A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence. “As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.” 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.

How was it?

So here’s the thing: pure Sci-fi books – not films or TV shows – often lose me after a while. Space jargon, dense world-building, ten pages describing a rock, my brain usually checks out. But this little novella, All Systems Red, surprised me in the best way. It’s short, sharp, and drops you right into the action alongside a socially awkward security android that secretly just wants to be left alone to binge-watch its favorite shows. I mean… same.

Meet Murderbot. (That’s the name it secretly gave itself.) Officially, it’s a SecUnit assigned to protect a group of scientists on a distant planet. Unofficially? It hacked its own governor module ages ago, so technically it doesn’t have to follow human orders anymore. It just pretends to.

Honestly, Murderbot is one of the most relatable characters I’ve come across in a while, and it’s an android. It has zero interest in unnecessary social interaction, hates being noticed, and would really prefer to just get through the job and return to its entertainment downloads, thank you very much. Its dry humor clashing with the expectations of its human clients is oddly hilarious and, at times, weirdly touching.

There’s also this unexpected depth. As Murderbot questions its own existence and starts forming ideas about autonomy, identity, and human behavior (all while internally groaning at small talk), you start to realize: wow, I feel kind of seen? And I did not expect to empathize this hard with a robot who’s not even trying to be likeable.

The world is corporate-run and mission-focused, where safety is barely an afterthought. Wells cleverly keeps the world-building efficient and action-oriented—you get the sense of a much larger universe without ever drowning in exposition.

The pacing is tight, the action is clean and video-game-like. The story doesn’t try to over-explain the universe; it just trusts you to roll with it. My only gripe? The ending felt a bit abrupt. But hey, it’s book one in a series, and thankfully, there’s more Murderbot to come.

Bottom line: if you like your sci-fi with a dose of sarcasm, existential dread, and reluctant hero energy, this one’s worth picking up. Murderbot might not care what you think, but I think you’ll care about Murderbot.

Have you read All Systems Red or any of the Murderbot Diaries? Drop your thoughts below or let me know what your favorite reluctant hero is!

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