All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) - Martha Wells

 “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.” 

After seeing this novella for YEARS, I finally read it and loved it! Definitely going to continue on with Murderbot and their antics. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Started: February 14th, 2024

Finished: February 17th, 2024

Synopsis:  In a galaxy run by corporate overlords, security units are assigned to missions in order to protect their clients. Only this time, this security unit (self named Murderbot) has its own will and could care less about their clients and the rest of the world. But when the mission goes awry, Murderbot will have to move past their anxiety of humans and save them instead of, you know, killing them. 

My Review (Spoilers): Let's just say first, that I love Murderbot. They are the epitome of "leave me alone, I don't want to be perceived". And honestly, I get that. If I were a programmed killing machine who mysteriously found themselves autonomous and had free-will, I would spend all of my time binge-watching my favorite shows and napping. 

I definitely loved the humor in this novella. Murderbot's humor is very dry and to the point, which makes it seem like a robot, which adds to the humor in my opinion. Their interactions with the humans on their mission was also hilarious, especially when it was giving a short biography of the crew members their their own observations when everyone else thought it was deactivated or in sleep mode. 

Even though Murderbot wants nothing to do with humans, it does grow attached with the leader of their operation, Dr. Mensah. Dr. Mensah, though wary of the SecUnit, decides to trust Murderbot with an important mission. To help and protect their unit from being hunted. Murderbot agrees reluctantly. After the mission is complete, Murderbot is injured and Dr. Mensah makes sure that no one knows that Murderbot is sentient. Murderbot is grateful, and decides to leave of its own accord. 

Final Thoughts: I will definitely be picking up more of these novellas. I think that Murderbot is a likeable character and is definitely relatable to a lot of people, minus the killings it has done in the past. I'm curious about the world and the history of Murderbot and look forward to all of the other stories.