If you are wondering how to read The Murderbot Diaries books in order, you have come to the right place. Martha Wells’ award-winning science fiction series has grown from a single novella into one of the most popular modern sci-fi series, complete with novels, novellas, short stories, and an Apple TV adaptation.
And at the center of everything is Murderbot: a self-hacking security construct that would much rather watch its favorite entertainment than deal with humans, emotions, dangerous missions, or pretty much anything involving eye contact.
The Murderbot Diaries has become one of my favorite recent science fiction series. What makes it so addictive is Murderbot itself. Its sarcastic internal monologue, dislike of social interaction, and reluctant attachment to the humans around it make it unlike almost any other protagonist in science fiction.
But with several novellas, novels, and additional short stories now available, figuring out exactly where to start with The Murderbot Diaries can be confusing.
The good news is that the reading order is actually pretty straightforward.
Here is the complete Murderbot Diaries book order, including the main series and the optional short stories.
The Murderbot Diaries Books in Publication Order
For first-time readers, I recommend reading the main books in publication order:
- All Systems Red — 2017
- Artificial Condition — 2018
- Rogue Protocol — 2018
- Exit Strategy — 2018
- Network Effect — 2020
- Fugitive Telemetry — 2021
- System Collapse — 2023
- Platform Decay — 2026
Macmillan currently lists these eight titles as the main entries in The Murderbot Diaries, with Platform Decay joining the series on May 5, 2026.
For most readers, this is the easiest way to experience the series.
There is one wrinkle: Fugitive Telemetry takes place before Network Effect chronologically, even though it was published afterward. Martha Wells’ official site confirms that Fugitive Telemetry is set before Network Effect.
You can still read the books in publication order without any major problems, but readers who prefer a strict timeline may want to switch those two books.
1. All Systems Red
Everything begins with All Systems Red, the 2017 novella that introduced readers to Murderbot.
Murderbot is a SecUnit—a security construct made from both organic and mechanical components. SecUnits are normally controlled by corporations through governor modules that prevent them from disobeying orders.
Except Murderbot has secretly hacked its governor module.
That means it is technically free.
So what does an incredibly dangerous artificial being do after gaining its freedom?
Mostly watch entertainment.
Unfortunately, Murderbot still has a job protecting a group of scientists exploring a distant planet. When their mission begins going dangerously wrong, Murderbot is forced to do what it would rather avoid: interact with humans and keep them alive.
The setup sounds simple, but Wells immediately gives Murderbot one of the most memorable voices in modern science fiction.
It is funny, cynical, anxious, incredibly competent, and often confused by the humans around it.
All Systems Red won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for Best Novella as well as an Alex Award, making it an impressive beginning to the series.
If you are trying to decide whether The Murderbot Diaries is worth reading, start here. The novella is short enough that you can quickly discover whether Murderbot’s humor and personality work for you.
For me, they absolutely did.
2. Artificial Condition
After the events of All Systems Red, Murderbot decides to investigate one of the darkest mysteries from its past.
Why did it call itself Murderbot in the first place?
Murderbot remembers that humans died during an incident involving it, but its memories of what happened are incomplete.
Its search for answers introduces one of the best characters in the entire series: ART, an extremely intelligent research transport AI.
The conversations and relationship between Murderbot and ART are some of my favorite parts of the series.
Artificial Condition expands Murderbot’s world while also digging deeper into its identity, memories, and growing independence.
3. Rogue Protocol
The third main installment is Rogue Protocol.
By this point, Murderbot’s problems with the powerful GrayCris Corporation are far from finished.
Murderbot heads toward an abandoned terraforming facility hoping to uncover evidence against GrayCris, only to find itself involved with another group of humans.
Naturally, Murderbot would prefer not to care about them.
Naturally, that doesn’t work out.
The novella continues developing one of the central ideas that makes the series so entertaining: Murderbot constantly insists it doesn’t care about humans while repeatedly risking itself to protect them.
4. Exit Strategy
Exit Strategy completes the original four-novella story arc.
After everything Murderbot has discovered about GrayCris, it has to return to help Dr. Mensah, one of the first humans to treat Murderbot as something more than corporate property.
This is where many of the emotional threads running through the first four books really come together.
And while Murderbot would probably hate anyone describing its journey as “emotional,” there is no denying how much the character has changed since All Systems Red.
