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Cover of All Systems Red

All Systems Red

Martha Wells (2017)

SubgenreAI/Robots
Age groupAdult 18+
Content ratingPG-13
Pages96 (Quick Read (<250))
SeriesThe Murderbot Diaries #1
Setting
CSM age13

Content levels

ViolenceModerate
Sexual contentNone
LanguageMild

Synopsis

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award for Best Novella Winner of the Alex Award A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Now an Apple Original series from Academy Award nominees Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz and starring Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård. 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. The Murderbot Diaries All Systems Red Artificial Condition Rogue Protocol Exit Strategy Network Effect Fugitive Telemetry System Collapse At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Tags

Space OperaMysteryCorporate SFCharacter-DrivenNovella

Is All Systems Red appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 13 and up.

Contains moderate sci-fi action violence (combat, threats to humans) and themes of corporate exploitation. The android protagonist struggles with self-awareness and identity after hacking its control systems.

What to know going in

This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include violence, anxiety, and corporate exploitation.

Publisher age: Adult·Our content rating: 13+

Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.

Who'll love this

A sarcastic security android who just wants to watch shows discovers its humanity while protecting scientists on a distant planet.