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Platform Decay is the newest installment in the Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. The series began as an award-winning novella (All Systems Red) and has become so much more. Each book challenges our friendly rogue SecUnit to become more than its original programming. Through the lens of a fictional character, Wells manages to illuminate the complex nature of humanity, and everyone has fallen in love with Murderbot. The AppleTV adaptation has only increased its popularity.
Platform Decay is my favorite Murderbot book so far, which is saying something. Not only is the series unique, well-written, and engaging – it’s funny, too. Murderbot is sarcastic and blatantly honest in its own thoughts, revealing its discomfort among humans and its dislike for almost everything except its expansive media collection and a few select humans. It’s not an anti-hero, but it’s not the typical main character, either, and I love that.
Murderbot is a rogue SecUnit – a human/bot construct once rented out as equipment but now free of its governor module. Doctor Menah saved it from capture, befriended it, and gave Murderbot legitimacy as a security consultant. So when Mensah’s marital partner and daughter are kidnapped, SecUnit steps up to mount a rescue mission. They are being held in the depths of a massive planetary torus, and getting to them is the easy part. Getting them off the torus alive is much more difficult.
The best part of Platform Decay is Murderbot’s interactions with Mensah’s family. It’s heartwarming to see Mensah’s marital partner learn why she trusts the SecUnit with their lives. Their dialogue is absolutely brilliant.
As always, the internal thoughts of Murderbot are endearing, but now it has a mental health module to help with its emotions and PTSD. Every time it alerts, Murderbot is prompted to check in with its emotional state, and this process adds so much depth to the character. It’s also showing clear growth as the series progresses.
The next Murderbot addition will be the audiobook version of the novellete, Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy, in audiobook format. Originally published in July of 2025, it was a 2026 Hugo Award Finalist for best novelette. Kevin R. Free always does a fantastic job voicing Murderbot and the other characters in each book, and I have already preordered the Rapport audiobook to join the other eight books in my collection.
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Visit the author’s website.
Platform Decay cover artist: Jaime Jones
Platform Decay cover designer: Christine Foltzer
Platform Decay interior designer: Heather Saunders
Advance Reading Copy provided by DAW via NetGalley at my request.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I already own the audiobook versions from Audible.
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Audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free
I have read and reviewed all of the Murderbot Diaries 1-7 in previous posts:
Worlds Of Mayhem 