Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well! I also hope you are staying safe, especially if you live in the path of Hurrican Helene or Milton. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. If you have to hunker down, maybe this post will distract you for just a bit. After this review, I will be getting into the spooky stuff so fear not! (Or fear a little because, you know, Halloween and stuff). Either way, I’m sending you all my love. Now, let’s talk about All Systems Red.

Content Warning: Violence, Strong Language

Corporations rule outer space. Missions are regulated and delegated by these corporations. Safety, though, isn’t much of a concern. Humans rely on specialized robots for protection on dangerous planets. One particular robot, who refers to itself as “Murderbot”, is reluctant to leave its serials and venture out with a team of human scientists. The mission quickly takes a dangerous turn and its up to the Murderbot and humans to figure out the truth.

All Systems Red is a fun, fast-paced read with plenty of classic sci-fi thrills and wry humor. What really helped this novella stand out is Murderbot as the narrator. I related to the Murderbot because I too don’t like being important at my place of work. Martha Wells manages to pack in a lot of interesting world building and concepts in less than 150 pages. I personally would have loved for this book to be longer because I loved Murderbot’s voice and wanted to know more about the world of this novel. I will probably be picking up the sequel some time in the future. If you are looking for your next sci-fi read, look no further than The Murderbot Diaries.