Dungeon Crawler Carl
LitRPG / science fantasy
Series · science fiction
The Murderbot Diaries
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells has 11 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Compulsory (2018).
- Books
- 3 novels + 8 novellas
- First published
- 2017
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Compulsory (2018) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Compulsory
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Compulsory - Book 2:
All Systems Red
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All Systems Red - Book 3:
Artificial Condition
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Artificial Condition - Book 4:
Rogue Protocol
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rogue Protocol - Book 5:
Exit Strategy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Exit Strategy - Book 6:
Network Effect
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Network Effect - Book 7:
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory - Book 8:
Fugitive Telemetry
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fugitive Telemetry - Book 9:
System Collapse
Alternative text for cover: Cover of System Collapse - Book 10:
Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy - Book 11:
Platform Decay
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Platform Decay
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.
- Book 1:
Compulsory
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Compulsory - Book 2:
All Systems Red
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All Systems Red - Book 3:
Artificial Condition
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Artificial Condition - Book 4:
Rogue Protocol
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rogue Protocol - Book 5:
Exit Strategy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Exit Strategy - Book 6:
Fugitive Telemetry
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fugitive Telemetry - Book 7:
Network Effect
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Network Effect - Book 8:
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory - Book 9:
System Collapse
Alternative text for cover: Cover of System Collapse - Book 10:
Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy - Book 11:
Platform Decay
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Platform Decay
About The Murderbot Diaries
A self-aware security android has hacked its own governor module so it can no longer be forced to follow orders — and it uses that freedom mostly to hide in its allotted crate and watch downloaded soap operas, because dealing with the humans it's supposed to protect is exhausting. It calls itself Murderbot. When a corporate survey mission it's guarding goes wrong, Murderbot's competence, dry sarcasm and deep discomfort with human attachment drag it into a string of conspiracies it would much rather avoid — while quietly, reluctantly, starting to care about the people around it.
Martha Wells built the series around a genuinely fresh voice: a first-person narrator who is powerful, socially anxious, allergic to being thanked, and funnier than almost anything else in modern SF. The early books are tight, fast novellas that read in a sitting; later entries expand into full novels with a growing ensemble as Murderbot's found family (human, AI and otherwise) gets larger and more complicated. It's corporate-dystopia science fiction with real teeth — indentured contracts, killer bots, hostile AIs — carried by a lead character readers fall for immediately, and it swept the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards for its first entry, All Systems Red.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Murderbot Diaries?
Eight main installments — four novellas (All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy), a fifth novella (Fugitive Telemetry), and three novels (Network Effect, System Collapse, Platform Decay) — plus three short stories published online rather than as standalone books (Compulsory, Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory, and Rapport).
What order should I read The Murderbot Diaries in?
Publication order works well: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse, Platform Decay. Readers who want strict story chronology can move Fugitive Telemetry to just before Network Effect instead.
Is Murderbot a novella series or a novel series?
Both. It started as four short novellas in 2017-2018, added a fifth novella (Fugitive Telemetry) in 2021, and has since become primarily full-length novels starting with Network Effect (2020).
Is the Murderbot Diaries series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Martha Wells has contracted to write at least one more novel after Platform Decay (2026); no title or release date has been announced yet.
Is the Murderbot Diaries TV show based on the books?
Yes. Apple TV+'s Murderbot (2025), starring Alexander Skarsgård, adapts All Systems Red and the early novellas as its first season.
If you like The Murderbot Diaries
Reading order last verified .