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All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Sep. 26th, 2018 11:31 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanies 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 neighbouring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Martha Wells’s science fiction thriller novella (the first in a series and the winner of the 2018 Hugo for Best Novella) is a tightly written and entertaining affair that neatly sets up the Murderbot’s world and backstory although I thought that the ending was a little rushed, the side characters a little thin and the reveal disappointing although I would definitely read the sequel.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanies 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 neighbouring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Martha Wells’s science fiction thriller novella (the first in a series and the winner of the 2018 Hugo for Best Novella) is a tightly written and entertaining affair that neatly sets up the Murderbot’s world and backstory although I thought that the ending was a little rushed, the side characters a little thin and the reveal disappointing although I would definitely read the sequel.
