Synopsis:

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 neighbouring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

A STANDING OVATION FOR THIS BOOK!

IN ONLY 150 PAGES IT HAD ME HOOKED!

BOUGHT THE SECOND BOOK SECONDS AFTER FINISHING THE FIRST!

AFTER READING THEM BACK TO BACK, WILL I BE ABLE TO SEPERATE EVENTS ENOUGH TO WRITE A REVEW PER BOOK??? DEFINIETELY NOT!

My new years resolution to jot down notes after I finish a book so I don’t forget anything is going terribly actually… not a single note to be found… *for shameeee*

I will confess to being in a bit of a reading slump the last few years, not much was sparking joy UNITL! I picked up All Systems Red as an audiobook. I thought “I’m just looking for a little something to listen to while I drive to and from work. What’s this? A 4 hour long audio book about a space robot breaking free of its enslavement code and all they wants to do is be away from humans and watch shows? That sounds cute!”

I was entranced.

I’d get home from work and sit in my car for 30mins just to listen to more. Only to get inside and you guessed it, AUDIOBOOK BACK ON!

What’s the Cheese??

Because this book has captured my mind and soul for all eternity _{don’t worry about that} all I can do is try to list all things I love about this series and universe that Martha Wells has crafted so lovingly!

• Fast – Paced Reading! One second you’re learning about mining operations. The next. Explosions. So much happens so fast, and then Murderbot is already two steps ahead and watching The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon at the same TIME! One of the things I love about how these books are written is that because we see the universe and events through Murderbot’s eyes, and Murderbot is a highly advanced sentient construct, they’ve already come up with plans to deal with every situation, quite literally the millisecond it happens! Murderbot has solved the issue and I’m there with my silly, mushy human brain trying to catch up!

• Simple Yet Complex Universe! Of course humans have spread out across the stars! Of course they know how to terraform a planet to make it habitable! Of course there are HUGE Space Ports BIGGER THAN PLANETS dotted around the universe for commerce and travel. One of my issues with reading science fiction is that when there are complex concepts and I try to wrap my head around them, my brain lets out a pathetic fart as it collapses in on itself. But with this book? Easy. No brain farts. I followed everything with ease!

• Lovable Characters! Not only our main character either! Murderbot is so lovable and I think incredibly relatable! With their dislike for eye contact, confusion at most human behaviours and desire to be left alone to consume stories, a lot of people (myself included) feel connected to them.

“And in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day.”

One of my favourite characters beside Murderbot is Dr. Mensah. A level headed, collected genius leader of the group Murderbot is assigned to protect. Every time something happened and the group were discussing options everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, Dr. Mensah chimed in with had me nodding.

Gurathin was also a favourite! A human with augments that lets him use tech with his brain as appose to hands. Already epic. I loved his snarky, defensive and borderline paranoid interactions with everyone, especially with Murderbot!

“Gurathin turned to me. “So you don’t have a governor module, but we could punish you by looking at you?”

I looked at him. “Probably, right up until I remember I have guns built into my arms.”

Watching all the characters grow throughout the first book and beyond was truly beautiful. I love to see a set of characters enter a story with a foundation of knowledge and beliefs that is then challenged and evolved through interactions with others.

Murderbot especially goes through a HUGE character arc which I have adored following.

Genuinely don’t want this series to end. I’m on book 5 (the first 4 are considered novellas, with book 5 being the first full length novel, but they are so so good!) so, I’ve got another 3 books and I believe a 9th is in the works!

Overall

If I was a SecUnit, I would clear up all my storage to make room for these books and anything even remotely related to them.

If you’re looking for a character – driven, deeply immersive adventure this is it!!! Look no further!!

I highly recommend these books to everyone! Whether you love Sci-Fi already or are looking for somewhere to start, these books are perfect! The first few books are short and sweet and will most definitely leave you hungry for more!

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Have you read any of the Murderbot Diaries??? COME SCREAM WITH MEEE!!!