What do you think?
Rate this book
The Murderbot Diaries #8
Platform Decay
Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.
After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.
Including human children. Ugh.
This may well call for... eye contact!
(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)
After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.
Including human children. Ugh.
This may well call for... eye contact!
(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)
244 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2026
About the author
Martha Wells
102 books26.8k followersMartha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,069 reviews
Read
May 6, 2026Oh God I needed more Murderbot. This is a lovely one. Murderbot is getting help for the massive trauma inflicted on what we are now calling Hell Plague Planet lol, and the story is part about some active healing it's doing, and part an extended rescue operation. It's cleverly told (the two encounters with raiders/pirates are between them a masterclass in conveying emotion and action and threat with brevity) and the last couple of pages are just 'stand up and cheer' for about twelve different reasons.
So intelligently written. I am so tired of first person narrative that begins and ends with 'I' pronouns: this is full of character, very cleverly told. (Notice how the first chapter feels oddly passive for Murderbot, lol.) Just great.
Do not under any circumstances start here, it's a roman fleuve and you need the whole story in order. Absolutely need. Please more Murderbot.
So intelligently written. I am so tired of first person narrative that begins and ends with 'I' pronouns: this is full of character, very cleverly told. (Notice how the first chapter feels oddly passive for Murderbot, lol.) Just great.
Do not under any circumstances start here, it's a roman fleuve and you need the whole story in order. Absolutely need. Please more Murderbot.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
[dramatic announcer voice]
When we last saw our intrepid explorer, it was reeling from 2.0, processing the inconvenient freedom of Three, and absolutely not having feelings about any of it.
We rejoin our hero in the field again—now running an inconvenient emotional subroutine and a freshly repaired risk assessment module—with a rescue mission already going sideways. A corporation circles, humans ask questions, and Murderbot continues to insist it is only here to do its job… and definitely not because it cares (and maybe—maybe—watch its shows in peace).
[end scene]
I’ll be honest—it’s been a while since I finished a Murderbot and immediately wanted to loop back for a reread, but Platform Decay breaks that streak. ‘Bot is back doing what it does best: saving people it kind of cares about, or at least doesn’t actively hate.
“(I’ve been out of the game for a while, as they say on some of my shows. Not the good ones, though.)”
If that’s true, it didn’t show. ‘Bot has integrated lessons from System Collapse and isn’t fighting the emotion checks anymore (mostly). It has taken the bold step of installing a mental health module (“I know, I was surprised I did it, too.”) so there’s less recursive interruption, more commentary:
“(Emotion check: If we ran into any human murderers they had better be heavily armed, because I am in a bad fucking mood.)”
Something about the rhythm felt, well, organic again, a rolling sequence of incident and recovery that provides both escalation and variety of conflict without feeling engineered. I’ll note that I did have to slow myself down to try and understand the setting, a ‘torus’ around a planet. Unfortunately, as ‘Bot alternates between confused and annoyed with the environment, it wasn’t particularly helpful in building understanding. However, the background of the torus eventually becomes clear, so eventually I was able to ground myself in the action (figuratively, of course).
“(You may be asking yourself: if the giant torus was just as hard if not harder to get around on than the planet, why did the humans build it and not just a ring of normal-sized stations? I was asking myself that too.)”
Instead of our familiar scientist team, ‘Bot and Three are on a mission that involves Mensah’s family. We get to meet more of the extended family group, including Sofi, an amazing person who is full of juvenile enthusiasm:
“Sofi talked at me for thirty-two minutes about seven completely different individual subjects, then fell asleep again.”
Wells does something really interesting with the plotting, and in some ways, ‘Bot and the family turn out to be rather ancillary to the motivation. Given the entire series has been about a generally paranoid former SecUnit who has been hiding or actively fighting a corporation, this is a refreshing and fun take.
As always, I have a number of highlights and quotes. Since it has already stood up to a re-read, it’s clearly worth a buy and might make it onto my desert island read category. Highly recommended for series fans. Technically, one could jump in and start at this book, since there are so many new characters, but that would mean missing the extra layer of fun with the emotion checks.
“(Emotion checks suck. How am I supposed to analyze something that has no inherent rationality in the first place?)”
Ah, Murderbot. You speak our language.
Many, many thanks to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All quotes are subject to change in the final edition, but you get the tone. I’d love to say I am unbiased, but that’s only in relation to the free e-reader copy. I’m completely biased when it comes to Murderbot.
When we last saw our intrepid explorer, it was reeling from 2.0, processing the inconvenient freedom of Three, and absolutely not having feelings about any of it.
We rejoin our hero in the field again—now running an inconvenient emotional subroutine and a freshly repaired risk assessment module—with a rescue mission already going sideways. A corporation circles, humans ask questions, and Murderbot continues to insist it is only here to do its job… and definitely not because it cares (and maybe—maybe—watch its shows in peace).
[end scene]
I’ll be honest—it’s been a while since I finished a Murderbot and immediately wanted to loop back for a reread, but Platform Decay breaks that streak. ‘Bot is back doing what it does best: saving people it kind of cares about, or at least doesn’t actively hate.
“(I’ve been out of the game for a while, as they say on some of my shows. Not the good ones, though.)”
If that’s true, it didn’t show. ‘Bot has integrated lessons from System Collapse and isn’t fighting the emotion checks anymore (mostly). It has taken the bold step of installing a mental health module (“I know, I was surprised I did it, too.”) so there’s less recursive interruption, more commentary:
“(Emotion check: If we ran into any human murderers they had better be heavily armed, because I am in a bad fucking mood.)”
Something about the rhythm felt, well, organic again, a rolling sequence of incident and recovery that provides both escalation and variety of conflict without feeling engineered. I’ll note that I did have to slow myself down to try and understand the setting, a ‘torus’ around a planet. Unfortunately, as ‘Bot alternates between confused and annoyed with the environment, it wasn’t particularly helpful in building understanding. However, the background of the torus eventually becomes clear, so eventually I was able to ground myself in the action (figuratively, of course).
“(You may be asking yourself: if the giant torus was just as hard if not harder to get around on than the planet, why did the humans build it and not just a ring of normal-sized stations? I was asking myself that too.)”
Instead of our familiar scientist team, ‘Bot and Three are on a mission that involves Mensah’s family. We get to meet more of the extended family group, including Sofi, an amazing person who is full of juvenile enthusiasm:
“Sofi talked at me for thirty-two minutes about seven completely different individual subjects, then fell asleep again.”
Wells does something really interesting with the plotting, and in some ways, ‘Bot and the family turn out to be rather ancillary to the motivation. Given the entire series has been about a generally paranoid former SecUnit who has been hiding or actively fighting a corporation, this is a refreshing and fun take.
As always, I have a number of highlights and quotes. Since it has already stood up to a re-read, it’s clearly worth a buy and might make it onto my desert island read category. Highly recommended for series fans. Technically, one could jump in and start at this book, since there are so many new characters, but that would mean missing the extra layer of fun with the emotion checks.
“(Emotion checks suck. How am I supposed to analyze something that has no inherent rationality in the first place?)”
Ah, Murderbot. You speak our language.
Many, many thanks to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All quotes are subject to change in the final edition, but you get the tone. I’d love to say I am unbiased, but that’s only in relation to the free e-reader copy. I’m completely biased when it comes to Murderbot.
May 17, 2026
“This was going to get me shot a lot, but that’s kind of normal for me.”
For the last 8 books, ever since its first socially-anxious horrified-by-humans appearance in All Systems Red, Murderbot has been on quite an emotional health maturity journey. From running the other way at mere mention of emotions in All Systems Red to emotional breakdown of Network Effect (while “feelings” still remained the dreaded f-word and humans were “ick”) to severe PTSD in System Collapse, Murderbot now has installed — wait for it, wait for it — a mental health module which helps by periodically providing “emotion checks” which can be snarky as hell.
I mean, Murderbot is coming to terms with having … friends [“(Emotion check: It is still hard to say the friends part)”] and even tolerating
“I picked her up and was going to tell her to put her arms around my neck and hold on, but she immediately clamped on to me like a tentacled parasite in a horror show.”
On the emotional maturity scale, Bot is leaving turbulent adolescence and toeing the line into emotional maturity young adulthood. (Cautiously so). To the point that Murderbot from book 1 would have recoiled in sheer horror. But let’s face it — happy as I may be for Bot and its newly burgeoning emotional awareness, I’d always have more fun seeing it cringing away in horror at humans than comforting traumatized adults and juveniles. (Sorry, Bot, but sometimes sheer schadenfreude is strangely satisfying).
There are books in this series that I absolutely adore and those that feel more like a quieter episode between the main adventures, and to me Platform Decay felt a bit more like the latter — and a big part of it was me missing Murderbot’s interactions with ART and Mensah (and Ratthi!) who are off-page here, replaced by new cast. Especially ART because nothing can replace the snarky banter of Murdy and our favorite Perihelion a.k.a. Asshole Research Transport, and the interactions between random humans I don’t care much for and the too-short addition of Three were not enough to replace that
But even if not my favorite, it’s still a solid Murderbot adventure. And I do like imagining an enormous planet-circling torus of a space station, and still recoil in horror at sheer disgustingness of corporates and their view of anything but profit as completely disposable, and still enjoy the constant state of annoyance with humanity that Murderbot seems to thrive on — but it just did not get as many warm fuzzies out of me as it’s customary for this series.
