The new sci-fi series, Murderbot, premiered this month on Apple TV+ to strong critical reviews–which isn’t surprising given the show’s source material. Like many popular streaming series, Murderbot is not an all-new IP, but is instead an adaptation of a book series by Martha Wells called The Murderbot Diaries. The first book, a novella titled All Systems Red, was a big hit when it was published in 2017 and won several prestigious awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for that year’s best novella. Its six sequels have garnered strong reviews and honors as well. If you’re interested in checking out the source material, the full series is available in several formats at Amazon–including hardcover, Kindle ebook, and Audible audiobooks.
The Murderbot Diaries Four-Book Collection (Hardcover)
$44 (was $80)
The books and Apple TV+ series follow a security cyborg, which calls itself „Murderbot“ (played by Alexander Skarsgard in the show), who becomes conscious and must hide its self-awareness by completing the dangerous–and often deadly–missions it’s programmed for, despite wanting to hang out and watch TV instead.
While there are seven books in the series, one of the best ways to start is The Murderbot Diaries Four-Book Collection, which–as you can probably guess from the title–includes hardcover editions of the first four novellas in the series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy. The collection is on sale for $44, saving you nearly 50% compared to its normal $80 price tag.
The Murderbot Diaries Four-Book Collection will keep you busy for a bit, but it’s not the full series, and you’ll need to pick up Books 5-7 to complete the saga. Conveniently, all three are available now–in fact, all seven Murderbot Diaries books are available in standalone versions if you want to forego the four-book collection. Each volume has a hardcover edition, while a few have paperback editions available as well.
Network Effect (Book 5) and System Collapse (Book 7) are full-length novels, and Fugitive Telemetry (Book 6) is a standalone novella. All of the novellas are quick reads (160-176 pages), while Book 5 is twice as long as any other entry, and Book 7 is roughly 250 pages.