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All Systems Red

All Systems Red

NovellaCyberpunkFantasy
Pages
144
Published
2017
Language
English

Synopsis

Meet Murderbot, a SecUnit who has hacked its own core programming and just wants to be left alone to watch its favorite media. But when a mission goes wrong, it finds itself reluctantly protecting a group of humans. Can Murderbot keep its independence while dealing with these messy organic beings and the dangers of space?

Prose complexity
4/10

Collected in

Book cover of Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1
Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1

Vibe

AdventurousThought-ProvokingFunnyDark
Reluctant HeroAnti-HeroSurvival
Writing5.0Impact3.0Characters4.0Plot4.0Atmosphere4.0

Genres

Cyberpunk Fantasy Science Fiction Space Opera

About the author

M
Martha Wells

Martha Wells (born September 1, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in anthropology in 1986. Her first novel, The Element of Fire (1993), opened the Ile-Rien sequence; she has since written the Books of the Raksura, the Emilie young-adult novels, tie-in fiction for Star Wars and Stargate, and the standalone fantasy Witch King. She is best known for The Murderbot Diaries, beginning with the novella A...

Characters

MurderbotProtagonist
Dr. MensahSupporting

Leader of the PreservationAux survey team; the one team member who checks in personally on Murderbot's wellbeing.

RatthiSupporting

A biologist on the PreservationAux survey team, and the most openly warm toward Murderbot.

Pin-LeeSupporting
GurathinSupporting

An augmented member of the PreservationAux survey team with an implanted interface for searching data streams.

All characters in All Systems Red

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need to read the books in this series in a specific order?

    The first four novellas in the series form a single, continuous story arc and are best read in their original publication order. While later entries in the series can sometimes be approached with more flexibility, starting with this book is essential to understanding the protagonist's development.

  • Has this book been adapted into a film or television series?

    A television adaptation of the series exists and is available on Apple TV. The first season of the show covers the events depicted in this book.

  • What major awards has this book received?

    This book won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2018 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2017. It also received a 2018 Alex Award from the American Library Association, which recognizes adult books with special appeal to teen readers.

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