Not Your Typical Murderbot: A Review of All Systems Red

All Systems Red (2017)
Written by: Martha Wells
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 144 (ebook)
Publisher: Tor.com

Why I Chose It: All Systems Red had been nominated for the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award, and here at Speculative Chic, we’re reading the nominees! I chose All Systems Red based on the positive reviews and feedback I had been seeing online.

The premise: In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

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 are 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, all it really 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 their Murderbot to get to the truth.

No Spoilers

Discussion: In Catherynne M. Valente’s Silently and Very Fast, the protagonist (an artificial intelligence) explains two typical tracks that exist when it comes to telling stories about robots: the killer AI run amok, or the good robot that earns the right to be considered a person. While reading All Systems Red, I couldn’t help but wonder if author, Martha Wells, had previously read Silently and Very Fast, or was merely thinking along the same lines, because one of the best things about this little book is how it subverts these tropes. Just take a look at the first paragraph, where we learn that our protagonist, Murderbot, has hacked its programming and has gone rogue. Instead of a reign of blood, it’s decided to binge watch a whole bunch of television instead.

It was at this moment that I knew I had found a kindred spirit.

Murderbot is a fantastic protagonist, an introvert who wants to spend time alone, rather then with the humans around it. In this way, All Systems Red subverts the good robot who wishes to be part of humanity trope. Instead, the scenes in which Murderbot is forced to interact with others are painfully awkward. As the story continues, the relationships Murderbot shares with the human characters change as it becomes obvious the planet they they are doing research on is filled with dangers. I liked watching how these relationships developed over the course of the book, especially between Murderbot and Gurathin.

Unfortunately, I didn’t end up loving this book quite as whole hardheartedly as a lot of other readers. I found the cast of side characters to be pretty expansive for such a small page count. Some of them came off well (Gurathin in particular), but there were others who felt like they could have used a little more screen time to come into their own. In addition, I wasn’t nearly as invested in the book’s overall plot as much as I was in Murderbot’s personal journey. Had the book been a little longer, maybe some of these aspects could have been developed a little more.

In conclusion: Despite my criticisms, there’s no denying that All Systems Red is a solid sci-fi novella, if just based on the strength of its protagonists alone. Add in the fact that the book isn’t afraid to play with readers expectations, and you have a book that’s certainly worth the $2.99 price tag. As for whether All Systems Red should win the Philip K. Dick Award, it’s hard for me to say, given that I’ve only read two other of the nominees — Six Wakes and Bannerless — but I certainly wouldn’t mind to see it win. All Systems Red is the first book in a series, The Murderbot Diaries. With three more books coming out just this year, it’s clear that there are a lot of adventures left for Murderbot. I am curious to see where things will go next.