Martha Wells Murderbot books don’t really need my help in plugging. ALL SYSTEMS RED won a dang Hugo, afterall. However, especially the first four novellas are fantastic, short, fast reads that are perfect escapism with a weirdly-relatable protagonist (weird because we’re in the head a literal murderbot). And, frankly, the first line of ALL SYSTEMS RED is perhaps one of the most gripping paragraphs I’ve ever read:

“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”

Look me in the eye and tell me you aren’t going to read the next line. I dare you.

There are currently four novellas and one novel out. Another novel is available for preorder now, so there’s plenty of murderbot to go around.

If it sounds good to you, check it out. If you’ve got a local independent bookseller, please give them your business in this difficult time. If it works, try using the Bookshop link, which tries to support independent booksellers. If your local library has it on the shelf, support libraries!

If Amazon is the what works for you to get books in the pandemic, use Amazon, that’s okay too!

Bookshop:

The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel (The Murderbot Diaries Book 5)

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries Book 6)

Powell’s:

The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel (The Murderbot Diaries Book 5)

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries Book 6)

Amazon:

The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy

Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel (The Murderbot Diaries Book 5)

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries Book 6)