea. I was looking at the sky and mentally poking at the feed when the bottom of the crater exploded.
I didn't bother to make a verbal emergency call. I sent the visual feed from my field camera to Dr. Mensah's, and jumped down into the crater. As I scrambled down the sandy slope, I could already hear Mensah over the emergency comm channel, yelling at someone to get the hopper in the air now. They were about ten kilos away, working on another part of the island, so there was no way they were going to get here in time to help.
Conflicting commands filled my feed but I didn't pay attention. Even if I hadn't borked my own governor module, the emergency feed took priority, and it was chaotic, too, with the automated HubSystem wanting data and trying to send me data I didn't need yet and Mensah sending me telemetry from the hopper. Which I also didn't need, but it was easier to ignore than HubSystem simultaneously demanding answers and trying to supply them.
In the middle of all that, I hit the bottom of the crater. I have small energy weapons built into both arms, but the one I went for was the big projectile weapon clamped to my back. The hostile that had just exploded up out of the ground had a really big mouth, so I felt I needed a really big gun.
I dragged Bharadwaj out of its mouth and shoved myself in there instead, and discharged my weapon down its throat and then up toward where I hoped the brain would be. I'm not sure if that all happened in that order; I'd have to replay my own field camera feed. All I knew was that I had Bharadwaj, and it didn't, and it had disappeared back down the tunnel.
She was unconscious and bleeding through her suit from massive wounds in her right leg and side. I clamped the weapon back into its harness so I could lift her with both arms. I had lost the armor on my left arm and a lot of the flesh underneath, but my nonorganic parts were still working. Another burst of commands from the governor module came through and I backburnered it without bothering to decode them. Bharadwaj, not having nonorganic parts and not as easily repaired as me, was definitely a priority here and I was mainly interested in what the MedSystem was trying to tell me on the emergency feed. But first I needed to get her out of the crater.
During all this, Volescu was huddled on the churned up rock, losing his shit, not that I was unsympathetic. I was far less vulnerable in this situation than he was and I wasn't exactly having a great time either. I said, "Dr. Volescu, you need to come with me now."
He didn't respond. MedSystem was advising a tranq shot and blah blah blah, but I was clamping one arm on Dr. Bharadwaj's suit to keep her from bleeding out and supporting her head with the other, and d...
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7653-9753-9
CHAPTER 1I 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.
I was also still doing my job, on a new contract, and hoping Dr. Volescu and Dr. Bharadwaj finished their survey soon so we could get back to the habitat and I could watch episode 397 of Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
I admit I was distracted. It was a boring contract so far and I was thinking about backburnering the status alert channel and trying to access music on the entertainment feed without HubSystem logging the extra activity. It was trickier to do it in the field than it was in the habitat.
This assessment zone was a barren stretch of coastal island, with low, flat hills rising and falling and thick greenish-black grass up to my ankles, not much in the way of flora or fauna, except a bunch of different-sized birdlike things and some puffy floaty things that were harmless as far as we knew. The coast was dotted with big bare craters, one of which Bharadwaj and Volescu were taking samples in. The planet had a ring, which from our current position dominated the horizon when you looked out to sea. I was looking at the sky and mentally poking at the feed when the bottom of the crater exploded.
I didn't bother to make a verbal emergency call. I sent the visual feed from my field camera to Dr. Mensah's, and jumped down into the crater. As I scrambled down the sandy slope, I could already hear Mensah over the emergency comm channel, yelling at someone to get the hopper in the air now. They were about ten kilos away, working on another part of the island, so there was no way they were going to get here in time to help.
Conflicting commands filled my feed but I didn't pay attention. Even if I hadn't borked my own governor module, the emergency feed took priority, and it was chaotic, too, with the automated HubSystem wanting data and trying to send me data I didn't need yet and Mensah sending me telemetry from the hopper. Which I also didn't need, but it was easier to ignore than HubSystem simultaneously demanding answers and trying to supply them.
In the middle of all that, I hit the bottom of the crater. I have small energy weapons built into both arms, but the one I went for was the big projectile weapon clamped to my back. The hostile that had just exploded up out of the ground had a really big mouth, so I felt I needed a really big gun.
I dragged Bharadwaj out of its mouth and shoved myself in there instead, and discharged my weapon down its throat and then up toward where I hoped the brain would be. I'm not sure if that all happened in that order; I'd have to replay my own field camera feed. All I knew was that I had Bharadwaj, and it didn't, and it had disappeared back down the tunnel.
She was unconscious and bleeding through her suit from massive wounds in her right leg and side. I clamped the weapon back into its harness so I could lift her with both arms. I had lost the armor on my left arm and a lot of the flesh underneath, but my nonorganic parts were still working. Another burst of commands from the governor module came through and I backburnered it without bothering to decode them. Bharadwaj, not having nonorganic parts and not as easily repaired as me, was definitely a priority here and I was mainly interested in what the MedSystem was trying to tell me on the emergency feed. But first I needed to get her out of the crater.
During all this, Volescu was huddled on the churned up rock, losing his shit, not that I was unsympathetic. I was far less vulnerable in this situation than he was and I wasn't exactly having a great time either. I said, "Dr. Volescu, you need to come with me now."
He didn't respond. MedSystem was advising a tranq shot and blah blah blah, but I was clamping one arm on Dr. Bharadwaj's suit to keep her from bleeding out and supporting her head with the other, and d...
