Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Series: The Murderbot Diaries #8
Author: Martha Wells
Publisher: Tor Books
Released: May 5, 2026
Received: ARC
Find it on Storygraph | More Sci-Fi | The Murderbot Diaries

Book Summary:

Murderbot has done more than its fair share of rescue missions, both before and after becoming a liberated SecUnit. That doesn’t mean it has to enjoy going out on these dangerous and bold missions.

The current rescue mission is especially frustrating for Murderbot, between the environment, challenges, and the sheer number of humans involved. Not to mention all those emotions. 

My Review:

Ahh! More Murderbot! I seriously don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of this series. Platform Decay is the eighth novella in Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries, and I am just in love with it today as I was the first time around.

For context (since there are some timeline questions), Platform Decay takes place after the events of Network Effect and System Collapse. Yes, this does mean we get to see a little bit more of one of my favorite side characters.

Platform Decay dives right into the action, almost literally. It’s a bit chaotic at first, intentionally so. The reader has lots of questions about what sort of mission is going on (and why). With time, the whole story gets revealed. It’s a different sort of intro into a Murderbot story, but it works really well to keep the mystery alive here.

There’s a lot I could say about Platform Decay, because it is such a fun addition to the series. I’m afraid that if I go on too long, I’ll end up including a bunch of spoilers. So, instead I’ll say this: if you’re hoping to find a bunch of new Murderbot quotes, Platform Decay is the book to read.

Highlights:

• Cyberpunk meets Solarpunk
• Rogue Android/SecUnit
• Sarcastic Characters
• Space Adventures
• More 3 (if you know, you know)

Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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