Episode 019: All Systems Red
Download MP3Thanks for joining us! This month we’re discussing All Systems Red by Martha Wells.
The self-named Murderbot doesn’t really want to stop binge-watching media content long enough to do its boring security job for a bunch of humans surveying an unknown planet. But when an unknown life-form attacks one of the team, Murderbot is forced to start paying attention. When the humans try to talk to it, ask it questions and, worst of all, treat it like a person, Murderbot must confront its own social anxieties and self-consciousnesses, all the while trying to solve the mystery of what or who is trying to kill them all.
In This Episode We Mention
Unbury the Future Martha Wells’s full speech from the 2017 World Fantasy Awards
Bonus short story: Online version of Compulsory: A Murderbot Story in Wired Magazine (set before All Systems Red).
Our Favourite Media Content
Erica: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Kirsten: Broadchurch, Top of the Lake
Alan: Moneyball, Gattacca, Donnie Darko, Chasing Amy, Conversations With Other Women, Requiem for a Dream, Revolutionary Road, Closer, Rounders, Good Will Hunting
Dennis: The Princess Bride, The Simpsons
Can You Tell Me A Book I Would Also Like?
Erica: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Kirsten: A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
Alan: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Dennis: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Nerd Words for Word Nerds
Dennis: Ancillary
Erica: Avocado
Kirsten: Dongle. The Origin of the Word ‘Dongle’: 7 Leading Theories
Alan: Clipless (from Wikipedia) Clipless pedals require a special cycling shoe with a cleat fitted to the sole, which locks into a mechanism in the pedal and thus holds the shoe firmly to the pedal.
Comments from this episode come from Fatima. Thanks to Fatima and our whole online community for being part of the discussion.
Next month we’ll be reading The Changeling by Victor LaValle.
As always – we want to talk about what you want to talk about. Get in touch on social media or email us at wpl-podcast@winnipeg.ca.
Time to Read is a production of the Winnipeg Public Library. Our panel today included Alan Chorney, Kirsten Wurmann, Erica Ball, and Dennis Penner. Trevor is away on holiday, but will return. Our webmaster is Arryn Seburn. Our social media guru is Reegan Breu. Audio production and music by Dennis Penner.
Creators and Guests
Host
Dennis Penner
Dennis works in the ideaMILL and while he prefers mysteries and non-fiction, he’s open to reading almost anything. He’s also the editor/producer, so he can edit the show to make himself sound smarter than he really is.
Host
Trevor Lockhart
Trevor is the Branch Head of the Louis Riel library. He tends to be a slow reader but a fast talker, so it all evens out.
