It’s about time I started The Murderbot Diares, and oh my, you best bet Martha Wells has turned into one of my favourite authors as a result of reading All Systems Red. I didn’t know what to expect, thinking maybe it would be similar to Becky Chambers The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I can wholeheartedly say this is beyond all of those, and it might be what really hooks me into the sci-fi genre for the next year or two. You all may have been thinking I was joking when I said I read pretty much everything, maybe expecting a different genre from the romances and fantasies once every blue moon. Alas, I think this proves that I read – and enjoy – a wide range of genres, and I have made it my mission to push some of you down this rabbithole to join me.

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.” In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. 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 is 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, Murderbot 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 Murderbot to get to the truth.

Told from Murderbot’s perspective – and what a sassy, brilliant perspective it has – All Systems Red is a short novel full of high sci-fi detail, scientific jargon, and a complex identity crisis amid a very serious danger. The story is balanced so beautifully, giving the chance to blend the serious with the emotional, duty with concern, and entertainment with learning. There is action, reprieve, insight, and reaction that makes this plot compelling. The characters are dierse, interesting, and their interactions feel so authentic and funny viewed through Murderbot. The layers of mystery and internal turmoil make the story immersive and intriguing, not just in terms of wider story trajectory, but the internal happenings with Murderbot. I want to learn more about everyone and everything (and thankfully, I had the hindsight to request all seven novels at once so I could binge the series), espeically with Murderbot having a conscience and trying to understand what it wants to be and what to do.

The detail in the storytelling is incredible, but I do wish there was a little more exposition or scenery description throughout the read to solidify the setting. That’s just a minor subjective note and I wouldn’t even say its a big issue for readers, but I like detail and really setting the reader in the space so I was looking for a little more immersion in that sense. Hopefully I will find that in the rest of the books, but if not, I’m sure I won’t be too disappointed. After all, this is one fun, entertaining, inspiring story world and I already now I will be scrambling for more.

Hands down, The Murderbot Diaries is a must-read for sci-fi readers, fantasy readers (because sci-fi and fantasy are more closely related than you may think), and in genenral for readers who just want a good read. Scratch that – a great read. I loved this novel and I know I am going to read it again and again, just as I will the rest of the series once I’ve gotten through it. This has made me reconsider my slow start to Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, and upon further consideration that’s probably the best comparison for The Murderbot Diaries. All I know is that I am going to be zooming through these novels and I cannot wait.