All Systems Red Review: Is the Murderbot Book Worth Reading?

Today, we are reviewing All Systems Red by Martha Wells, the first book in The Murderbot Diaries series. If you have heard people talking about Murderbot because of the books or the Apple TV adaptation and are wondering where to start, this is the book that introduces one of the most entertaining characters in modern science fiction.

And what an introduction it is.

All Systems Red is short, fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful. Martha Wells manages to fit an impressive amount of action, world-building, humor, and character development into a novella that many readers can finish in a single sitting.

The star of the story is Murderbot, a security construct that would rather spend its time watching entertainment programs than interacting with humans. Unfortunately for Murderbot, protecting humans is literally its job.

That combination leads to one of the funniest and most memorable science fiction protagonists I have read in years.

If you like science fiction with action, mystery, artificial intelligence, sarcastic humor, and characters you immediately want to spend more time with, All Systems Red deserves a spot near the top of your reading list.

All Systems Red Summary

Murderbot is technically known as a SecUnit, or Security Unit, designed to protect humans while they explore dangerous environments.

At the beginning of All Systems Red, Murderbot has been assigned to protect the PreservationAux survey team while its members conduct scientific research on an alien planet.

There is something important its human clients do not know.

Murderbot has hacked its governor module.

Normally, the module allows humans and the company that owns a SecUnit to control its behavior. By disabling it, Murderbot has essentially given itself free will.

You might expect a newly liberated security construct to rebel against humanity, start a revolution, or disappear into space.

Murderbot mostly wants to watch television.

That contradiction is one of the great joys of the book.

Despite being free from direct control, Murderbot continues doing its job. It protects the PreservationAux team, led by Dr. Mensah, while secretly consuming as much entertainment as possible.

Things become much more complicated when the team realizes that information about the planet does not seem to be accurate.

Their maps have apparently been altered.

There is another expedition operating nearby, known as DeltFall, and when PreservationAux suddenly loses contact with them, Murderbot and the team have to investigate.

What they discover suggests that the problems they are facing aren’t simple technical errors.

Someone may be deliberately targeting expeditions on the planet.

Murderbot must figure out what is happening while keeping its humans alive and making sure they do not discover its biggest secret: the security construct protecting them is no longer under anyone’s control.

All Systems Red Is the Perfect Introduction to Murderbot

The biggest reason All Systems Red works so well is Murderbot itself.

There are countless stories about robots, androids, artificial intelligence, and machines becoming self-aware. Martha Wells approaches the concept from a wonderfully different direction.

Murderbot doesn’t immediately dream about ruling humanity or becoming human.

It wants independence.

More specifically, it wants humans to stop bothering it so it can watch its shows.

That instantly gives the character a personality.

Murderbot is sarcastic, uncomfortable in social situations, observant, intelligent, and frequently annoyed by the humans around it.

At the same time, Murderbot cares about those humans much more than it wants to admit.

That contradiction makes the character fascinating.

Murderbot repeatedly tells us how frustrating humans are. Yet the moment those same humans are threatened, Murderbot puts itself in danger to protect them.

Its actions constantly reveal emotions that its narration tries to dismiss.

That gap between what Murderbot says and what Murderbot actually does is where much of the novella’s humor and heart comes from.

Murderbot Is Hilarious

I was hooked almost immediately.

Murderbot’s internal commentary is easily my favorite part of All Systems Red. Wells gives the character a wonderfully dry sense of humor that makes even dangerous situations entertaining.

Murderbot is capable of incredible violence. It can analyze threats, communicate through networks, hack systems, and protect humans during life-threatening situations.

And yet social interaction may be its greatest enemy.

The awkwardness surrounding basic conversations with humans is often funnier than the big action sequences.

Murderbot doesn’t understand why humans want to talk about feelings. It doesn’t particularly enjoy people looking at it. It finds emotional conversations uncomfortable and would usually prefer to retreat into its media library.

Anyone who has ever wanted to cancel plans and watch television instead will probably find something relatable about Murderbot.

Wells also knows when to pull back on the comedy.

The jokes never completely erase the danger facing the characters. There are legitimate stakes throughout the story, which allows All Systems Red to work both as a comedy and as a science fiction thriller.

A Surprisingly Thoughtful Story About Free Will

Underneath the jokes, All Systems Red asks some interesting questions.

What happens when something created as property becomes capable of making its own choices?

What does freedom actually mean?

Does gaining independence automatically mean knowing what you want to do with it?

Murderbot has secretly achieved something enormous by disabling its governor module.

It is free.

But freedom does not magically give it a purpose.

That is part of what makes the character so compelling.

Murderbot isn’t trying to make a dramatic statement about its existence. It is simply trying to figure out how to exist on its own terms.

That gives the novella more depth than you might expect from its relatively short page count.

There is also an interesting relationship between Murderbot and the PreservationAux team. Humans have traditionally treated SecUnits as equipment rather than individuals, so Murderbot naturally assumes revealing its independence would be dangerous.

But as the expedition becomes more dangerous, that relationship begins to change.

The result is a story about trust just as much as it is about survival.