But hey, when my biggest issue with the book is whether to round 4.5 stars up or down, it’s still a pretty good book.
“(Emotion check: Good, actually. Really good.)”
4.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
June 5, 2026
This book is a filler episode. Let me explain.
First, let me say that I really enjoyed this latest installment. It was a fun, short read that kept me busy for a few hours. And that was it. Just a little enjoyment while I wait over a year again for another short bit of fun from this series. And all for what?
I first read this series back in 2021, and I really enjoyed the books that were out, but I feel like the story should have ended with the fourth novella, Exit Strategy, which happens to be my favorite in the series. Willingly reuniting with the Preservation crew and starting a new life as a free agent was a great conclusion to Murderbot's story. But then it kept going, and I was happy to get more of Murderbot's thoughts. Except now it's still going, and it does seem like it's actually getting anywhere.
This entire book was an escape mission, very much like the plot of Exit Strategy. In Exit Strategy, Murderbot is on a mission to rescue Dr. Mensah from an evil corporation on a space station. In this book, Murderbot is doing the same thing, except now it's Dr. Mensah's family that needs rescuing from an evil corporation on a space station. And what's the point of it?
Where is this series leading? What is Murderbot's end goal with each installment? Because so far it's just sort of along for the ride, being moved by humans.
At least in the earlier books, Murderbot was doing what it wanted, and its choices alone drove the plot. Don't get me wrong, no one is forcing Murderbot to do anything, but it feels less and less like the main engine for the plot, and more like a simple participant in everything that is going on. This makes the plot feel stagnant.
Nothing in this book advances the overarching plot the author is seemingly trying to build. Or is it actually even building to anything? Sometimes it feels like the author doesn't know what to do with the character anymore and is just writing because it sells. When will this story end? Where will Murderbot end up? After eight books in a series, the reader should at least have an idea. And maybe I'm reading these wrong because I don't have a clue.
This book felt pointless to me. It reads like a side quest. Again, it reads like a filler episode. It was lackluster and boring compared to its predecessors. It also lacked the emotional depth of previous installments. My favorite part of these books is seeing how Murderbot interacts with the humans it has chosen to trust and how it deeply cares for them. Murderbot's relationship with Dr. Mensah is one of my favorites, but we don't get any of the familiar humans in this book, not even ART is there as a familiar entity, just new faces that I don't care enough about.
And now we have to wait, only God knows how long, for the next installment. Hopefully, it's more substantial than this one.
Check out my review on my my blog!
First, let me say that I really enjoyed this latest installment. It was a fun, short read that kept me busy for a few hours. And that was it. Just a little enjoyment while I wait over a year again for another short bit of fun from this series. And all for what?
I first read this series back in 2021, and I really enjoyed the books that were out, but I feel like the story should have ended with the fourth novella, Exit Strategy, which happens to be my favorite in the series. Willingly reuniting with the Preservation crew and starting a new life as a free agent was a great conclusion to Murderbot's story. But then it kept going, and I was happy to get more of Murderbot's thoughts. Except now it's still going, and it does seem like it's actually getting anywhere.
This entire book was an escape mission, very much like the plot of Exit Strategy. In Exit Strategy, Murderbot is on a mission to rescue Dr. Mensah from an evil corporation on a space station. In this book, Murderbot is doing the same thing, except now it's Dr. Mensah's family that needs rescuing from an evil corporation on a space station. And what's the point of it?
Where is this series leading? What is Murderbot's end goal with each installment? Because so far it's just sort of along for the ride, being moved by humans.
At least in the earlier books, Murderbot was doing what it wanted, and its choices alone drove the plot. Don't get me wrong, no one is forcing Murderbot to do anything, but it feels less and less like the main engine for the plot, and more like a simple participant in everything that is going on. This makes the plot feel stagnant.
Nothing in this book advances the overarching plot the author is seemingly trying to build. Or is it actually even building to anything? Sometimes it feels like the author doesn't know what to do with the character anymore and is just writing because it sells. When will this story end? Where will Murderbot end up? After eight books in a series, the reader should at least have an idea. And maybe I'm reading these wrong because I don't have a clue.
This book felt pointless to me. It reads like a side quest. Again, it reads like a filler episode. It was lackluster and boring compared to its predecessors. It also lacked the emotional depth of previous installments. My favorite part of these books is seeing how Murderbot interacts with the humans it has chosen to trust and how it deeply cares for them. Murderbot's relationship with Dr. Mensah is one of my favorites, but we don't get any of the familiar humans in this book, not even ART is there as a familiar entity, just new faces that I don't care enough about.
And now we have to wait, only God knows how long, for the next installment. Hopefully, it's more substantial than this one.
Check out my review on my my blog!
October 24, 2025
Literally, this murdering cybor series is one of my favorite comfort books.
February 1, 2026
“There was nothing I could do about it now, so I watched episode 487 of Sanctuary Moon and tried to pretend none of this was happening.”
Thank you to netgalley and TorDotCom for the arc.
I am a huge fan of Murderbot and the first 5 books have all been either great or excellent reads for me. The last two books have been mixed reads for me and unfortunately this one is a miss for me as well.
It is mostly a taste thing though. To me Murderbot is about popcorn action, found family, and MB’s sarcastic internal running commentary. As Murderbot grows, evolves, and deals with freedom, it is put into situations where it can’t keep making wisecracks and punch its way out- This is fair, sensible, and adds a realistic character arc to SecUnit. It’s just not fun for me as this is one of my designated comfort series and I want more of the stuff I am familiar with.
Coming specifically to this book, Murderbot is once again trapped in a situation where it has to rescue a bunch of humans from a dangerous situation. The blurb mentioned that MB has to spend time with a group of humans it doesn’t know and this piqued my curiosity. This situation is the recipe for success because MB is socially awkward and brings itself comfort by snarking about the humans it is stuck with internally. However, because of the stuff I’ve mentioned previously, the interactions between Murderbot and the new set of humans are not fun.
One other thing I was missing was dialogue. Usually Murderbot books are dialogue heavy but this book appears to be very descriptive and we barely have the characters talking to each other. They’re stuck in a gigantic space station and they travel across many zones that are described in detail. I don’t know if it was again a me thing but the plot also felt like it lacked urgency. I have travelled for 7 books with MB and I know how capable and powerful it is. The challenge and level of enemies it is facing does not appear to have scaled up, contributing to this book feeling like a filler episode. I was always convinced that Murderbot would win the day even if it suffered some losses. And since there wasn’t much interaction between the group, and it was a new cast of characters who I was told was very important to some familiar characters but was only told that- and I never connected with them, I couldn’t feel invested.
As always your mileage may vary, so take my review with a pinch of salt. This book didn’t work for me, but I am still invested in the Murderbot universe and will be excited every time there’s a new murderbot installment. Murderbot is just such an amazing character and concept, and Martha Wells has more than earned my faith.
Thank you to netgalley and TorDotCom for the arc.
I am a huge fan of Murderbot and the first 5 books have all been either great or excellent reads for me. The last two books have been mixed reads for me and unfortunately this one is a miss for me as well.
It is mostly a taste thing though. To me Murderbot is about popcorn action, found family, and MB’s sarcastic internal running commentary. As Murderbot grows, evolves, and deals with freedom, it is put into situations where it can’t keep making wisecracks and punch its way out- This is fair, sensible, and adds a realistic character arc to SecUnit. It’s just not fun for me as this is one of my designated comfort series and I want more of the stuff I am familiar with.
Coming specifically to this book, Murderbot is once again trapped in a situation where it has to rescue a bunch of humans from a dangerous situation. The blurb mentioned that MB has to spend time with a group of humans it doesn’t know and this piqued my curiosity. This situation is the recipe for success because MB is socially awkward and brings itself comfort by snarking about the humans it is stuck with internally. However, because of the stuff I’ve mentioned previously, the interactions between Murderbot and the new set of humans are not fun.
One other thing I was missing was dialogue. Usually Murderbot books are dialogue heavy but this book appears to be very descriptive and we barely have the characters talking to each other. They’re stuck in a gigantic space station and they travel across many zones that are described in detail. I don’t know if it was again a me thing but the plot also felt like it lacked urgency. I have travelled for 7 books with MB and I know how capable and powerful it is. The challenge and level of enemies it is facing does not appear to have scaled up, contributing to this book feeling like a filler episode. I was always convinced that Murderbot would win the day even if it suffered some losses. And since there wasn’t much interaction between the group, and it was a new cast of characters who I was told was very important to some familiar characters but was only told that- and I never connected with them, I couldn’t feel invested.
