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Book Recommendation: ‘All Systems Red’ by Martha Wells

Recommended by GRACE JOHNSON, Peninsula Pulse staffer and bibliophile

Part of the Murderbot Diaries, Wells’ first installment in this sci-fi novella series – and one full-length novel – is a great way to start out your year in reading. It’s short, funny and at times heartwarming.

The series follows a government-created security android that has managed to hack its own system and become self-aware, referring to itself as “Murderbot.” While accompanying a scientific survey team, a neighboring mission goes dark, and it’s up to Murderbot and the science team to figure out what happened.

This is a series I’ve slept on for too long and am finally getting into it. The story is written from the perspective of Murderbot as it grapples with its identity and its relationship to the humans it serves.

All Systems Red received the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella and the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and it was nominated for the 2017 Phillip K. Dick Award.