The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1

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The first two novellas in the New York Times bestselling Murderbot series, collected in paperback for the first time!

"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

First, read the story that started the Murderbot phenomenon in All Systems Red!

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is (and to watch its favorite show in its downtime.)

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

Then, In Artificial Condition Murderbot teams up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), and together, they infiltrate the mining facility where Murderbot went rogue to try to understand its past.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

Reviews

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

“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

“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

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

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

“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

Praise for All Systems Red

“The Murderbot series is a heart-pounding thriller that never lets up, but it’s also one of the most humane portraits of a nonhuman I’ve ever read.” —Annalee Newitz, author of The Future of Another Timeline

“Clever, inventive, brutal when it needs to be, and compassionate without ever being sentimental.” —Kate Elliott, author of the Spirit Walker trilogy

“Endearing, funny, action-packed, and murderous.” —Kameron Hurley, author of The Stars Are Legion

“Not only a fun, fast-paced space-thriller, but also a sharp, sometimes moving character study that will resonate with introverts even if they’re not lethal AI machines.” —Malka Older, author of Infomocracy

“Wells gives depth to a rousing but basically familiar action plot by turning it into the vehicle by which SecUnit engages with its own rigorously denied humanity.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“I already can’t wait for the next one.” —The Verge

About the Author

MARTHA WELLS has written many novels, including the New York Times and USA Today-bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, which has won multiple Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards. Other titles include Witch King, City of Bones, The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, the Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads and ending with The Harbors of the Sun), and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer, as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, and nonfiction.