The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1

Now an Apple Original series from Academy Award nominees Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz and starring Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård.

The first two novellas in Martha Wells's New York Times bestselling Murderbot series, collected in paperback for the first time!

"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."


First, read the story that started the Murderbot phenomenon in All Systems Red!

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is (and to watch its favorite show in its downtime.)

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

Then, In Artificial Condition Murderbot teams up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), and together, they infiltrate the mining facility where Murderbot went rogue to try to understand its past.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

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Published Jan 7, 2025

320 pages

Average rating: 7.88

673 RATINGS

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Join a book club that is reading The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1!

Interrobang?! Co-ed Book Club

Co-ed book club in Mountain View, CA last Sunday of the month. Focus on sci-fi, fantasy, non-fiction, and horror.

The Tipsy Tomes Book Club of Topeka

We will choose from a variety of fantasy books while having a drink. No pressure to finish the book, just enjoy the company of other book lovers.

Escapism Anonymous

Scifi/ Fantasy Book Club in OC

Community Reviews

Sue Dix
Mar 14, 2026
10/10 stars
This is definitely one of the weirder books I’ve read. But I loved it! A bot who is basically off the rails, following a program that parallels proscribed actions only if they suit its own purposes. I really, really like Muderbot. It is kind of amoral, and yet seems to have some type of morality. I think I will have to continue this series. I kind of care about what happens to Murderbot.
Groundhogcat
Oct 24, 2025
6/10 stars
Interesting story about a part robot/part human security bot. Delves into the question of what is human who has free will.
Brett
Mar 31, 2026
9/10 stars
Uniquely fun take on a robot with human parts.
katiiecentenno
Feb 21, 2026
4/10 stars
lemme just say, this book isn’t bad i think i am just dumb LMAO. it’s a quick read it’s only like 150 pages. it jumps right into the story and i felt lost for a good amount of time. i relate to murderbot way too much and it scares me LOL also chatgpt told me to read this and that is messing with my head
Chloë
Feb 19, 2026
8/10 stars
Well this was delightful. I have never related to a character more than I do with murderbot

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