As always your mileage may vary, so take my review with a pinch of salt. This book didn’t work for me, but I am still invested in the Murderbot universe and will be excited every time there’s a new murderbot installment. Murderbot is just such an amazing character and concept, and Martha Wells has more than earned my faith.
July 20, 2026
2.4⭐️
Emotion check. Disappointment. Frustration. That could have gone better.
It's another hostage retrieval mission for Murderbot/Sec Unit. After all, it's what it's built for. But it's all pretty rote, this time out. The hacking, the fighting, the mid- mission mental issues ( "Emotion Check") -all part of the Murderbot formula. I'm not sure why it bothers me in this novella
and not so much in the others, except I listened to this as an audio book and Murderbot's endless internal rambling and digressions seem more obviously like padding than in the written editions. The new cast of characters, more of Dr. Mensah's very extended family, just didn't capture my interest. It seems to me like Wells' wrote this one in a hurry.
Kevin R Free's narration grated on me, this time out, although I've liked it in previous books.
Still- almost three stars - just because it's Murderbot and Martha Wells and because the ending's decent.
Emotion check. Disappointment. Frustration. That could have gone better.
It's another hostage retrieval mission for Murderbot/Sec Unit. After all, it's what it's built for. But it's all pretty rote, this time out. The hacking, the fighting, the mid- mission mental issues ( "Emotion Check") -all part of the Murderbot formula. I'm not sure why it bothers me in this novella
and not so much in the others, except I listened to this as an audio book and Murderbot's endless internal rambling and digressions seem more obviously like padding than in the written editions. The new cast of characters, more of Dr. Mensah's very extended family, just didn't capture my interest. It seems to me like Wells' wrote this one in a hurry.
Kevin R Free's narration grated on me, this time out, although I've liked it in previous books.
Still- almost three stars - just because it's Murderbot and Martha Wells and because the ending's decent.
May 16, 2026
5⭐️ This has to go down as one of the all time great sci-fi series! It’s extremely accessible. The series is a perfect entry point for new readers to dip a toe into sci-fi while remaining engaging for sci-fi buffs.
If you’ve liked previous Murderbot this won’t disappoint. If you like books driven by smart rebellious characters you’ll adore Murderbot but you’ve got to start at the beginning. Don’t worry most of them are novellas so they fly by!
Platform Decay doesn’t push the larger narrative forward or level up Murderbot, instead it acts as a reset for the series. It’s perfect timing really, as Murderbot advanced its programming & heroics over the last few books, I was worried we were straying towards the ridiculous. This reminded me of All Systems Red, the first book, in so many ways. On the surface, both books are about Murderbot trying to keep its humans alive for a set period of time, until help comes. While this is happening, Murderbot is running a therapy program for PTSD with mixed results. We can compare how Murderbot communicates & makes space for its/others feelings here vs the first book.
It’s interesting that Wells (Murderbot) and Butcher (Dresden Files) both did a series deescalation/ reset using trauma recovery as a device. For me, Platform Decay executed this to perfection while Twelve Months floundered in multiple places. While Murderbot is changing, it still feels authentic to the character we love. The plot is simplified so we can focus on Murderbot emotional journey but there’s consistent driving action all the way through.
If you’ve liked previous Murderbot this won’t disappoint. If you like books driven by smart rebellious characters you’ll adore Murderbot but you’ve got to start at the beginning. Don’t worry most of them are novellas so they fly by!
Platform Decay doesn’t push the larger narrative forward or level up Murderbot, instead it acts as a reset for the series. It’s perfect timing really, as Murderbot advanced its programming & heroics over the last few books, I was worried we were straying towards the ridiculous. This reminded me of All Systems Red, the first book, in so many ways. On the surface, both books are about Murderbot trying to keep its humans alive for a set period of time, until help comes. While this is happening, Murderbot is running a therapy program for PTSD with mixed results. We can compare how Murderbot communicates & makes space for its/others feelings here vs the first book.
It’s interesting that Wells (Murderbot) and Butcher (Dresden Files) both did a series deescalation/ reset using trauma recovery as a device. For me, Platform Decay executed this to perfection while Twelve Months floundered in multiple places. While Murderbot is changing, it still feels authentic to the character we love. The plot is simplified so we can focus on Murderbot emotional journey but there’s consistent driving action all the way through.
July 10, 2026
Absolutely thrilled to get another installment of Murderbot adventures, and even more so that this one includes Murderbot interacting with children!
I honestly expected (and wanted) more interactions with children from it, but most of the people in this book are adults.
The story takes place not too long after System Collapse , thus extending on the plotline that first started in Network Effect . It involves both familiar and new faces, as well as people that have been mentioned before but never appeared on-page thus far.
It takes places on an unfamiliar, massive space station, where Murderbot is sent in a mission.
My favourite recurring character was Three, who has definitely not gotten enough attention in System Collapse! To be honest, even now in Platform Decay it doesn't get enough attention, but I'll take what I can get.
That is maybe also my biggest gripe with the book - it just doesn't go as in depth in many of the areas where I wanted it to. Specifically, the character dynamics. The Murderbot Diaries are such an intensely character-driven series, but I have noticed before how the books (especially the last few) seem to almost shy away from showing us any details of Murderbot casually interacting with others (or other characters with each other). To a certain extend, that makes sense, as Murderbot is famously anti-social (or pretends to be). But it's starting to frustrate me a little bit, especially here, where two of the most prominent characters in the series, and the two people Murderbot itself is the most attached to, get one or two lines in the last 2 pages at most, not even enough to be considered a dialogue.
I also found the overall tension arc of this book a bit confusing - there is a huge confrontation 60-70% in the book that is very detailed, high-stakes and emotional. Then anything after that is abbreviated. A lot of the book, Murderbot and its companions spend travelling, and while the previous stops were all described in detail, the book then just skims over several more stops before going into the finale. And that finale pales significantly in comparison to the earlier confrontation, and ends super inconclusively. The book then jumps straight into a very (emotionally) unsatisfying ending.
I am aware that my personal frustration with the lack of epilogue to round out my emotional investment in the book heavily tinges how I feel about it, but I do think that even disregarding the ending, this is one of the weakest installments in the series. At least on first read, every subsequent reread since has made me like it more and more. It has wonderful moments, the typical humor, an emotional punch, and is very intrinsically Murderbot - but the way it is plotted and structured isn't as cohesive as the other books, and it feels unbalanced in some parts.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
I honestly expected (and wanted) more interactions with children from it, but most of the people in this book are adults.
The story takes place not too long after System Collapse , thus extending on the plotline that first started in Network Effect . It involves both familiar and new faces, as well as people that have been mentioned before but never appeared on-page thus far.
It takes places on an unfamiliar, massive space station, where Murderbot is sent in a mission.
My favourite recurring character was Three, who has definitely not gotten enough attention in System Collapse! To be honest, even now in Platform Decay it doesn't get enough attention, but I'll take what I can get.
That is maybe also my biggest gripe with the book - it just doesn't go as in depth in many of the areas where I wanted it to. Specifically, the character dynamics. The Murderbot Diaries are such an intensely character-driven series, but I have noticed before how the books (especially the last few) seem to almost shy away from showing us any details of Murderbot casually interacting with others (or other characters with each other). To a certain extend, that makes sense, as Murderbot is famously anti-social (or pretends to be). But it's starting to frustrate me a little bit, especially here, where two of the most prominent characters in the series, and the two people Murderbot itself is the most attached to, get one or two lines in the last 2 pages at most, not even enough to be considered a dialogue.
I also found the overall tension arc of this book a bit confusing - there is a huge confrontation 60-70% in the book that is very detailed, high-stakes and emotional. Then anything after that is abbreviated. A lot of the book, Murderbot and its companions spend travelling, and while the previous stops were all described in detail, the book then just skims over several more stops before going into the finale. And that finale pales significantly in comparison to the earlier confrontation, and ends super inconclusively. The book then jumps straight into a very (emotionally) unsatisfying ending.
I am aware that my personal frustration with the lack of epilogue to round out my emotional investment in the book heavily tinges how I feel about it, but I do think that even disregarding the ending, this is one of the weakest installments in the series. At least on first read, every subsequent reread since has made me like it more and more. It has wonderful moments, the typical humor, an emotional punch, and is very intrinsically Murderbot - but the way it is plotted and structured isn't as cohesive as the other books, and it feels unbalanced in some parts.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
June 9, 2026
This is the eighth entry of a long running series where most of the offerings are novellas. This one follows suit with that as this is a short read. In this one Murderbot is trying once again to save some humans from the greedy corporation.
As you can see my summary was short because this seemed like we have done this before. Yes there were different environments but at times I felt like this was a rehash of earlier books. The only difference was that Murderbot has grown and he is not as standoffish towards humans as he was at the beginning of the series. He will never be a cuddly toy and honestly I do not want that. But you can tell he is trying. I do have to wonder with this development has these books lost its charm that made me love them when I first started this series. That is a perfect way for me to describe my feelings about this offering. The charm and vibe was not there as earlier books. At times I thought we would get there but it never achieved it. It was more Murderbot does this and then this and hopefully he saves the day. Where was that snarky little cyborg that wanted to be left alone and watch his shows? The author tried to duplicate it from earlier books but I never really felt it.
