--- product_id: 110054023 title: "All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries" price: "NZ$38" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/110054023-all-systems-red-the-murderbot-diaries store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries **Price:** NZ$38 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries - **How much does it cost?** NZ$38 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/110054023-all-systems-red-the-murderbot-diaries) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries eBook : Wells, Martha: Kindle Store Review: Fall In Love With Murderbot - This book series got me through the latter half of 2020 (specifically the period of the American election and its fallout) which is no mean feat. I read them repeatedly, over and over again, so many times that I genuinely could not even venture a guess as to how many times I've read the whole series through anymore. I still pull them out in between the other things I'm reading. I adore Murderbot and its adventures. It may honestly be the most relatable character in fiction I've ever met. My single solitary complaint about the entire series is that there isn't more of it and I already have the next part on pre-order, which I await with baited breath. (I've gifted copies of the first volume to five different people so far, and the only reason I haven't given it to more is because I'm just not that sociable as to be regularly exchanging gifts with all that many folks.) For those of you unfamiliar with the Murderbot Diaries (which I assume is most if not all of the people reading this, as that's generally the point of perusing book reviews) let me curtail the aimless gushing and focus on some specifics: the first four books in the series (this one included) are short novellas, and while I'm generally a fan of longer fiction their length is absolutely perfect. They're all self-contained adventures, but they build together into a longer connected storyline -- sort of like the episodes within a television season. You can read and enjoy each one on its own merits, but you'll probably find yourself wanting to do them all in proper order so you can get the full experience of Murderbot's life. (Yes, the main character is named Murderbot. It chose the name itself, and while the first volume gives you enough information to understand why you will learn more of the story behind that name, and its emotional weight, as the series goes on.) After the four novellas, there is an extremely brief short story that you can find online for free (titled "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory") and while a number of people have complained about it, I honestly thought it was a great interlude. And given that it's free and will probably take you less than twenty minutes to read, I don't see why there's any reason to skip it. It's fun to get a different perspective on things, and it offers some lovely background characterization of one of the most important secondary characters in the series. It makes a nice bridge to the novel which follows, too. The novel reads a lot like the shorter adventures, especially at the start, and in a way it just feels like it's longer because there are more events taking place so it takes more words to tell what happened, rather than that the author set out to specifically "write a novel" as opposed to a novella -- which is nice, because the tone and style and everything remain beautifully consistent throughout the whole series -- but at the same time, the fact that it DOES spend more time on one plot and one group of characters means there is a chance to get a little more in-depth with various things and people, and that's nice too. Some stories/series are more suited to one type of writing or another, but I feel like with the Murderbot Diaries there is no wrong length. Whether you're sitting down for ten minutes or ten hours, you're going to get the same delightfully enjoyable experience out of these books. As to the writing itself, it alternates between engrossing, hilarious, heart-rending, and painfully accurate. You're going to identity with and relate to Murderbot so much that you'll find yourself (at least, if you're anything like me you will) also thinking of humans as an "other" during the course of your reading, as you mentally (or out-loud; no judgement if you're one of those people who exclaims aloud as you read; I rarely do, but this seems like an appropriate book series for that sort of behavior) shout at them to not do stupid things and just listen to their SecUnit, please! It's very much a found-family story, albeit a slow-build one, and despite the occasional body-count (really a rather small number, given that the series is about a character named Murderbot) it's ultimately a story of good people and happy endings. Murderbot will sometimes punch you straight in the heart with an emotional moment or observation, but it's the good sort of pain that only the best stories cause. I love these books more than I can fairly describe, and I hope you'll give them a chance because I think you'll love them too. P.S. for anyone concerned, there is surprisingly little gore for how much violence is inherent in the life of a Murderbot. A fair amount of swearing, yes, and the occasional (usually annoyed, sometimes disgusted, always disinterested) reference to the existence of sex as a human activity that exists, but there are no lengthy passages expounding in great detail upon the injuries or deaths that take place throughout the series. I suppose some people might find the no-nonsense way Murderbot presents such things disquieting, but I don't think even squeamish people are likely to be too upset. The only trigger-warning I can think to give is to caution people that there are definitely parallels/references to abuse in Murderbot's past and the emotional kick of those might be unpleasantly familiar to abuse survivors. YMMV of course, but I expect that the way current characters deal with Murderbot and its trauma likely makes for a more positive and supportive process than a triggering one, but if that is something to which you think you may be sensitive, please do brace yourself ahead of time. Review: Well Paced and Great Humor - It’s rare to come across science fiction that has the perfect balance of humor to seriousness ratio. The story has the sort of dry humor that is funny without trying to be, just the way I like/prefer it. The laughs are natural and unforced while being unobtrusive to comprehending the norms