All Systems Red
Fun little novella. Mostly I liked it because the main character POV is just so bizarre. It seems very human in some ways, like the love for soap operas, and so inhuman in many other ways. Or maybe it's just the atypical emotional responses, it almost read like a parable of autism or something. I also found its extreme social anxiety relatable.
I didn't much care for the actual story and plot. It seemed pretty thin, and for a book that's so plot-centric that's a weakness.
This author interview is worth a read. It cleared up for me that MurderBot is intended to have no gender. https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/16/16315474/science-fiction-author-martha-wells-murderbot-robots-interview
Update: I read this a second time (audiobook) and enjoyed it again. Same comments: loved the character, didn't really care about the plot. What I'd forgotten is how very funny the book is, the narrative asides from Murderbot as it explores its social awkwardness. Just lovely writing.
Update 2: I read it a second time after the TV show! I was struck by how good the TV adaptation was. These comments aren't meant to slag the book, it's still good, but the TV show is a remarkable enhancement.
The novella is good but, IMHO, not Great. What makes it fun is the unusual Murderbot persona, it's social alienation. I think that doesn't come out very well in the TV show. Skarsgård does his best and some things work (the eye contact) and some don't (his sarcastic voice). But I didn't identify with it in the show like I did reading the book.
But the novella is weak in other points. The plotting is a little confusing: I've read it three times and still don't fully follow what happens. The story is very rushed, a rare book that could benefit from being longer. It lacks a satisfying emotional conclusion. The TV show's portrayal of the heroic dive off the plateau and then Murderbot's resurrection is much more compelling than the book version (IMHO) and then the coda of Murderbot deciding to go off on its own was so well done.
Which segues to another good addition in the show: the PreservationAux characters. I tried real hard in this reading to keep them straight in the book and really can't, it's just some interchangeable names. The TV show did a fantastic job characterizing them, distinct personalities with their own stories. The standout here is Gurathin, both the writing and the acting. His part of Murderbot's conclusion really moved me and is not really in the book other than the barest hint.
Another interesting change in the show is how they portray GrayCris, or EvilSurvey as the PresAux folks call them in the book. Wells' original version is really not compelling, they're just some bad guys (5 humans, 5 secunits) and some stuff happens. LeeBeeBee turns that all on its head, gives the TV audience a chance to meet one of the GrayCris people. She's a complete invention in the TV show but I think it works much better. Wells was closely involved in the TV show but not directly writing, more a producer and story consultant. The extra writing, the directing, and the acting all really fleshed out her original story and world in a good way.