This is a one off story which also did not help my enjoyment. What is the point of it? Eight books in and this felt like filler. I think if it was earlier in the series it would have been better. I have heard the next book is the finale and this did nothing to move it towards that. I have always thought this series was very weak with its side characters and this book was another example of that. I didn't care for them at all. I know my review sounds like I did not like this. I did just not to the degree of other books from this series. Maybe I had too much anticipation for a new Murderbot book and it did not deliver like I was hoping it would.
As you can see my summary was short because this seemed like we have done this before. Yes there were different environments but at times I felt like this was a rehash of earlier books. The only difference was that Murderbot has grown and he is not as standoffish towards humans as he was at the beginning of the series. He will never be a cuddly toy and honestly I do not want that. But you can tell he is trying. I do have to wonder with this development has these books lost its charm that made me love them when I first started this series. That is a perfect way for me to describe my feelings about this offering. The charm and vibe was not there as earlier books. At times I thought we would get there but it never achieved it. It was more Murderbot does this and then this and hopefully he saves the day. Where was that snarky little cyborg that wanted to be left alone and watch his shows? The author tried to duplicate it from earlier books but I never really felt it.
This is a one off story which also did not help my enjoyment. What is the point of it? Eight books in and this felt like filler. I think if it was earlier in the series it would have been better. I have heard the next book is the finale and this did nothing to move it towards that. I have always thought this series was very weak with its side characters and this book was another example of that. I didn't care for them at all. I know my review sounds like I did not like this. I did just not to the degree of other books from this series. Maybe I had too much anticipation for a new Murderbot book and it did not deliver like I was hoping it would.
May 24, 2026
I came for sarcastic murder android chaos and stayed for the emotional damage. Emotion check: failed successfully.
Somehow, Martha Wells keeps making books about traumatised constructs, terrifying AI ships, corporate sabotage, and extreme violence feel weirdly warm and comforting.
Emotion check: My allergies appear to be acting up again, and my eyes are leaking fluids for completely non-emotional reasons. Very inconvenient. Definitely not because of a rogue sec-unit accidentally caring too much.
Also, ART and Murderbot remain one of my favourite dynamics in sci-fi. They are both disasters pretending to be the rational one.
Somehow, Martha Wells keeps making books about traumatised constructs, terrifying AI ships, corporate sabotage, and extreme violence feel weirdly warm and comforting.
Emotion check: My allergies appear to be acting up again, and my eyes are leaking fluids for completely non-emotional reasons. Very inconvenient. Definitely not because of a rogue sec-unit accidentally caring too much.
Also, ART and Murderbot remain one of my favourite dynamics in sci-fi. They are both disasters pretending to be the rational one.
June 5, 2026
Basically enjoyable, but also basically a remix of prior books in this series, without hitting their highs and with little room left for the protagonist to grow. It’s a standard infiltration and rescue plot in a series full of infiltration and/or rescue plots, and it’s a bit long for what it is; I’m not convinced that making this a short novel, rather than a novella like most of the Murderbot books, was justified, as it doesn’t have any additional or more complex content. It just draws out the blow-by-blow of the mission more. That 40-page in medias res opening where we don’t yet know what this mission is about or have reason to care could have been cut entirely.
I also have mixed feelings about the author’s again introducing a whole new secondary cast rather than further developing the ones we already know. I did like the children and thought they added something (as it turns out Murderbot is a big softie who likes kids but won’t admit it), but the adults feel exactly the same as other adult humans in the series, who have perhaps just exceeded Wells’s ability to make new characters unique. I say this as a defender of the human characters in Murderbot books generally—I don’t think they’re flat, I think the books excel at less-is-more characterization by showing us a few very human facets of a person and letting the reader fill in the rest. But they’re becoming harder to defend when, for instance, Farai is basically just the same person as Mensah but without the pre-existing relationship with Murderbot.
That said, once the plot came together I did more or less enjoy it and found it to wrap up in a satisfying way, and I do like Murderbot’s voice. So I don’t think it’s a bad book. But I do think it’s time for this series to either break new ground or end. I’d love to see a larger SecUnit rebellion, or a non-action book focused entirely on character relationships. If it’s just going to be more of the same, though, I think I will read the next book only if it is the last.
I also have mixed feelings about the author’s again introducing a whole new secondary cast rather than further developing the ones we already know. I did like the children and thought they added something (as it turns out Murderbot is a big softie who likes kids but won’t admit it), but the adults feel exactly the same as other adult humans in the series, who have perhaps just exceeded Wells’s ability to make new characters unique. I say this as a defender of the human characters in Murderbot books generally—I don’t think they’re flat, I think the books excel at less-is-more characterization by showing us a few very human facets of a person and letting the reader fill in the rest. But they’re becoming harder to defend when, for instance, Farai is basically just the same person as Mensah but without the pre-existing relationship with Murderbot.
That said, once the plot came together I did more or less enjoy it and found it to wrap up in a satisfying way, and I do like Murderbot’s voice. So I don’t think it’s a bad book. But I do think it’s time for this series to either break new ground or end. I’d love to see a larger SecUnit rebellion, or a non-action book focused entirely on character relationships. If it’s just going to be more of the same, though, I think I will read the next book only if it is the last.
May 24, 2026
4.0 Stars
It was so enjoyable to return back to the universe of Murderbot. This series has definitely become a comfort read for me.
This newest installment was consistent with the previous ones. The narrative voice of Murderbot was wonderfully snarky with the right amount of dry humour.
In terms of plot, I didn't find this to be the most gripping one but I would acknowledge that the series is also light on those elements. Personally I read this series for the narrative voice rather than the action so I was satisfied with the experience.
I would recommend this to any fans of the Murderbot series. Readers new to the series should start back at the beginning and catch up.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
It was so enjoyable to return back to the universe of Murderbot. This series has definitely become a comfort read for me.
This newest installment was consistent with the previous ones. The narrative voice of Murderbot was wonderfully snarky with the right amount of dry humour.
In terms of plot, I didn't find this to be the most gripping one but I would acknowledge that the series is also light on those elements. Personally I read this series for the narrative voice rather than the action so I was satisfied with the experience.
I would recommend this to any fans of the Murderbot series. Readers new to the series should start back at the beginning and catch up.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
May 6, 2026
4.5 stars
I love Murderbot! A little sad that ART wasn’t really in this one but it was still so entertaining. Platform Decay feels like a returns to a more familiar type of storyline for this series. Murderbot’s snark and humor were amazing as always. I found its interactions with the “juveniles” particularly endearing.
I love Murderbot! A little sad that ART wasn’t really in this one but it was still so entertaining. Platform Decay feels like a returns to a more familiar type of storyline for this series. Murderbot’s snark and humor were amazing as always. I found its interactions with the “juveniles” particularly endearing.
May 29, 2026
Best one yet.
Platform Decay
By Martha Wells
The Murder Bot Diaries book 8. I love all of them but I really liked this one. SecUnit needs to get the humans out of a very secure situation, then go save a handful more humans in an even more secure environment without getting anyone killed. Easy peasy.
Platform Decay
By Martha Wells
The Murder Bot Diaries book 8. I love all of them but I really liked this one. SecUnit needs to get the humans out of a very secure situation, then go save a handful more humans in an even more secure environment without getting anyone killed. Easy peasy.
June 19, 2026
"(تقييم المشاعر: أن يدعم أحد قرارك الخاطئ يمنحك شعورًا جيدًا نوعًا ما.)"
"يفترض البشر دائمًا أنك ستقتلهم، وهذا أحد أسباب مبالغتهم في رد الفعل تجاه كل شيء. (يقول راتي إن هذا أمر وراثي أيضًا، لكنني أعتقد أنه كان يتحدث بسخرية.) (وربما لم يكن كذلك.)
"
...
لا شيء يخفف من وطأة هذه الأيام مثل مذكرات روبوت القتل المتمرد المفضل وأحاديثه مع نفسه ..
May 5, 2026
Book 8 of the
2026 Read Your Hoard Challenge
Barish-Estranza is the gift that just keeps on giving. Murderbot is on a mission to retrieve some humans being held on an enormous torus-style space station, while dodging B-E flunkies. The torus is split into lots of sections, each with its own governing corporate body and security. Murderbot and Three have a plan, but no plan survives contact with the enemy. As Murderbot says, you can't trust humans to behave in sensible ways.
We quickly learn that Murderbot has a new mental health module. This module queries regularly, asking how our bot is doing. Murderbot is also attempting to be more honest with itself and its clients. The combination of these two factors were amusing to me. Plus, Murderbot is still trying to calibrate its risk assessment module.
Risk assessment just hit the roof.
I'm not sure I like having risk assessment be more accurate. It keeps scaring the shit out of me.