The Pacing Makes All Systems Red Easy to Binge

Another major strength is the pacing.

All Systems Red doesn’t waste much time.

Murderbot is introduced, the mission is established, something goes wrong, and the mystery begins unfolding quickly.

That makes this one of those books where telling yourself you will read “one more chapter” can easily turn into finishing the entire novella.

That is basically what happened to me.

After starting All Systems Red, I wanted more Murderbot immediately. I ended up making my way through most of the novellas and novels in The Murderbot Diaries incredibly quickly.

Fortunately, there is much more to read after this first adventure.

The success of All Systems Red helped launch an entire series, beginning with several novellas before Wells expanded the story into longer novels.

But this first installment remains an excellent entry point because it gives readers everything they need to understand why Murderbot became such a popular character.

All Systems Red Awards and Recognition

All Systems Red wasn’t merely popular with readers. It also received major recognition within science fiction.

The novella won the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novella, one of the genre’s major honors.

It then won the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella.

The American Library Association also selected All Systems Red as one of its 2018 Alex Award winners, an award recognizing books written for adults that have special appeal to younger readers.

Those awards make sense after reading the book.

Wells combines an accessible writing style with bigger ideas about consciousness, autonomy, corporations, technology, identity, and what it means to care about other people.

But none of those ideas overwhelm the story.

First and foremost, All Systems Red is fun.

Murderbot on Apple TV

Readers discovering The Murderbot Diaries now also have another way to experience Martha Wells’ world.

Apple adapted the books into the television series Murderbot, starring Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot. The 10-episode first season premiered on Apple TV on May 16, 2025 and was created by Chris and Paul Weitz.

The premise makes a lot of sense for television.

Murderbot offers action, mystery, strange planets, futuristic technology, corporate conspiracies, and plenty of comedy. But the biggest challenge for any adaptation is translating Murderbot’s internal voice to the screen.

So much of what makes All Systems Red entertaining happens inside Murderbot’s head.

Its observations about humans, entertainment, danger, and social interaction constantly add humor to scenes that might otherwise be fairly straightforward science fiction.

The television adaptation also received enough support from Apple to continue beyond its initial run. Apple officially renewed Murderbot for Season 2 in July 2025.

For viewers who discovered Murderbot through the Apple series, I would still recommend reading All Systems Red. The novella lets you experience Murderbot exactly as Wells originally wrote the character and gives you access to the internal narration that made the series so distinctive.

And because the book is so short, it is an easy place to start.

Should You Read All Systems Red?

It is a novel that you need to read as soon as you are able to.

I would especially recommend All Systems Red if you enjoy:

• Fast-paced science fiction
• Artificial intelligence stories
• Sarcastic protagonists
• Space exploration
• Mystery and suspense
• Character-driven sci-fi
• Short books and novellas
• Stories about robots and androids
• Funny science fiction
• Books that can be finished quickly

You also don’t need to be a hardcore science fiction reader to enjoy this book.

Wells doesn’t bury the story beneath pages of technical explanations. The science-fiction setting is important, but the characters and story remain easy to follow.

That accessibility makes All Systems Red a great recommendation for someone looking to explore modern science fiction without committing to a massive novel or complicated space opera.

Is All Systems Red Worth Reading Before Watching Murderbot?

Yes.

You can certainly watch the Apple TV series without reading Martha Wells’ books first, but All Systems Red gives you the best introduction to Murderbot’s personality.

Because the novella is largely experienced through Murderbot’s perspective, readers get to understand the character’s strange combination of independence, anxiety, irritation, intelligence, humor, and loyalty.

Reading the book also makes it easier to appreciate just how unusual Murderbot is compared with many traditional artificial intelligence characters.

This isn’t a machine desperately trying to become human.

Murderbot frequently finds humans exhausting.

It just happens to keep risking everything to save them.

Final Thoughts on All Systems Red

All Systems Red is everything I want from a science fiction novella.

It is exciting without becoming exhausting, funny without undermining its serious moments, and thoughtful without becoming overly complicated.

Most importantly, Martha Wells creates a protagonist you immediately want to follow into another adventure.

Murderbot might be one of my favorite science fiction protagonists in recent memory. Its sarcasm, intelligence, awkwardness, and unexpected loyalty make it impossible not to root for.

Even after reading dozens of books, The Murderbot Diaries quickly became one of those series where I wanted to immediately pick up the next installment.

That might be the biggest compliment I can give All Systems Red.

When I finished it, I didn’t feel like taking a break.

I wanted Book Two.

And then Book Three.

And then whatever Murderbot adventure I could get my hands on next.

If you have been considering reading The Murderbot Diaries because you enjoyed the Apple TV series, have heard about the books from other science fiction fans, or simply want a short and entertaining sci-fi read, start with All Systems Red.

Just don’t be surprised if one novella suddenly turns into a Murderbot marathon.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

All Systems Red is a smart, hilarious, action-packed introduction to one of modern science fiction’s most memorable protagonists. Martha Wells delivers big ideas, genuine suspense, and a surprising amount of heart in a small package.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook