All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Security Bots are made up of a combination of organic and robotic elements. Like other bots they can be programmed for a variety of skills, in this case to act as bodyguards/protectors for survey teams as they explore planets for minerals, fauna or other valuable items. Having been involved in an incident that caused it to kill a number of humans, this bot has been reprogrammed. At some point it was able to hack into its programming and become self aware. It has also decided to call itself Murderbot, and all it wants to do is to watch the entertainment serials it has downloaded between its necessary duties.

Contracted out by the corporation to provide security to a survey team working on a little known planet, Murderbot discovers that things are not as they should be. Technical glitches and gaps in the information the team has on the planet leads the team to discover why and who might be behind this. In order to perform his duties, it might become necessary for Murderbot to reveal his own secret. If he does, what will be the reaction and will he simply be deactivated and reprogrammed.

Wells introduces a fascinating new SF character and we see the story unfold from his perspective. I'm looking forward to reading the further adventure of the character and where he goes from this point on.


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My Comic picks for 3/6/19

Deadly Class, Volume 1: Reagan Youth by Rick Remender
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rick Remender, has been writing for Marvel and other American publishers for years. His creation Deadly Class is now an on-going TV series on the SyFy channel. This first TPB collection was adapted into the first season of the TV show, with some minor in the timeline and the appearance of some characters. I heard of this book but didn't pick it up until I was already a fan of the show.

Marcus is an orphan, whose parents were killed during the suicide of a released mental patient. Marcus has decided that this was caused by the Federal government cutting funding to institutions which lead to this tragedy, so decides that Ronald Reagan is to blame. His goal is to kill the then President. Wrongly believed to have caused the death of a number of children in a fire that destroyed the orphanage, Marcus is living on the streets and trying to keep away from the police. One night while escaping he finds himself rescued by other teens that he discovers are students of Kings Dominion, a secret high school that trains the children of elite families to become assassins. As he begins his studies he finds himself becoming friends, something he has never had before, with other students who are also seen as outcasts (called Rats). Eventually it becomes clear that neither Marcus or his fellow students can every truly escape their pasts, nor the hidden agendas of their families and the school administration.

The book ends at a point about mid-season in the TV series, so you'd have to decide if you want to continue from here as some plot elements in the show are given away in the graphic novel. I'm a fan of both and look forward to the show and future collections of the series.


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My comics picks 2/28/19