The book has a familiar pace and tension to the plot. However, I felt like there was a little magic missing from the secret sauce. I haven't yet identified the change for sure, but it might have to do with Murderbot's internal dialogue. It felt like there were fewer parenthetical comments than in previous books. I also feel like Murderbot is either less angry or maybe more in touch with other emotions. It's evolving and I'm resisting change? Don't get me wrong, I still loved it, but it may take another repetition or two until I come to terms with this installment.
In the acknowledgements Wells states that “It's been another hard year,” perhaps an indication of why this book feels different. It has been three years since the last Murderbot offering, so she also thanks her audience for “still being there.” Where else would we be, Ms. Wells? You've created a beloved character. I hope this year is a better one for you.
Barish-Estranza is the gift that just keeps on giving. Murderbot is on a mission to retrieve some humans being held on an enormous torus-style space station, while dodging B-E flunkies. The torus is split into lots of sections, each with its own governing corporate body and security. Murderbot and Three have a plan, but no plan survives contact with the enemy. As Murderbot says, you can't trust humans to behave in sensible ways.
We quickly learn that Murderbot has a new mental health module. This module queries regularly, asking how our bot is doing. Murderbot is also attempting to be more honest with itself and its clients. The combination of these two factors were amusing to me. Plus, Murderbot is still trying to calibrate its risk assessment module.
Risk assessment just hit the roof.
I'm not sure I like having risk assessment be more accurate. It keeps scaring the shit out of me.
The book has a familiar pace and tension to the plot. However, I felt like there was a little magic missing from the secret sauce. I haven't yet identified the change for sure, but it might have to do with Murderbot's internal dialogue. It felt like there were fewer parenthetical comments than in previous books. I also feel like Murderbot is either less angry or maybe more in touch with other emotions. It's evolving and I'm resisting change? Don't get me wrong, I still loved it, but it may take another repetition or two until I come to terms with this installment.
In the acknowledgements Wells states that “It's been another hard year,” perhaps an indication of why this book feels different. It has been three years since the last Murderbot offering, so she also thanks her audience for “still being there.” Where else would we be, Ms. Wells? You've created a beloved character. I hope this year is a better one for you.
May 20, 2026
New Murderbot novel, I could not resist for long. It was meant to be a treat and it was a treat.
But a warning, the Murderbot series is a long flow of action, one story usually picking up right after the other has finished (apart from the published out of order Fugitive Telemetry which corrects that) and there are high points of action and crisis, and there are stories which is poor Murderbot recovering and have a more quiet time. This is one of those recovering and having a quieter time (though poor Murderbot still has to do a lot of traumatic high action things). More action focused, humans get rescued, Murderbot has feelings it does not totally try to bury. Up to standards, and that is fantastic.
As usual, as before, Martha Wells is amazing at consistently portraying a future society in the little details. (A lot of authors writing action based sf end up writing action as if everything was similar to modern, or even worse late 20th century tech, but Wells gets it to feel different, like a future would likely be).
And Three is the most adorable, wholesome, sweetest thing ever. There is not a lot of ART/Murderbot in here (and I find myself fangirling shipping them both) but my fangirl heart is oh so happy squealing about Three being on page whenever it is, and wanting to use a lot of emojis and all.
But a warning, the Murderbot series is a long flow of action, one story usually picking up right after the other has finished (apart from the published out of order Fugitive Telemetry which corrects that) and there are high points of action and crisis, and there are stories which is poor Murderbot recovering and have a more quiet time. This is one of those recovering and having a quieter time (though poor Murderbot still has to do a lot of traumatic high action things). More action focused, humans get rescued, Murderbot has feelings it does not totally try to bury. Up to standards, and that is fantastic.
As usual, as before, Martha Wells is amazing at consistently portraying a future society in the little details. (A lot of authors writing action based sf end up writing action as if everything was similar to modern, or even worse late 20th century tech, but Wells gets it to feel different, like a future would likely be).
And Three is the most adorable, wholesome, sweetest thing ever. There is not a lot of ART/Murderbot in here (and I find myself fangirling shipping them both) but my fangirl heart is oh so happy squealing about Three being on page whenever it is, and wanting to use a lot of emojis and all.
June 14, 2026
Murderbot is BACK baby!! I love this series and Platform Decay was another hit for me. Murderbot is on a rescue mission, but of course humans always complicate things so nothing goes quite according a to plan. It's an action-packed race through an enormous space station with different communities, trying to evade lethal forces along the way. If you're a fan of the series, this one will not disappoint. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
May 23, 2026
I'm a huge Martha Wells fan and I love her MurderBot Diaries. This book was fantastic. I enjoy how our SecUnit is getting close to the different members of Dr. Mensah's large family. And it's fascinating what's going on with the other newly freed SecUnits. I can't wait for the next book. I do wish they were longer but I'll devour whatever Wells gives us...
July 6, 2026
(Emotion check: Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.)
rating: 4.5★
reading a new murderbot book is like coming home.
martha wells does it again, this time w our favorite rogue secunit on a rescue mission. i thought i wouldn't have as much emotional investment since it's a less featured character and even some new faces, but wells always manages to strike the chords of humanity within us all.
side note, the acknowledgement 😪 too real and i hope you're doing ok wells
i may do an audiobook reread of the series while i await whatever next adventure comes!
rating: 4.5★
reading a new murderbot book is like coming home.
martha wells does it again, this time w our favorite rogue secunit on a rescue mission. i thought i wouldn't have as much emotional investment since it's a less featured character and even some new faces, but wells always manages to strike the chords of humanity within us all.
side note, the acknowledgement 😪 too real and i hope you're doing ok wells
i may do an audiobook reread of the series while i await whatever next adventure comes!
August 8, 2026
Murderbot goes to therapy. Or does therapy *tag along* with Murderbot on its missions?
Either way, everyone's favourite SecUnit is investing in its mental health. Let's all show our support!
Murderbot is now a team leader, tackling annoying missions with a (junior-level) buddy. In theory, that is, because in practice it's more than happy to send them off on a tangential (sub)mission. After all, when someone somewhere royally messes something up, the SecUnit cannot afford unnecessary distractions. Until, of course, the rookie's ill-timed originality comes back to bite everyone in the arse.
On a personal note, Murderbot decided to get therapy. Meaning it installed a modified mental health module which periodically reminds the SecUnit to sit with its emotions. Like a glorified timer-app that pings you during the most inconvenient moments.
My GAWD does all this bring back cringe-worthy flashbacks from my own therapy sessions.
I'm not a big fan of in-between ARC books, but this one was not half bad. Readers of book 7 (System Collapse) might remember that Murderbot and ART were set to ride offinto the sunset to the University of Mihira and New Tideland, to go boldly where no SecUnit and LLM duo has gone before. Yet our crafty protagonist is once again on a mission for Dr. Mensah. Which is kind of a letdown, honestly, though the SecUnit tries to make up for it by very helpfully doing several imitations of ART's probable input. So there is at least some (imaginary?) banter to be had.
And if you're like me, and in it mostly for the competence porn, you're unlikely to be disappointed. Murderbot is fierce and hella resourceful, which inevitably has him save the day with a bang. Mostly on a metaphorical level... with a bit of literal banging sprinkled in for funsies. The whole story is essentially just a day-long mad chase set against sci-fi geography and creative landscaping. And speaking of the setting: please, please, PLEASE let there be a TV adaptation of this book. I want to see all the crazy landscaping choices on screen.
That said, I could have done with fewer parentheses, and parentheses WITHIN EXISTING parentheses. With none being my sweet spot. Is that hypocritical of me? Yes! Does this change my verdict? Not. One. Bit.
Score: 4/5 stars
Gotta love Murderbot in its mentoring/team lead era.
=============
Review of book 0.5: Compulsory
Review of book 1: All Systems Red
Review of book 2: Artificial Condition
Review of book 2.5: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
Review of book 3: Rogue Protocol
Review of book 4: Exit Strategy
Review of book 4.5: Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
Review of book 5: Network Effect
Review of book 6: Fugitive Telemetry
Review of book 7: System Collapse
Either way, everyone's favourite SecUnit is investing in its mental health. Let's all show our support!
Murderbot is now a team leader, tackling annoying missions with a (junior-level) buddy. In theory, that is, because in practice it's more than happy to send them off on a tangential (sub)mission. After all, when someone somewhere royally messes something up, the SecUnit cannot afford unnecessary distractions. Until, of course, the rookie's ill-timed originality comes back to bite everyone in the arse.
On a personal note, Murderbot decided to get therapy. Meaning it installed a modified mental health module which periodically reminds the SecUnit to sit with its emotions. Like a glorified timer-app that pings you during the most inconvenient moments.
My GAWD does all this bring back cringe-worthy flashbacks from my own therapy sessions.
I'm not a big fan of in-between ARC books, but this one was not half bad. Readers of book 7 (System Collapse) might remember that Murderbot and ART were set to ride off
And if you're like me, and in it mostly for the competence porn, you're unlikely to be disappointed. Murderbot is fierce and hella resourceful, which inevitably has him save the day with a bang. Mostly on a metaphorical level... with a bit of literal banging sprinkled in for funsies. The whole story is essentially just a day-long mad chase set against sci-fi geography and creative landscaping. And speaking of the setting: please, please, PLEASE let there be a TV adaptation of this book. I want to see all the crazy landscaping choices on screen.
