All Systems Red Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing All Systems Red by Martha Wells, the first book in The Murderbot Diaries series. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and if you should read it next!

All Systems Red Summary 

It is SecUnit’s (Security Unit) job to protect the members of a scientific expedition on an alien planet. It is a cyborg security agent and has named itself Murderbot. Unlike other security units, Murderbot has hacked its governor module that would normally let humans control security units. 

Even after hacking its security unit, Murderbot takes its job of protecting its humans serious even though it would much prefer to watch soap operas. Currently, Murderbot is protecting the PreservationAux survey team, led by Dr. Mensah but things go wrong as Murderbot and its team realize that someone has altered their maps.

PreservationAux is one of two known expeditions on this planet and when they lose contact with the DeltFall Group, it is up to Murderbot and its team to find out what happened. Can Murderbot protect its humans from this unknown threat and will they trust it if they find out that it has gone rogue?

Commentary

All Systems Red is a science fiction novella published in 2017 and won the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2017, the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella and the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and was nominated for the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award.

The great reception led to three more novellas released in 2018 and in 2020, Network Effect was published as the first full-length Murderbot novel. In March 2025, Murderbot was released on Apple TV+. 

This is a short novella and you will most likely finish it in a day or two. I was hooked on page one and I ended up reading most of the novellas and books in the series in a week. Murderbot is a fun and funny protagonist and you will be laughing the whole time. 

Martha Wells does an amazing job of having high stakes and yet making Murderbot hilarious no matter the situation. I am eager to see the TV show and see how the adaptation came out. If it is anything like the books, I know I will end up binge watching it.

Conclusion

Murderbot might be my favorite protagonist of 2025 and I can’t wait to finish the rest of the series. This sci-fi novella and series are a must read for fans of sci-fi novels and anyone who enjoys characters that are smart, witty, and loyal to a fault.

Even after having read over 60 books this year so far, The Murderbot Diaries might be one of the favorite series. Good luck trying to get in touch with me this week because I will be busy reading Murderbot’s latest adventures. Happy reading!

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