Review by: Rachel Rudd, Star Valley Branch Library
Martha Wells returns to the world of The Murderbot Diaries with Platform Decay, the eighth installment in the beloved science fiction series. By this point, Murderbot feels less like a fictional character and more like an old friend—albeit one who would be horrified to hear that description and immediately retreat into several hours of downloaded entertainment. While the series has always balanced action, humor, and thoughtful questions about autonomy and identity, Platform Decay continues to deepen Murderbot’s emotional growth without losing the dry wit and fast-paced adventure that made readers fall in love with the series in the first place.
In this installment, Murderbot volunteers for a rescue mission that quickly becomes more complicated than expected. Alongside the increasingly independent SecUnit known as Three, it infiltrates a massive corporate torus station controlled by the ever-unpleasant Barish-Estranza corporation. The goal is to rescue members of Dr. Mensah’s family, but as always, the situation grows messier, more dangerous, and far more emotionally complicated than Murderbot would prefer. Forced to interact with unfamiliar humans—including children—while navigating corporate corruption, decaying infrastructure, and impossible choices, Murderbot must decide how much risk it is willing to take for people it cares about and for strangers who need help.
As a longtime Murderbot fan, I absolutely loved Platform Decay. One of the things Martha Wells does so well is make Murderbot’s internal struggles just as compelling as the explosions, hacks, and daring escapes. The action is exciting, but the heart of the story lies in watching a character who insists it dislikes people continue to care about them anyway. Murderbot’s sarcastic narration remains as funny as ever, and its growing relationship with Three adds another layer to an already rich cast of characters. While some readers may find the plot more straightforward than earlier entries, I was simply delighted to spend more time with my favorite anxiety-ridden SecUnit. Eight books in, Wells still manages to make Murderbot feel fresh, relatable, and endlessly entertaining. If there are more Murderbot stories in the future, I will be first in line to read them. At this point, I would happily follow Murderbot through another dozen books, corporate conspiracies, and awkward social interactions. This title is available on the Libby App.