That said, I could have done with fewer parentheses, and parentheses WITHIN EXISTING parentheses. With none being my sweet spot. Is that hypocritical of me? Yes! Does this change my verdict? Not. One. Bit.
Score: 4/5 stars
Gotta love Murderbot in its mentoring/team lead era.
Three looked at me and said, “Perihelion-drone is angry that I didn’t follow the plan.”
Yeah, I bet. “You know that’s a you problem.”
“Oh.” Three was disconcerted. Welcome to the consequences of your actions, Three.
It said hopefully, “It can’t be a we problem?”
“No, it can’t,” I said. “Get in the shuttle.”
=============
Review of book 0.5: Compulsory
Review of book 1: All Systems Red
Review of book 2: Artificial Condition
Review of book 2.5: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
Review of book 3: Rogue Protocol
Review of book 4: Exit Strategy
Review of book 4.5: Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
Review of book 5: Network Effect
Review of book 6: Fugitive Telemetry
Review of book 7: System Collapse
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It took me a moment to get back into the swing of things, as it always does with a Murderbot story, but once things got moving I was so happy to be back with this SecUnit on another adventure surrounded by humans with too many emotions and icky human physical needs. But bonus, this time Murderbot has its own mental health module running and has emotional checks running throughout the shenanigans; what fun that was.
I have always enjoyed these stories, though only loved a few, and a lot of that is due to the political and corporate machinations just swimming past my eyeballs without really making any impact on me; as I've said before and I'm saying again, I'm not here for whatever plot might be happening, I'm just here for Murderbot bemoaning its lack of alone time and wishing it could basically be left along to rot on a couch with its shows. But now, in addition to dodging other rogue SecUnits (that scene was hysterical), it is also forced to reconcile with the fact that it sometimes has feelings? Yuck.
Murderbot becoming a begrudging found family ensemble will never not be incredible.
Really enjoyed this instalment and am already looking forward to the next. Also, side note, can't wait for more of the tv series!
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
I have always enjoyed these stories, though only loved a few, and a lot of that is due to the political and corporate machinations just swimming past my eyeballs without really making any impact on me; as I've said before and I'm saying again, I'm not here for whatever plot might be happening, I'm just here for Murderbot bemoaning its lack of alone time and wishing it could basically be left along to rot on a couch with its shows. But now, in addition to dodging other rogue SecUnits (that scene was hysterical), it is also forced to reconcile with the fact that it sometimes has feelings? Yuck.
Murderbot becoming a begrudging found family ensemble will never not be incredible.
Really enjoyed this instalment and am already looking forward to the next. Also, side note, can't wait for more of the tv series!
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
May 30, 2026
The problem with the mission – Okay, the problem with the mission is the mission itself. Missions in general often suck, but extractions that can turn into hostage situations are the worst.
Our rogue killing machine is back from a trip down PTSD lane.
You can tell it is operating at optimal efficiency because, as in standard operating procedure since hacking its governor module, Murderbot is really pissed, again, at having to go save the puny humans who were kidnapped by an evil corporation, instead of watching its favorite soap operas.
Doctor Gurathin, back on Preservation, has solved Murderbot’s split personality issue from the previous episode by installing an emotional review subroutine. You know, like your psychiatrist telling you to count to ten before you explode in anger.
So, in this episode, we have Murderbot getting in touch with its feelings:
(Emotion check: I just really need some media)
For me, this episode is a return to an earlier form for the series: action driven, with a streamlined plot and sarcastic asides from the robotic narrator. This is not the same Murderbot from episode one: it gets more and more human-like with each new adventure moving from self-sufficiency to being part of a mixed team (humans and AI) working together to control rampant corporate greed.
But some things never change, and what this new emotional software reveals is that the dominant note in Murderbot’s psychological profile is still anger.
I hate a lot of things, but I didn’t know I hated toruses until I got here.
The platform in the title is a planetary orbital station shaped like a giant torus around its home planet. The physics and the technology of the orbital are sketchy at best, because we are on a tight timeline and we really need to get on with the mission before the baddies catch up with us.
The important thing to notice about the platform is its size, its diverse and modular structure, shared between several corporations, and its current derelict status, with several areas barely holding together against the surrounding void.
Murderbot tries to extract three members of Mensah’s family: Farai, a consort/partner, Naja, her elderly mother and Sofi, her teenage daughter, from a corporate safe house, where they are held for ransom.
When the mission goes pear shaped in an explosive way, Murderbot is stuck on the platform with the three female persons and is searching for some more humans to save. (Emotion check: what do you think?)
Naja said on our team feed, You look nervous.
It doesn’t look nervous, Farai countered sharply, for a human who was looking more nervous than I was.
Are you nervous? Sofi asked.
If we were on Preservation I’d ask for a solicitor. I lied and said, I’m not nervous.
(Emotion check: Nervous.)
If these exchanges sound annoying instead of funny to you, Reader, than you are in the wrong space opera universe. Myself, I enjoyed the roller coaster ride, without trying to search for any deeper meaning or social commentary. They are here, if you really want to look for them, but the main reason I came back to the series is the fun factor. I thought the premise was running out of steam with book seven, but I believe I’m back on track after this platform visit.
(Always assume somebody is after you. Then you won’t be depressed when it happens.)
(Emotion check: Yes, I know that sounds paranoid.)
I miss ART, who is replaced here in the role of sidekick by a recently emancipated corporate murderbot baptised Three. Three is OK, and it is mostly active in the first and in the last chapter of this short novel, a kind of earnest apprentice to the more jaded Murderbot.
Reviewer emotion check: it appears I have my own triggers that I cannot put aside, no matter how much I like a story. In this case it is the casual F-bombs, liberally scattered by Murderbot throughout the narrative. They are a symptom of a lack of imagination and of style in my personal book, not to mention a lack of respect and a form of aggressive attack on your partner in any conversation.
Final word on this whole ‘getting in touch with your feelings’ project is that the concept is a good way to show how Murderbot’s emotional intelligence is evolving beyond the immediate solutions offered by its favorite streaming soap operas. The best way to tell Murderbot is back on an even keel is when it stops depending on the subroutine for existential answers.
(Emotions checks suck. How am I supposed to analyze something that had no inherent rationality in the first place?)
A child’s perspective is a great addition to the already polychrome personality profile of the series. So I will allow Sofi to have the last word, I mean the last email, which is filled with a dozen sparkly hug sigils.
Our rogue killing machine is back from a trip down PTSD lane.
You can tell it is operating at optimal efficiency because, as in standard operating procedure since hacking its governor module, Murderbot is really pissed, again, at having to go save the puny humans who were kidnapped by an evil corporation, instead of watching its favorite soap operas.
Doctor Gurathin, back on Preservation, has solved Murderbot’s split personality issue from the previous episode by installing an emotional review subroutine. You know, like your psychiatrist telling you to count to ten before you explode in anger.
So, in this episode, we have Murderbot getting in touch with its feelings:
(Emotion check: I just really need some media)
For me, this episode is a return to an earlier form for the series: action driven, with a streamlined plot and sarcastic asides from the robotic narrator. This is not the same Murderbot from episode one: it gets more and more human-like with each new adventure moving from self-sufficiency to being part of a mixed team (humans and AI) working together to control rampant corporate greed.
But some things never change, and what this new emotional software reveals is that the dominant note in Murderbot’s psychological profile is still anger.
I hate a lot of things, but I didn’t know I hated toruses until I got here.
The platform in the title is a planetary orbital station shaped like a giant torus around its home planet. The physics and the technology of the orbital are sketchy at best, because we are on a tight timeline and we really need to get on with the mission before the baddies catch up with us.
The important thing to notice about the platform is its size, its diverse and modular structure, shared between several corporations, and its current derelict status, with several areas barely holding together against the surrounding void.
Murderbot tries to extract three members of Mensah’s family: Farai, a consort/partner, Naja, her elderly mother and Sofi, her teenage daughter, from a corporate safe house, where they are held for ransom.
When the mission goes pear shaped in an explosive way, Murderbot is stuck on the platform with the three female persons and is searching for some more humans to save. (Emotion check: what do you think?)
Naja said on our team feed, You look nervous.
It doesn’t look nervous, Farai countered sharply, for a human who was looking more nervous than I was.
Are you nervous? Sofi asked.
If we were on Preservation I’d ask for a solicitor. I lied and said, I’m not nervous.
(Emotion check: Nervous.)
If these exchanges sound annoying instead of funny to you, Reader, than you are in the wrong space opera universe. Myself, I enjoyed the roller coaster ride, without trying to search for any deeper meaning or social commentary. They are here, if you really want to look for them, but the main reason I came back to the series is the fun factor. I thought the premise was running out of steam with book seven, but I believe I’m back on track after this platform visit.