of the story. On that note, it could do with a great deal of descriptions. Perhaps I missed it but the hoppers, a common vehicle in the story, aren’t exactly described. I could be wrong or maybe it was rapidly glanced over, but it made picturing the interiors and scenes pretty difficult. This was a common theme in the writing and the core reason I deducted a star. Other than lacking essential and comprehensive descriptions of character appearances, environments, vehicles, and other things that enable visualizing science fiction, the story itself is quite good. You easily get drawn in, wanting to know what will happen next. The action to calm and contemplative ratio is absolutely stellar, with it seamlessly bouncing between the two states. The lore is fascinating and just on the edge of unique to not be overdone for the “hey I’m sentient now Mr robot” trope to not get old. MurderBot is an interesting character, a bit sarcastic and pessimistic (okay maybe not a bit), and it’s fun seeing the world through its eyes. Maybe this is why scenery and interiors aren’t described because it’s a very personal, first person presentation of events and experiences. Presumably, the bot would be fully comfortable with the setting, this world being all it knows. I’m glad that there are so many more of these ahead of me. I finished it over the course of two days and it was a simple joy and pleasure to read. Perhaps it didn’t give me as much philosophical pause as other works (I’m sure it will as I continue through the series, the world is fertile for it), but it’s okay for writing to just be sheer fun as well. And this is certainly that. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,506 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #1 in Kindle Singles: Science Fiction & Fantasy #2 in Crime & Mystery Science Fiction #4 in Science Fiction Androids, Robots & Artificial Intelligences (Kindle Store) | ## Images ![All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81nQPU0kOGL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fall In Love With Murderbot *by R***S on February 1, 2021* This book series got me through the latter half of 2020 (specifically the period of the American election and its fallout) which is no mean feat. I read them repeatedly, over and over again, so many times that I genuinely could not even venture a guess as to how many times I've read the whole series through anymore. I still pull them out in between the other things I'm reading. I adore Murderbot and its adventures. It may honestly be the most relatable character in fiction I've ever met. My single solitary complaint about the entire series is that there isn't more of it and I already have the next part on pre-order, which I await with baited breath. (I've gifted copies of the first volume to five different people so far, and the only reason I haven't given it to more is because I'm just not that sociable as to be regularly exchanging gifts with all that many folks.) For those of you unfamiliar with the Murderbot Diaries (which I assume is most if not all of the people reading this, as that's generally the point of perusing book reviews) let me curtail the aimless gushing and focus on some specifics: the first four books in the series (this one included) are short novellas, and while I'm generally a fan of longer fiction their length is absolutely perfect. They're all self-contained adventures, but they build together into a longer connected storyline -- sort of like the episodes within a television season. You can read and enjoy each one on its own merits, but you'll probably find yourself wanting to do them all in proper order so you can get the full experience of Murderbot's life. (Yes, the main character is named Murderbot. It chose the name itself, and while the first volume gives you enough information to understand why you will learn more of the story behind that name, and its emotional weight, as the series goes on.) After the four novellas, there is an extremely brief short story that you can find online for free (titled "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory") and while a number of people have complained about it, I honestly thought it was a great interlude. And given that it's free and will probably take you less than twenty minutes to read, I don't see why there's any reason to skip it. It's fun to get a different perspective on things, and it offers some lovely background characterization of one of the most important secondary characters in the series. It makes a nice bridge to the novel which follows, too. The novel reads a lot like the shorter adventures, especially at the start, and in a way it just feels like it's longer because there are more events taking place so it takes more words to tell what happened, rather than that the author set out to specifically "write a novel" as opposed to a novella -- which is nice, because the tone and style and everything remain beautifully consistent throughout the whole series -- but at the same time, the fact that it DOES spend more time on one plot and one group of characters means there is a chance to get a little more in-depth with various things and people, and that's nice too. Some stories/series are more suited to one type of writing or another, but I feel like with the Murderbot Diaries there is no wrong length. Whether you're sitting down for ten minutes or ten hours, you're going to get the same delightfully enjoyable experience out of these books. As to the writing itself, it alternates between engrossing, hilarious, heart-rending, and painfully accurate. You're going to identity with and relate to Murderbot so much that you'll find yourself (at least, if you're anything like me you will) also thinking of humans as an "other" during the course of your reading, as you mentally (or out-loud; no judgement if you're one of those people who exclaims aloud as you read; I rarely do, but this seems like an appropriate book series for that sort of behavior) shout at them to not do stupid things and just listen to their SecUnit, please! It's very much a found-family story, albeit a slow-build one, and despite the occasional body-count (really a rather small number, given that the series is about a character named Murderbot) it's ultimately a story of good people and happy endings. Murderbot will sometimes punch you straight in the heart with an emotional moment or observation, but it's the good sort of pain that only the best stories cause. I love these books more than I can fairly describe, and