Originally posted to I Should Read That

This was actually a reread for me — I picked up All Systems Red back in 2018 and was not sold on it. I think trying this a second time did me a lot of good, as I had a better idea of what to expect going in. Everyone talks about how funny and relatable Murderbot is, but they don’t often talk about the fact that this is very much a serious, hard sci-fi series. Having my mindset adjusted, I was able to enjoy this book so much more.

This novella contains a huge amount of set-up, to the point that I think it’s best to read them all back-to-back. I can see readers coming out of All Systems Red a little unsatisfied with the world building (which gets stronger as later books add more context and detail) and the secondary characters (what human can stand out next to Murderbot? I mean, come on). However, it does a great job of introducing you to the SecUnit systems and the way of life in the future.

All Systems Red feels a lot like the first part of a longer book, which left me feeling a little unsatisfied. Fortunately, I had the second book on hand to read right away.