All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

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.

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Kevin R. Free
Performance: 🌑🌑🌑🌑
Story: 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

What would an artificial intelligence do if it can make decisions for itself? If it can, would you trust it?

Exhibit A: SecUnit aka Murderbot

I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the  company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays,

I love Murderbot!!!

Asocials, introverts, pessimists and aces (me, me, me AND me) can very much relate to how Murderbot would rather watch videos than be with humans (swap videos to books and I'm there),  move to the side and face the wall when human interaction is too much (yes, parties and family gatherings ugh!), say something like this "you may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist" (it's always best to expect the worst), and fast forward videos to skip sex scenes (given the amount of MM I consume and blog about here, people would be surprise I don't read the sex scenes).

I am tempted to call Murderbot misanthrope but he doesn't hate humans. He simply does not care. 

“There was an info packet in my initial download.” I was still staring out at the heavy green tangle just past the rocks. I really didn’t want to get into how little I paid attention to my job. “I didn’t read it.”
Arada said, gently, “Why not?”
With all of them staring at me, I couldn’t come up with a good lie. “I didn’t care.”
Gurathin said, “You expect us to believe that.”
I felt my face move, my jaw harden. Physical reactions I couldn’t suppress. “I’ll try to be more accurate. I was indifferent, and vaguely annoyed. Do you believe that?”

And while I am using the male pronoun because the audiobook narrator was male,  Murderbot is actually agender.

Murderbot's self imposed apathy starts to break down when the humans under his watch were in danger. His clients were a team of scientists on an exploratory mission lead by Dr. Mensah. He admits to liking the 'weird humans' whom he describes as 'drama-free'. I couldn't distinguish most of them from each other apart from the few that stood out like Dr. Mensah, Pin-Li and Ratthi. They were however indeed drama-free  for the most parts and Dr. Mensah prove to be a very capable and competent leader. She has Murderbot's approval:

It was starting to occur to me that Dr. Mensah might actually be an intrepid galactic explorer, even if she didn’t look like the ones on the entertainment feed.

He encounters other rogue SecUnits who killed their clients because some entity gave them a combat override module. With a name like Murderbot, you would expect blood and gore (oh, he has his history) but actually the story is more about free will, sentient constructs and personhood. With these kinds of stories, authors will usually humanize the constructs. With Murderbot, yes, he protected humans, yes, he evolved (kind of), yes, he somehow gained friends but what I liked about it is that at the end of the day, he is still, essentially, the same crabby, sarcastic loner bot we started out with. Who says humanity should be the default? 

SOUNDTRACK

Robot

The Futureheads

The Futureheads

I am a robot, living like a robot, talk like a robot, in the habititting way

Look up to the sky (robot), you can trample ove me (robot)
Do anything you do, now the ground has gone

I am a robot, living like a robot, talk like a robot, in the habititting way

In the future we all die (robot), machines will last forever (robot)
Metal things just turn to rust, when you're a robot

I am a robot, living like a robot, talk like a robot, in the habititting way

The best thing is our life span (i don't mind)
We last nigh on hundred years (i don't mind)
If that mean's we'll be together i don't mind
I have no mind, i have no mind

Im programmed to follow you (robot), do exactly as you do (robot)
Now my nervous system's blue , i feel fine

I am a robot, living like a robot, talk like a robot, in the habititting way

The best thing is our life span (i don't mind)
We last nigh on hundred years (i don't mind)
If that mean's we'll be together i dont mind (i have no mind)
The best things last a life time (i have no mind)
When you age i will not change (i have no mind)
I think i'll be around forever if you dont mind

I have no mind, why don't (i have no mind) (robot)
I have no mind, why don't (i have no mind) (robot)
I have no mind, why don't (i have no mind) (robot)
I have no mind, why don't (i have no mind)

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