I hope you'll give them a chance because I think you'll love them too. P.S. for anyone concerned, there is surprisingly little gore for how much violence is inherent in the life of a Murderbot. A fair amount of swearing, yes, and the occasional (usually annoyed, sometimes disgusted, always disinterested) reference to the existence of sex as a human activity that exists, but there are no lengthy passages expounding in great detail upon the injuries or deaths that take place throughout the series. I suppose some people might find the no-nonsense way Murderbot presents such things disquieting, but I don't think even squeamish people are likely to be too upset. The only trigger-warning I can think to give is to caution people that there are definitely parallels/references to abuse in Murderbot's past and the emotional kick of those might be unpleasantly familiar to abuse survivors. YMMV of course, but I expect that the way current characters deal with Murderbot and its trauma likely makes for a more positive and supportive process than a triggering one, but if that is something to which you think you may be sensitive, please do brace yourself ahead of time. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well Paced and Great Humor *by J***R on February 8, 2025* It’s rare to come across science fiction that has the perfect balance of humor to seriousness ratio. The story has the sort of dry humor that is funny without trying to be, just the way I like/prefer it. The laughs are natural and unforced while being unobtrusive to comprehending the norms of the story. On that note, it could do with a great deal of descriptions. Perhaps I missed it but the hoppers, a common vehicle in the story, aren’t exactly described. I could be wrong or maybe it was rapidly glanced over, but it made picturing the interiors and scenes pretty difficult. This was a common theme in the writing and the core reason I deducted a star. Other than lacking essential and comprehensive descriptions of character appearances, environments, vehicles, and other things that enable visualizing science fiction, the story itself is quite good. You easily get drawn in, wanting to know what will happen next. The action to calm and contemplative ratio is absolutely stellar, with it seamlessly bouncing between the two states. The lore is fascinating and just on the edge of unique to not be overdone for the “hey I’m sentient now Mr robot” trope to not get old. MurderBot is an interesting character, a bit sarcastic and pessimistic (okay maybe not a bit), and it’s fun seeing the world through its eyes. Maybe this is why scenery and interiors aren’t described because it’s a very personal, first person presentation of events and experiences. Presumably, the bot would be fully comfortable with the setting, this world being all it knows. I’m glad that there are so many more of these ahead of me. I finished it over the course of two days and it was a simple joy and pleasure to read. Perhaps it didn’t give me as much philosophical pause as other works (I’m sure it will as I continue through the series, the world is fertile for it), but it’s okay for writing to just be sheer fun as well. And this is certainly that. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pure Fun *by S***N on June 14, 2017* Novellas can be a tricky thing. They’re not full length books, but they can sometimes still demand the same price. All Systems Red comes in at just 150 pages, so it’s a quick read, but despite the length of the book, the true importance is the impact of the story. That’s where this one shines. All Systems Red stands out. The style and narrative of the story, the voice of the main character, it grips you right from the start and compels you to keep going. There’s humor, there’s action and there’s mystery as this sci-fi tale pokes it’s head into the waters of a very interesting universe. It’s one where hi-tech gadgets are curbed by businesses cutting corners to save costs. A place where planetary explorers get in over the heads with vicious lifeforms and deadly technology. But most of all, it’s a story about a murderbot who just wants to watch tv. “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 and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.” And so the book begins with the main character. A robot. A murderbot. Murderbot doesn’t have a name. It’s official designation is simply SecUnit, short for security unit, and it’s tasked with the security of a scientific team on a far off planet. Murderbot is just one cog in the wheel of futuristic commerce. Corporations sell out shares of prospect worlds to parties interested, who in turn rent or buy all the equipment needed to explore that world, which includes security units like Murderbot. Part machine and part cloned human, Murderbot has no gender and, theoretically, no freedom. However, thanks to a hacked governor module, Muderbot has quite a lot of freedom. In most stories, that freedom would lead to a robot killing its masters to seek its freedom. In this story, Murderbot ends up travelling a very different path, which is what makes it fun. Now I don’t want to spoil the story, so suffice to say Murderbot goes on an adventure on this alien world with a team of scientists and it leads to plenty of action and mystery. Yet the key that glues it all together is the humor. Murderbot’s peculiar personality leads to some very fun quirks that makes the story so enjoyable. Murderbot knows it’s a piece of junk made by a corporation using the cheapest parts to maximize profits. This in turns leads to some self-deprecating humor. On the other hand, you have this extremely advanced machine in comparison to what we actually have in reality. Murderbot has a true artificial intelligence and is capable of making its own decisions and having its own wants and desires. So what does an AI do? It watches tv. That right there is hilarious. While novellas can be a hard sell, All Systems Red is a must read story. Seriously, this is a sci-fi story you should check out. It’s fun, unique, quirky, and a pure joy to read. This story in itself is rather self-contained, however there is another book on the way. Hopefully we’ll see even more as I absolutely loved this one. I give All Systems Red a five out of five. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/110054023-all-systems-red-the-murderbot-diaries](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/110054023-all-systems-red-the-murderbot-diaries) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-04-26*