(Always assume somebody is after you. Then you won’t be depressed when it happens.)
(Emotion check: Yes, I know that sounds paranoid.)
I miss ART, who is replaced here in the role of sidekick by a recently emancipated corporate murderbot baptised Three. Three is OK, and it is mostly active in the first and in the last chapter of this short novel, a kind of earnest apprentice to the more jaded Murderbot.
Reviewer emotion check: it appears I have my own triggers that I cannot put aside, no matter how much I like a story. In this case it is the casual F-bombs, liberally scattered by Murderbot throughout the narrative. They are a symptom of a lack of imagination and of style in my personal book, not to mention a lack of respect and a form of aggressive attack on your partner in any conversation.
Final word on this whole ‘getting in touch with your feelings’ project is that the concept is a good way to show how Murderbot’s emotional intelligence is evolving beyond the immediate solutions offered by its favorite streaming soap operas. The best way to tell Murderbot is back on an even keel is when it stops depending on the subroutine for existential answers.
(Emotions checks suck. How am I supposed to analyze something that had no inherent rationality in the first place?)
A child’s perspective is a great addition to the already polychrome personality profile of the series. So I will allow Sofi to have the last word, I mean the last email, which is filled with a dozen sparkly hug sigils.
May 7, 2026
This is so bizarre. I love The Murderbot Diaries, and I've listened to the previous ones many times. It's one of my comfort series, something I can run in the background while working with my hands. But this one had me waiting for something interesting through the whole book.
At first I felt like I had missed a chapter, but was willing to wait it out. It all tends to click together. I liked the very beginning, where Murderbot and Three are working together.
In the middle there was one event that sparked my interest and gave me hope that the ending might make it all worth it, but that turned out to just be setting up future plot points for the next book instead. This ending? Not that much happened.
Listening to this felt like a really long commute. I kind of felt like I was one of the characters, but not in the fun way. I felt like I was also there, tapping my foot, glancing at timetables, frowning at the delays, sighing, zoning out, not knowing when or if we were ever getting somewhere.
The plot was very similar to many of the previous ones, an extraction mission. Or a rescue. There were some sweet moments, some funny ones. But most of the time everything just felt flat. I didn't love the character dynamics, they didn't feel distinct enough from how Murderbot has been with any of the other people it's met so far. There was the connection to Mensah, but we've had that before, too. The emotion checks were very frequent, and only a couple of times I felt like we got some valuable insights out of them.
I wish we got to see even more of Three. Murderbot's awkward relationship with and reluctant responsibilty of it is something I'd like to explore more, in real time and on-screen, so to speak. Not in thoughts and memories. Here they were separated for most of the time, but I feel like having two rogue SecUnits with the group of people that didn't know how to feel about them would've been more interesting over the duration of this all. They would've seen how different two SecUnits can be from one another in one moment, and how eerily in-sync they are in the next. Like how Three and MB have very different personalities, but both were literally made for combat and are used to working with other units. It'd make the humans both see that they are individuals just like them, but also that they aren't the exact same as just another human. There is still that lingering other-ness of being half synthetic and being able to/having to write code for things like how to walk like a human instead of organically just doing it like the rest of us.
Was this just not a very good book, or am I falling out of love with the series? Was the narration not as great? Am I just tired, and will I enjoy this book more if I re-listen later? I hope it's just one miss, and not an indication of me outgrowing the series as Murderbot evolves into a more well-adjusted being.
At first I felt like I had missed a chapter, but was willing to wait it out. It all tends to click together. I liked the very beginning, where Murderbot and Three are working together.
In the middle there was one event that sparked my interest and gave me hope that the ending might make it all worth it, but that turned out to just be setting up future plot points for the next book instead. This ending? Not that much happened.
Listening to this felt like a really long commute. I kind of felt like I was one of the characters, but not in the fun way. I felt like I was also there, tapping my foot, glancing at timetables, frowning at the delays, sighing, zoning out, not knowing when or if we were ever getting somewhere.
The plot was very similar to many of the previous ones, an extraction mission. Or a rescue. There were some sweet moments, some funny ones. But most of the time everything just felt flat. I didn't love the character dynamics, they didn't feel distinct enough from how Murderbot has been with any of the other people it's met so far. There was the connection to Mensah, but we've had that before, too. The emotion checks were very frequent, and only a couple of times I felt like we got some valuable insights out of them.
I wish we got to see even more of Three. Murderbot's awkward relationship with and reluctant responsibilty of it is something I'd like to explore more, in real time and on-screen, so to speak. Not in thoughts and memories. Here they were separated for most of the time, but I feel like having two rogue SecUnits with the group of people that didn't know how to feel about them would've been more interesting over the duration of this all. They would've seen how different two SecUnits can be from one another in one moment, and how eerily in-sync they are in the next. Like how Three and MB have very different personalities, but both were literally made for combat and are used to working with other units. It'd make the humans both see that they are individuals just like them, but also that they aren't the exact same as just another human. There is still that lingering other-ness of being half synthetic and being able to/having to write code for things like how to walk like a human instead of organically just doing it like the rest of us.
Was this just not a very good book, or am I falling out of love with the series? Was the narration not as great? Am I just tired, and will I enjoy this book more if I re-listen later? I hope it's just one miss, and not an indication of me outgrowing the series as Murderbot evolves into a more well-adjusted being.
May 3, 2026
Murderbot is back! Perhaps not in the same way it used to be, though.
This time around Murderbot is sent on a mission to find and protect Dr. Mensah’s family members until they can get off the enormous space station in which they’re currently hiding. Murderbot has grown a bit in various ways and it is always interesting to see those changes in action.
Murderbot now has a mental/emotional health checker which turned out to be rather hilarious. In addition, it has upped its usage of curse words, which I also find to be pretty funny. Some things haven’t changed though, and Murderbot still loves its various media programs, especially Sanctuary Moon.
It still has its reservations about interacting with humans and is still fighting to understand the reasons behind their actions. I think these are the portions I enjoy the most. An introvert such as myself can identify with a lot of Murderbot’s thoughts in this area.
Overall, this was a fun, quick read and I enjoyed catching up with Murderbot again.
Recommended!
ARC from publisher
This time around Murderbot is sent on a mission to find and protect Dr. Mensah’s family members until they can get off the enormous space station in which they’re currently hiding. Murderbot has grown a bit in various ways and it is always interesting to see those changes in action.
Murderbot now has a mental/emotional health checker which turned out to be rather hilarious. In addition, it has upped its usage of curse words, which I also find to be pretty funny. Some things haven’t changed though, and Murderbot still loves its various media programs, especially Sanctuary Moon.
It still has its reservations about interacting with humans and is still fighting to understand the reasons behind their actions. I think these are the portions I enjoy the most. An introvert such as myself can identify with a lot of Murderbot’s thoughts in this area.
Overall, this was a fun, quick read and I enjoyed catching up with Murderbot again.
Recommended!
ARC from publisher
May 15, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Too “fucking” short.
Too “fucking” short.
May 20, 2026
This novella continues the comfort and familiarity that has become the landmark of the series, inviting the reader in for a comfortable hug filled with action and snarky quips. If you are already a fan of the series then it is hard not to have fun with this story. At the same time, if you are hoping for something a little meatier and substantial then that joy might be slightly tinged with disappointment. The story is a single mission, and it starts with the mission already in progress, wasting no time, and, similarly, ends with the end of the mission. There is no big planning scene, no lengthy celebration at the end, none of the narrative bits that would fill this out to make it part of a longer novel, and I appreciate that. The mission itself has some twists and turns, enough diversity to keep Murderbot on their toes and keep us interested, but in the grander scheme of things it is pretty straightforward. What this does do well is provide the chance for Murderbot to continue learning how they feel about having emotions, and their emotional check-ins are a constant heartbeat of the story. We see them have to act as a mentee to Three, deal with human children in a non-repulsed way, and embed itself in the midst of complicated human relationships, all of which are things it would rather not do. A handful of tense action set pieces serve as the background for Murderbot’s continued journey of self-discovery, and that is kind of what you’re signing on for with this novella. The setting and environment are intriguing and fun, different than what we have seen before in the series, but it slots neatly into the world Wells has created. The ancillary characters are all heartfelt and contrast with Murderbot well, poking and prodding its emotional barriers in different ways, and are generally fun to be around. They don’t have any particular depth or complexity, they each meet a model of various clusters of character traits that combine for interesting story dynamics, but to be fair we meet them in the course of a hostage extraction and all the time we spend with them is on the run, so it isn’t like there are a lot of opportunities for us to delve deeper. They feel genuine and heartfelt, like a proper family unit, and their warmth and believability carry them through the story.
So…. this feels like a bit of fun. If you want something substantial, some addition to the world-building or the overall narrative, well, this isn’t it. It is a singular mission that is a bit of fast-paced action combined with sentimentality and emotional development. It wraps up neatly and the ending is earned and effective, but it feels like it could have been the first act of a larger novel and, personally, I would have enjoyed that. I can’t rate this poorly because it does exactly what it sets out to do and it does it well, but ultimately it feels like a side-quest that was a bit more fluff than substance. Go into knowing it is just a fun little self-enclosed adventure, a singular mission, and it is a wonderful bit of bite-sized fun.
