Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries Book 8)

A New York Times, USA Today, and National Indie Bestseller!

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for... eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

The Murderbot Diaries
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
Exit Strategy
Network Effect
Fugitive Telemetry
System Collapse
Platform Decay

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Martha Wells has been writing science fiction and fantasy since 1993. Her work includes The Murderbot Diaries, The Books of the Raksura, the Ile-Rien series, and most recently Witch King and its sequel Queen Demon, as well as other novels, short fiction, non-fiction, and media tie-ins. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her work has won Nebula, Hugo, Locus Awards, and an Alex Award and a Dragon Award. It has also appeared on the World Fantasy, Philip K. Dick, and the British Science Fiction Association Award ballots, as well as the New York Times, USA Today, and the Sunday Times Bestseller Lists. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages.

An Indie Next Pick!
A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick!

“For some foul-mouthed and lethal summer fun, this is a perfect escape.” —The Wall Street Journal

“An incredibly satisfying ride, and one of the funniest installments in the series.” —Booklist, starred review

“Murderbot’s legion of fans will be thrilled by Wells’s latest series installment, and readers who love a good, snarky internal monologue will be glad to know that Murderbot is back in fine fettle after their self-doubt in the previous book, System Collapse.” —Library Journal, starred review

“This spectacular journey, punctuated with satisfying combat scenes, takes on an epic flavor grounded by Murderbot’s sardonic voice and Well’s exploration of mental health and physical well-being. Equal parts action packed, humorous, and heartfelt, this proves the series shows no signs of slowing down.” —Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Murderbot Diaries

“I love Murderbot!” ―Ann Leckie

“The most heartwarming action-packed literally explosive space opera I've enjoyed in a long time. Martha Wells is the best writer of loveable snarky gender-subversive killing machines out there!” ―N. K. Jemisin

“We are all a little bit Murderbot.” ―NPR

“I might have a little bit of a thing for a robot. Its name is Murderbot... Network Effect [is] great.” ―Wired

“If you need something light, a little violent and laugh-out-loud hilarious, dive into this series: You may find that you have more in common with Murderbot than you think.” —Liz Braswell, The Wall Street Journal

“I can think of no better company than this paranoid android.” ―The New Scientist

“Readers won't miss the wall-to-wall action that defined the series from its beginning. The characters and the world building remain engrossing and rewarding.” —Booklist, starred review

“Murderbot, with its on-point observations and addictive interior monologues, is easily one of my favorite characters in SF... Highly recommended.” ―Charles de Lint for Fantasy & Science Fiction

“I could read about Murderbot all week.” ―Locus

Platform Decay, the eighth installment in Martha Wells’ acclaimed The Murderbot Diaries series, released in May 2026, readers are plunged back into the action-packed, deeply internal, and humorously cynical world of everyone’s favorite rogue SecUnit, Murderbot. Maintaining the beloved mix of thrilling sci-fi adventure, corporate dystopia, and profound explorations of personhood, this novella takes Murderbot on an intricate rescue mission. Unlike previous entries that leaned heavily on expansive casts or the presence of the beloved transport ship ART, this installment returns slightly to the series' roots. It focuses squarely on Murderbot’s mental state, its evolving capacity for empathy, and its reluctant acceptance of the fact that it cares deeply for its humans.

The story opens in media res with Murderbot and its fellow freed SecUnit, Three, clamped to the outside of a shuttle, quietly infiltrating an enormous, torus-shaped space station that encircles an entire planet. This massive orbital ring is partially controlled by Barish-Estanza, the ruthlessly exploitative megacorporation that series fans will recognize as a recurring antagonist. Murderbot is on a stealth extraction mission to rescue kidnapped members of Dr. Mensah’s family—specifically one of her marital partners, Farai, along with Nanny Naja and young Sofi. Dr. Mensah and her progressive, benevolent family from the University of Mihira have long been Murderbot's emotional anchor, and despite its constant complaints about human fragility, Murderbot will systematically dismantle anyone who threatens them. However, as is always the case in Murderbot's life, the mission immediately goes sideways.

What was supposed to be a straightforward extraction of three familiar humans suddenly becomes far more complicated when Murderbot receives a last-minute request from a dying enemy to rescue their family as well. Now burdened with a much larger group of squishy, helpless humans—five more to be exact, including several young children—Murderbot must navigate the labyrinthine, poorly designed transportation systems of the station. The rescue party is forced to travel by plane, train, and automobile across the dysfunctional megastructure while dodging various flavors of corporate security and assassination squads. The stakes are predictably life-or-death, but the tension in Platform Decay is uniquely flavored by Murderbot’s overriding desire to protect its charges not just physically, but psychologically.

A major, delightfully humorous new development in Platform Decay is that Murderbot has willingly installed a "mental health module" to help monitor and process the severe PTSD and trauma it has accumulated over the previous books. Throughout the narrative, Murderbot's famously snarky internal monologue is frequently interrupted by automated "Emotion check" notifications. While it still finds human behavior disgusting, chaotic, and annoying—especially their constant need for food, rest, and bathroom breaks—Murderbot is actively trying to be better. It recognizes that to truly function as a friend to the humans it loves, it must stop burying its feelings and confront them. This results in a narrative that feels surprisingly light-hearted and emotionally mature, even amidst the gruesome violence and non-stop peril.

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the book is Murderbot’s interaction with the human children, such as little Sofi and a new juvenile named Tula. Murderbot continually claims to despise being touched and hates it when humans make eye contact, yet it repeatedly finds itself serving as a heavily armed babysitter. From gently landing a scout drone on a child’s outstretched finger to letting a terrified kid sleep on its shoulder, Murderbot’s hidden softness is on full display. Because it genuinely cares about the children’s emotional well-being, Murderbot goes out of its way to shield them from witnessing the graphic violence it must inflict to keep them safe, forcing the lethal SecUnit to creatively employ non-lethal, albeit highly stressful, takedown methods whenever the kids are watching.

While the human cast largely serves as cargo to be shepherded, the interactions between Murderbot and the non-human intelligences provide some of the story's best moments. Three’s burgeoning, awkward personality is a highlight, and Murderbot's reluctant, informal mentorship of the younger, less experienced SecUnit adds a wonderful layer of sibling-like dynamic to the mission. The book also expands the universe’s lore by introducing a brief, hilarious encounter with a completely different rogue SecUnit that Murderbot didn't free itself. This brief exchange, which involves Murderbot tossing out helpful hacking codes alongside a scathing insult about the other bot's clothing, is perfectly in character and hints at a wider underground network of rogue synthetic intelligences.

Ultimately, Platform Decay may feel to some like a familiar escort mission trope, checking off the expected boxes of infiltration, evasion, and extraction. The absence of certain fan-favorite characters, particularly the dramatic transport ship ART, is palpable. However, the true joy of the book lies not in its overarching plot, but in the intimate, moment-to-moment execution of Murderbot’s internal life. Martha Wells uses the high-octane setting to deliver a profound, often hilarious meditation on the messy realities of healing from trauma and the terrifying vulnerability of caring for others. By blending sharp corporate satire, gripping action, and deep emotional resonance, Platform Decay proves that even a killing machine can learn the value of a little tenderness, delivering a highly satisfying, character-driven chapter that will delight long-time fans of the series.