Buckle up everyone because this is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions, excitement, and eagerness to get you to pick up the Murderbot Diaries by Martha wells. I don’t think I have been so keen to do a series review in a while, and you can bet I will be going ahead with the goal of converting more than a couple of you to the wonders of this series. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Murderbot Diaries consist of six shorter novels and one full-length novel. You can read the shorter novels separately, or read the novels as volumes, with All Systems Red and Artificial Condition together, Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy paired in the second volume, and Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse making up the third volume. With this setup, the full-length novel Network Effect fits between volumes two and three (as normal) but unfortunately, the cover will not match the newer volumes. This is a great to keep in mind though if you fall in love with the series like I did because you can get two books in one, saving you money and giving you some pretty covers too. Or you can do what I did and buy the hardcovers in the original covers because you are a sucker for SecUnit and cannot deal with not having all the covers.

The Murderbot Diaries follow a Security Unit (SecUnit, for short) who disabled its governor module, watches human space dramas during important missions, and privately calls itself Murderbot. Murderbot is tasked with looking after a team of people while on planet for a mission, and it is safe to say that things don’t pan out how they should. For an android, Murderbot is surprisingly anxious, sarcastic, and petty. Following it through space while it finds out more about what it is, its past, and the threats hanging over the heads of the humans it looks after leads to many hilarious monologues, interactions, and observations. As a character, Murderbot is incredible and more than enough to keep the reader’s attention, and it is one of my favourite characters I’ve read.

The adventures of Murderbot are enlightening, tense, and full of funny moments that make this space opera series all the more enjoyable. Each novel is expertly written, balancing the plot with the attitude and chaos of Murderbot and wrapping it up in a brilliant work of sci-fi genius. There is not a single novel where I felt things were out of place, boring, or insignificant to the overall plot. It all works and it does so with great effect and intention. Martha Wells’ storytelling is phenomenal and worthy of so much praise and respect because I could eat up so many more Murderbot novels and still be hungry. They are just that good!

For those new to science fiction or perhaps looking for something lighter, the Murderbot Diaries are an excellent choice. The shorter novels are no more than 200 pages each, and within those pages is enough sci-fi but also storytelling in general to be substantially satisfied. There isn’t a whole lot of dense world building taking place, but there is enough to build a lush, dangerous, and heavily biased perspective for Murderbot to assess everything though while still being the most socially awkward android to exist. And Murderbot isn’t the only prominent character throughout the series, so you will find a fair share of humans and others who are more than prepared to go against the angsty being that is Murderbot.

Please, I beg of you, give the Murderbot Diaries a read. You will be so happy you did, not to mention your mind will be blown at how incredible yet simple the stories are, how easy it is to love Murderbot, and how desperately you long for more. Good thing the Murderbot TV series has released its first season and without a doubt there will be more stories to come out of there (so long as it doesn’t get cancelled). This is one of my favourite series ever and I wish more readers got their hands on it.