It's official: Apple TV+'s adaptation of Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries sci-fi books launches on May 16, introducing a whole new group of genre fiction lovers to this quirky series which has taken book readers by storm. Murderbot is the story of a self-hacking security construct (played by True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård) who is drawn toward human emotions despite their insistence that they want nothing to do with them. The fact that Murderbot is sentient is a danger to them should the wrong people find out, so they would much rather lay low watching soap operas than get tangled up in human affairs.
All Systems Red, the first novella in The Murderbot Diaries, was published in 2017. Since then Wells has written a number of other novellas, novels, and short stories set in the Murderbot universe which have garnered numerous awards and nominations, including multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards.
I'll admit, I haven't yet read The Murderbot Diaries (though I have enjoyed some of Wells' other work, such as the dark fantasy novel Witch King). But trust me when I say these books are a big deal; they've turned pretty much every sci-fi nerd I know who has read them into a ravening fan who can't stop talking about how great they are. You can't fake the kind of word-of-mouth that The Murderbot Diaries has generated. Unless the TV show makes wild missteps, I have a feeling it's going to make similar waves when it debuts in May.
With the Murderbot TV series on the way, it's a great time to delve into the books. If you're considering reading, you'll probably want to know exactly how many books there are, and in what order you should read them. If so, you're in the right place!
How many Murderbot books are there?
To date there are seven mainline books in The Murderbot Diaries. Five of those are novellas which clock in at under 200 pages; the other two are full-length novels. Here's the full rundown, in publication order:
All Systems Red | 2017 (novella) |
Artificial Condition | 2018 (novella) |
Rogue Protocol | 2018 (novella) |
Exit Strategy | 2018 (novella) |
Network Effect | 2020 (full-length novel) |
Fugitive Telemetry | 2021 (novella) |
System Collapse | 2023 (full-length novel) |
Reading the books in publication order is always a safe bet, but if you want to go chronologically, the main difference is that Fugitive Telemetry takes place before Network Effect, the first full-length novel in the series. So for a chronological read-through, hit all five novellas and then move on to the two novels afterward.
All of these books are widely available in ebook format, but if you prefer paper copies, publisher Tordotcom just released brand new omnibus editions in January ahead of the TV show. Each book has two Murderbot stories in it, which makes them a really good way to nab the whole series. The Murderbot Diaries: Volume 1 has All Systems Red and Artificial Condition, Volume 2 has Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, and Volume 3 has Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse. (Network Effect is not included in any of the new editions, so you'll still have to get that one separately.)
There are also three Murderbot Diaries short stories, which can be read for free online: Compulsory, Obsolescence, and Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory. Of those, only Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory takes place during the main Murderbot Diaries story, set between Exit Strategy and Fugitive Telemetry. The other two are standalone works.
Murderbot TV series release date
Since most of The Murderbot Diaries stories are on the shorter side, there's plenty of time to read through most or all of them before the show drops! Murderbot premieres its first two episodes May 16 on Apple TV+. New episodes will follow one a week after that for the rest of its 10-episode first season.
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