All System Red

In Martha Wells ' novel All Systems Red, a security robot goes rogue in the laziest way possible. This one’s being adapted into an Apple television show debuting next month, so I thought I’d check out the source material first. Our robot, who somewhat ironically calls himself Murderbot, has been assigned to protect the members of a research team on an alien world. Human interaction makes him uncomfortable, and in the beginning, they don’t need much protection. Instead, he spends his time watching TV shows he’s downloaded, most notably soap operas.

Of course, complications ensue, and he is forced to protect his humans and even attempt to bond with them on some level. I’ll leave the recap there in case you decide to read it or check out the show. Did I like it? Well, I would say I loved the character and liked the story. The resolution to the main conflict seemed a little murky to me, and I actually re-read a section to make sure I didn’t miss something. I’ll definitely check out the show, and I suspect I’ll be back for the next book in the series. It’s a quick read and makes a great palate cleanser if you are in the middle of something longer. Four outta five stars.