Book · 2017
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)
by Martha Wells
A security robot hacks its own governor module, gains free will, and spends its days streaming soap operas instead of killing anyone.
What does Reddit think of All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)?
5753 mentions, the largest count in this set, and 3757 of them are on r/printSF, which treats Murderbot as close to house canon. r/suggestmeabook adds 1364, r/Fantasy 627. The Hugo sweep is real ammunition here: one comment (↑233) lists Network Effect winning Best Novel alongside other wins for the series, and the awards case gets made without much pushback. The joke that keeps recurring is the show's own premise, that Murderbot is not a well-adjusted, non-traumatized being (↑225), and a second thread calls it blunter: 'Murderbot doesn't like us either' (↑237). The Apple TV+ adaptation gets real skepticism, not blind hype. One commenter (↑397) worries the whole appeal is the internal narration, which doesn't translate to a screen without stripping the character down. There's also a running debate about how to read Murderbot's voice, feminine or masculine, despite it being written as neither (↑261). 2023 (1074) and 2025 (1015) are its two biggest years yet, meaning the show helped rather than hurt.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · found family among artificial beings
- · trauma and self-directed healing
- · a hired security robot avoiding humans
- · genre crossover between SF fans and general readers
- · the ongoing TV adaptation debate
Common praise
- + The Hugo wins get cited as receipts, not vibes, with Network Effect's Best Novel win named specifically (↑233).
- + Its cross-genre reach argues for itself; printSF, suggestmeabook, and Fantasy all show up in real numbers (3757, 1364, 627).
- + People keep recommending readers 'knock out the first 3' in one sitting, treating the novellas as a binge unit (↑282).
Common criticism
- − One commenter doubts the Apple TV+ show can survive without Murderbot's internal narration intact (↑397).
- − The running joke that 'Murderbot doesn't like us either' cuts both ways, since some readers find the misanthropy grating rather than charming (↑237).
- − There's real disagreement over reading Murderbot's voice as feminine or masculine, since the text itself refuses both (↑261).
Who it's for
If a security robot narrating its own trauma while streaming soap operas sounds funny rather than bleak, you're the audience. Try the first three novellas back to back rather than one at a time; that's the recommended dose, not a single sampler (↑282). Skeptics of the Apple TV+ show should know the skepticism is shared here too, not just among book purists (↑397). Come for the Hugo pedigree if awards convince you of anything; Network Effect's Best Novel win gets cited as proof this isn't just internet hype (↑233).
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“Apple TV+ actually has a pretty decent track record with shows, so I'm cautiously optimistic. My biggest worry is that what makes Murderbot special is the internal dialogue, and I'm not sure how you are gonna do that effectively on TV. And if you strip that away, the series is just some decent, but …
“I got one of those "if you like X, you'll like Y" recommendation posts and it made *City of Bones* sound like the perfect book for me. So I searched it up, bought a copy, gave it a read. Not my cup of tea, at all. A few years later, I happen to spot the same title at the library: *City of Bones*..…
“What a great article! I had no idea she was from Texas. Sad to hear she had a signing that no one went to (I guess that is sort of a right of passage for authors?), I would have gone lol! Hope her cancer status is stable. Get your mammograms, people! The Murderbot diaries have been some of my fa…
“I've only read the first one, but you could knock out the first 3 Murderbot Diaries books.
“Very exciting! Tangentially, am I the only person who reads Murderbot’s narration more femininely than masculinely? I mean, I know it’s a non-binary, non-gendered being, but seeing it represented on tv as a big buff dude would really throw me for a loop, I think. Maybe it’s because, in its own mind…
“Not everything is for everyone. Its ok. Murderbot doesn’t like us either.
“**Best Novel** *Network Effect* by Martha Wells **Best Novella** *The Empress of Salt and Fortune* by Nghi Vo **Best Novelette** "Two Truths and a Lie" by Sarah Pinsker **Best Short Story** "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher **Best Series** *The Murderbot Diaries* by Martha Wells *…
“Does Murderbot seem like a well-adjusted, non-traumatized being to you?
Convinced? Pick up All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)
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All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) — frequently asked
Is All Systems Red as good as its Hugo wins suggest?+
Yes, per the sample. One comment (↑233) lists Network Effect's Best Novel win among the series' other award wins as evidence, and the case goes largely unchallenged across 5753 total mentions, the highest volume in this set.
Will the All Systems Red TV adaptation work?+
Uncertain, and Reddit itself is split. One commenter (↑397) worries the appeal is entirely Murderbot's internal narration, which a screen adaptation can't easily replicate without stripping the character down to something duller.
Is Murderbot from All Systems Red meant to be read as male or female?+
Neither, by design, though readers disagree on how it lands in practice. One thread (↑261) admits reading the narration as more feminine than masculine despite knowing the character is written as non-gendered, and a separate comment (↑397) worries that any adaptation choice on this front risks flattening what makes the voice work on the page.
What does r/printSF actually say about All Systems Red?+
It's close to house canon there, holding 3757 of the book's 5753 total mentions, more than double what r/suggestmeabook (1364) and r/Fantasy (627) contribute combined. The running joke, that 'Murderbot doesn't like us either' (↑237), captures the tone the sub takes toward it: affectionate but entirely unsentimental.