(Rounded from 3.5)>
So…. this feels like a bit of fun. If you want something substantial, some addition to the world-building or the overall narrative, well, this isn’t it. It is a singular mission that is a bit of fast-paced action combined with sentimentality and emotional development. It wraps up neatly and the ending is earned and effective, but it feels like it could have been the first act of a larger novel and, personally, I would have enjoyed that. I can’t rate this poorly because it does exactly what it sets out to do and it does it well, but ultimately it feels like a side-quest that was a bit more fluff than substance. Go into knowing it is just a fun little self-enclosed adventure, a singular mission, and it is a wonderful bit of bite-sized fun.
(Rounded from 3.5)>
January 9, 2026
My first read of 2026!
I was happy to see another addition to the Murderbot series, and grateful to get my hands on an early copy. This one follows our favorite SecUnit on a new mission that reads like a side quest to the larger story. It doesn’t do much to advance the main plot. Just like with all the other installments, I had trouble picturing the environments and following some of the action, but that was my issue and not the author’s fault.
The best part of the story by far was the banter and the interactions between SecUnit and the children. But there wasn’t enough of it for me. Overall, I found this book a bit lackluster in comparison to the others.
I WAS amused that SecUnit used the word “fuck” a lot. And I liked the ending quite a bit. I’ll definitely keep reading these as long as Martha Wells continues to write them.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
I was happy to see another addition to the Murderbot series, and grateful to get my hands on an early copy. This one follows our favorite SecUnit on a new mission that reads like a side quest to the larger story. It doesn’t do much to advance the main plot. Just like with all the other installments, I had trouble picturing the environments and following some of the action, but that was my issue and not the author’s fault.
The best part of the story by far was the banter and the interactions between SecUnit and the children. But there wasn’t enough of it for me. Overall, I found this book a bit lackluster in comparison to the others.
I WAS amused that SecUnit used the word “fuck” a lot. And I liked the ending quite a bit. I’ll definitely keep reading these as long as Martha Wells continues to write them.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
May 31, 2026
Platform Decay should have felt like a homecoming. Instead, it feels like being shoved out of an airlock and told to keep up.
I absolutely loved Murderbot at its best. The early books worked because the action was never really the point, or at least never the whole point. The point was the anxious, avoidant, furious, funny, traumatised self hiding underneath the armour. Murderbot was compelling because every mission doubled as self-exploration: what does freedom mean, what does personhood mean, what does friendship mean when even admitting you have friends feels like an exposed nerve?
"Platform Decay" knows that version of the series still exists, but it only lets us see it in flashes.
»”SecUnit.”«
That one word, from Mensah, carries more emotional weight than whole stretches of the surrounding plot. Likewise, the late moment where Murderbot acknowledges being surrounded by friends is exactly the sort of subtle, painful, beautiful interior work that made me fall so hard for these books in the first place. The trouble is that there simply is not enough of it. It feels less like the emotional spine of the novel and more like a reminder of what the series used to do effortlessly.
The book’s opening does not help. We are dropped straight into motion with almost no easing-in, no meaningful recap, no reorientation. Either we swim with the story or drown, and honestly, that sucks. It is also getting old. A long-running series can trust its readers without treating momentum as a substitute for grounding. Here, the immediate plunge into action feels less exhilarating than exhausting.
The actual flight story is, sadly, mediocre. It has danger, urgency, hostile forces, difficult humans, and the usual Murderbot competence under stress, but too much of it feels like functional movement rather than emotional discovery. There is suspense, yes, but suspense alone is not what makes Murderbot special. If I only wanted frantic space action with snark, science fiction has plenty of that. What Martha Wells gave us in “All Systems Red”, “Artificial Condition”, and “Network Effect” was sharper and rarer: action filtered through a consciousness that was learning, against its will, how to be a person.
Compared with those earlier books, “Platform Decay” feels thinned out. The voice is still recognisable, and there are still good lines, especially when Mensah or her family enter the emotional field. The observation about Mensah’s partners being just as stubborn and determined as she is has that old warmth: political texture, relationship texture, and Murderbot’s grudging admiration all at once. It is a faint echo of the glorious past, and that phrase really is the problem. Echoes are not enough.
It also sits uncomfortably beside “Fugitive Telemetry” and “System Collapse”, both of which already suggested a shift away from the delicate interiority that made the series exceptional. Those books were more action- and suspense-forward too, but “Platform Decay” makes the drift harder to ignore. It is not that Murderbot must remain static. Quite the opposite: I want more growth, more awkward self-knowledge, more of the terrifying intimacy of being cared for. I want the series to follow the implications of what it has already built.
As a science fiction adventure, this is readable. Compared with lighter, action-led genre pieces like John Scalzi's “Starter Villain”, it still has the advantage of a far more interesting central voice. Compared with something like “Bots of the Lost Ark”, which uses artificial intelligence and mission structure with a clean little emotional hook, “Platform Decay” feels oddly overbusy and undernourished. It has the machinery of a good Murderbot story, but not enough of the inner weather.
I did not hate it. I still care about Murderbot, Mensah, and the fragile social world around them. But caring about them is precisely why this disappointed me. The book gives us glimpses of the self-exploration I came for, then hurries back to the less interesting business of movement and threat.
Sadly weak, then. Not a disaster, but a comedown. Less stupid action, more self-exploration of Murderbot, please.
Three stars out of five.
Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Mastodon | Instagram | Threads | StoryGraph | LibraryThing | Medium | Matrix | Tumblr
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
I absolutely loved Murderbot at its best. The early books worked because the action was never really the point, or at least never the whole point. The point was the anxious, avoidant, furious, funny, traumatised self hiding underneath the armour. Murderbot was compelling because every mission doubled as self-exploration: what does freedom mean, what does personhood mean, what does friendship mean when even admitting you have friends feels like an exposed nerve?
"Platform Decay" knows that version of the series still exists, but it only lets us see it in flashes.
»”SecUnit.”«
That one word, from Mensah, carries more emotional weight than whole stretches of the surrounding plot. Likewise, the late moment where Murderbot acknowledges being surrounded by friends is exactly the sort of subtle, painful, beautiful interior work that made me fall so hard for these books in the first place. The trouble is that there simply is not enough of it. It feels less like the emotional spine of the novel and more like a reminder of what the series used to do effortlessly.
The book’s opening does not help. We are dropped straight into motion with almost no easing-in, no meaningful recap, no reorientation. Either we swim with the story or drown, and honestly, that sucks. It is also getting old. A long-running series can trust its readers without treating momentum as a substitute for grounding. Here, the immediate plunge into action feels less exhilarating than exhausting.
The actual flight story is, sadly, mediocre. It has danger, urgency, hostile forces, difficult humans, and the usual Murderbot competence under stress, but too much of it feels like functional movement rather than emotional discovery. There is suspense, yes, but suspense alone is not what makes Murderbot special. If I only wanted frantic space action with snark, science fiction has plenty of that. What Martha Wells gave us in “All Systems Red”, “Artificial Condition”, and “Network Effect” was sharper and rarer: action filtered through a consciousness that was learning, against its will, how to be a person.
Compared with those earlier books, “Platform Decay” feels thinned out. The voice is still recognisable, and there are still good lines, especially when Mensah or her family enter the emotional field. The observation about Mensah’s partners being just as stubborn and determined as she is has that old warmth: political texture, relationship texture, and Murderbot’s grudging admiration all at once. It is a faint echo of the glorious past, and that phrase really is the problem. Echoes are not enough.
It also sits uncomfortably beside “Fugitive Telemetry” and “System Collapse”, both of which already suggested a shift away from the delicate interiority that made the series exceptional. Those books were more action- and suspense-forward too, but “Platform Decay” makes the drift harder to ignore. It is not that Murderbot must remain static. Quite the opposite: I want more growth, more awkward self-knowledge, more of the terrifying intimacy of being cared for. I want the series to follow the implications of what it has already built.
As a science fiction adventure, this is readable. Compared with lighter, action-led genre pieces like John Scalzi's “Starter Villain”, it still has the advantage of a far more interesting central voice. Compared with something like “Bots of the Lost Ark”, which uses artificial intelligence and mission structure with a clean little emotional hook, “Platform Decay” feels oddly overbusy and undernourished. It has the machinery of a good Murderbot story, but not enough of the inner weather.
I did not hate it. I still care about Murderbot, Mensah, and the fragile social world around them. But caring about them is precisely why this disappointed me. The book gives us glimpses of the self-exploration I came for, then hurries back to the less interesting business of movement and threat.
Sadly weak, then. Not a disaster, but a comedown. Less stupid action, more self-exploration of Murderbot, please.
Three stars out of five.
Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Mastodon | Instagram | Threads | StoryGraph | LibraryThing | Medium | Matrix | Tumblr
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,069 reviews