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All Systems Red

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All Systems Red

By: Martha Wells
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
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About this listen

All Systems Red is the tense first science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or Iain M. Banks' Culture novels.

All Systems Red tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans.

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.

©2017 Martha Wells (P)2017 Recorded Books
Adventure Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Robot Diaries

What listeners say about All Systems Red

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Great book

Loved it, great story told from the first person, verry cleverly done. Couldent put it down.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Buy when on sale.

This story was great, I'm keen to read the rest of the series. The narration is a little flat at times, but I think that suits this protagonist.

It's been said before but I'll say it again to drive it home; such a short story is not worth $15, but if you can find it on sale then don't pass it up.

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  • Overall
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It was all amazing.

The narration was absolutely fantastic, I don’t think I’ve ever had an audiobook where the narrator was such a perfect fit to voice the main character, I’m particularly impressed that his voice didn’t ever make me feel the need to think of murderbot as either male or female, and yet still managed to convey a large amount of personality and emotion. Martha Wells has always been great at writing non-human characters and as always the world building and introduction is spectacular. I’ve already bought the next book in the series and I can’t wait to read it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Clunky but compelling and heart-warming

This story, to me, has all the hallmarks of a new writer - the occasional clumsiness and poor phrasing, and parts that don't quite gel with the rest - HOWEVER, after only a few minutes, I was captivated by the central character's story, and the amazingly delicate way that the concept of humanity is explored. No, it's not a prize winner, but it is a thoroughly refreshing and enjoyable piece of genuine sci-fi. Now please excuse me, I need to download book 2.

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Very Happy

This was a fantastic book ! really enjoyed the plot and performance. The story line was inventive and the main character had depth.

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Decent, but probably better to read vs. listen

I'd read maybe half this novella length story before losing my paperback version, so was keen to finish the story via audio.

Unfortunately, I think something gets lost in the translation. The narrator does a perfectly ok job, but it's all a bit bland - everything, from the murderbot's voice to the action sequences, all sounded much better in my head.

It's a decent story - great even - but this is one to read in paper form, not listen to, if you can.

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So good.

A ripper story with terrific characters and so many cool ideas. Highly recommend and a nice quick listen.

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Excellent story

I had always steered away from the Murderbot stories for some reason and now realise that was a mistake on my behalf.
This is another surprise take on AI and possibly g to he robotic laws but I enjoyed it immensely.

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Great

really enjoyed the story and narration, looking forward to the next book in the series

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Funny, fast-paced and adventurous

A sarcastic, reluctant AI hero with a love of trashy-tv and (begrudgingly) humans. Excellent story/performance

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