Revisited review: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I first read a year after it was published and loved it but thought it was on the short side. I like books with a lot of detailed world building and character development. Though I’d collected the other books in the series as they came out, I never seemed to have time to read them. I recently reread All Systems Red and continued with the rest of the Murderbot Diaries series (novellas, novels, and short stories), then read them all a second time and have a better appreciation for this book. Sometimes you find a book at the right time and it just speaks to you. And Murderbot’s journey has had a massive impact on me this time through. As the series continues you learn so much about the world and the other characters. As someone who never seems to know what to do or say in social situations, Murderbot’s anxiety is highly relatable. I also appreciate how, as the series progresses, the author deals with trauma and its aftermath. Murderbot's narrative has a dry sense of humour and sarcasm, which I absolutely love. As I've reread the books I've also discovered a real depth to the material. Each time through I learned new things, and could better appreciate Murderbot's journey. I'm also impressed how each book tells a different kind of story. One is about uncovering the past, one is a murder mystery, one is a rescue mission. This keeps the series feeling fresh, as it's not just similar plots with minor variations each time. I can't wait to see where Murderbot goes in the future.

So here’s my slightly modified 2018 review:

Pros: interesting protagonist

Cons: short

Murderbot is a SecUnit made of cloned human and mechanical parts that’s hacked its governor module so it no longer has to obey commands. It’s been assigned to provide security for a small survey group looking at a new planet. But the group encounters an unknown hostile life form that wasn’t mentioned in the original survey report, which makes them wonder what else was missed - or possibly removed on purpose.

This is a 100 page novella, so it’s fairly short. That means it’s light on the world-building and character development. While you get to know Murderbot pretty well, the other characters, with the exception of Gurathin (who’s a light antagonist) and Mensah (the group leader) felt interchangeable. Having said that, Murderbot is fascinating and you really get inside its head.

The plot was interesting and quick paced. There are some tense moments, though the ending comes up so fast it didn’t feel particularly climactic (which may be due to my reading the story in 2 sittings instead of all at once).

It’s fun and entertaining and I’ll definitely read the next one.

=> The next book in the series is Artificial Condition