📚心得【厭世機器人 #1：系統異常自救指南】｜Review《Murderbot #1: All Systems Red》&《Murderbot #2: Artificial Condition》 by Martha Wells, 2017

#2018年Nebula中篇小說獎 #中短篇 #繁中譯本 #Cyborg #複製人 #基因工程

恩…怎麼說呢，對這個系列的印象真的是好壞參半啊，自己是因為Bookclub推薦與2018年星雲獎得獎名單上有、圖書館搶手借不到才買來看的，有點名氣是事實，但看完後只覺得這個系列根本是因為搭上點LGBTQ風潮才大受歡迎的。

故事的主角是一台偶然間駭入自己系統、失去自己過去部分資料與記憶、脫離任何系統掌控的維安強化複製人(SecUnit)，簡單說就是各種優秀人類基因混雜起來後在培養槽中長大、再經過機械與電腦改良的強化人，身體上下大概只有部分器官、神經中樞、雙手武器槽是機械，其他除了沒有性器官外都和普通人類沒兩樣；武力也屆在服務性質仿生人與軍用機器人之間。這樣的牠有個特殊的興趣－追人類的狗血劇。

這樣卡在半人半機械、半服務半軍事、半男半女之間的身分，讓主角在許多場合十分有趣，牠可以偽裝成人或機械、男或女性，在人類與AI之間遊蕩，對於自己該站在人類或AI的立場思考事情成為主角最大的難題。平時自己仍偽裝成維安單位與其他人類一同出任務，畢竟這仍是自己最擅長的工作，接收到人類指令自己雖然有選擇的自由，仍會不想讓自己自由身的身分穿幫而「厭世、要做不做的」以隨便的態度完成任務。

整部作品從十分主觀的角度來看主角對於自身的身分衝突，這很符合一些Social Justice的人很看重的「我覺得如何如何」的觀點，但主角也不會將自己的立場強加在別人身上，因此整個劇情看起來就像「我有這些這些情緒，但以自己的立場不能表達出來，也不會將觀點加在生理與自己不同的其他人身上」，是不是很有LGBTQ在一般以異性戀為主的社會中生活的感覺呢？

但話說回來，整個故事主軸普通，又有開plot armor的感覺，自己就是個維安強化人而已，怎麼在各種交火、鬥法的過程中撐下來的？🤔在同等級對打中實在OP得有些過份了。

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IMO總分：60分，個人覺得過譽、著重刻畫主角但沒太多劇情的普作。

核心思想：★★★☆☆ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5

劇情細節：★★☆☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4

角色刻畫：★★★★☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3

科學軟硬：★★★☆☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3

結局滿意：★★☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3

易讀程度：★★★★★ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2

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#2018_Nebula_Best_Novella_Award #Novella #Chinese_Translated #Cyborg

Hmm, well, my feelings about this series are pretty mixed. I ended up buying it because of a book club recommendation and seeing it on the 2018 Nebula award list, plus it was in high demand at public library. To be honest, it does have some fame, but after reading it, I feel like this series only blew up because it caught onto the LGBTQ+ trend.

The main character is a SecUnit (a type of enhanced security replicant) who accidentally breaches its own system, loses part of its past data and memories, and escapes any form of system control. Simply put, it’s a mix of superior human genes grown in lab settings, then further enhanced with mechanical and computer modifications. Its body is mostly organic except for some mechanical organs, neural core, and weapon slots. Basically, it looks like a regular human except for the lack of sexual organs. Its strength falls somewhere between that of a service-oriented android and a military-grade machine. The kicker? This character has a peculiar hobby: chasing dramatic human soap operas.

Straddling this liminal space between being half-human, half-machine; half-service, half-military; and ambiguously gendered creates some pretty interesting dynamics for the protagonist. It can disguise itself as either human or machine, male or female, moving fluidly between humans and AI. But its biggest challenge is figuring out whether to approach situations from a human or AI perspective. Normally, it pretends to be part of a security unit and works alongside other humans on missions, since that’s what it was designed for. Even though it has the freedom to choose its tasks, it tends to adopt an "apathetic and nonchalant" attitude to avoid blowing its cover.

The story is told from a very subjective angle, focusing on the protagonist's internal identity struggles. This fits well with certain social justice perspectives that emphasize personal feelings like "my thoughts are unique to myself and others shouldn't try to correct them without my consent." Yet, the character doesn’t force its views onto others, which makes the narrative feel like it’s about someone navigating emotions but unable to express them openly — much like how LGBTQ+ individuals might exist in a predominantly heterosexual society.

That said, the main plot feels generic and has a sense of invulnerability that gets a bit frustrating. How does this enhanced security unit survive so many firefights and power struggles without getting taken down? The plot armor seems too thick for it to look believable.

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IMO Rating: 60. I think it’s overrated, focusing too much on the protagonist at the expense of actual plot development — an average piece overall.

Core Theme: ★★★☆☆ (*5)

Plot Quality: ★★☆☆☆ (*4)

Character Development: ★★★★☆ (*3)

Science Validity: ★★★☆☆ (*3)

Ending Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)

Readability: ★★★★★ (*2)