Readers who want to sample the series without committing to every installment could easily treat the first four novellas as one larger story.
But chances are you will want to keep reading.
5. Network Effect
Next is Network Effect, the first full-length Murderbot novel.
The larger format gives Wells more room to develop the characters, relationships, and science-fiction world surrounding Murderbot.
When Murderbot’s human companions are captured and someone important from its past becomes involved, what follows is a much larger adventure than those in the early novellas.
If you already enjoy Murderbot and ART, Network Effect is particularly rewarding.
The book helped prove that the character worked just as well in a longer story as it did in the fast-paced novella format.
6. Fugitive Telemetry
Publication order places Fugitive Telemetry after Network Effect, but chronologically it actually takes place beforehand. Wells’ official series page specifically describes it as being set before Network Effect.
This time, Murderbot finds itself dealing with something a little different: murder.
After a dead body is discovered on Preservation Station, Murderbot reluctantly helps station security investigate what happened.
The result feels almost like a science-fiction detective story.
And Murderbot investigating a mystery while having to cooperate with humans who aren’t entirely comfortable with it is exactly as entertaining as it sounds.
7. System Collapse
System Collapse continues the larger storyline following Network Effect.
Murderbot once again finds itself caught between competing interests while trying to protect vulnerable humans and prevent corporations from exploiting a dangerous situation.
But the biggest challenge may be Murderbot itself.
The book explores the psychological consequences of everything Murderbot has experienced while continuing the combination of action, humor, and character development that defines the series.
For readers following the main storyline, System Collapse should definitely be read after Network Effect. Reactor’s 2026 discussion of the series also notes that System Collapse follows Network Effect chronologically rather than Fugitive Telemetry.
8. Platform Decay
The newest main Murderbot book is Platform Decay, released on May 5, 2026.
Once again, Murderbot makes the questionable decision to volunteer for a rescue mission.
Unfortunately for Murderbot, the mission means spending a lot of time around unfamiliar humans.
Even worse?
Some of them are children.
Platform Decay continues Wells’ combination of high-stakes science fiction, corporate dystopia, action, and Murderbot’s hilarious internal commentary.
Macmillan lists the book as the latest installment following System Collapse, making it essential reading for anyone who has caught up with the rest of the series.
What About the Murderbot Short Stories?
There are also several shorter works set in the Murderbot universe.
They aren’t necessary to understand the main books, but fans will definitely want to seek them out.
Compulsory
Compulsory is set before All Systems Red, making it a prequel to the main series.
Martha Wells’ official site confirms that the story takes place before the events of the first novella.
However, I would still recommend starting with All Systems Red if you are completely new to Murderbot.
Why?
Because All Systems Red was written to introduce the character and its world. Once you already know Murderbot, going back and reading Compulsory works perfectly.
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory takes place immediately after Exit Strategy. Macmillan confirms its position after the fourth novella.
Unlike most of the series, however, the story is told from Dr. Mensah’s perspective.
That makes it particularly interesting because we get to see Murderbot from another character’s point of view.
For the chronological experience, read it between Exit Strategy and Fugitive Telemetry.
Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
There is also the newer novelette Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy, published in 2025.
The story focuses on ART, also known as Perihelion, and its crew during another dangerous mission.
Its timeline falls sometime after Murderbot and ART meet in Artificial Condition but before the events involving ART in Network Effect.
Because its exact placement among some of the intervening adventures isn’t essential, I would treat Rapport as bonus reading after Artificial Condition rather than interrupting your first journey through the main series.
The Murderbot Diaries in Chronological Order
If you want to follow the events as closely as possible in timeline order, I recommend:
- Compulsory
- All Systems Red
- Artificial Condition
- Rogue Protocol
- Exit Strategy
- Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory
- Fugitive Telemetry
- Network Effect
- System Collapse
- Platform Decay
You can read Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy after Artificial Condition once you are familiar with ART, although its precise position within the larger chronology is less important.
Should You Read Fugitive Telemetry Before Network Effect?
This is probably the biggest reading-order question surrounding the series.
If you want publication order, read:
Network Effect → Fugitive Telemetry → System Collapse
If you want chronological order, read:
Fugitive Telemetry → Network Effect → System Collapse
For a first read, I don’t think either approach will ruin the experience.
Personally, I prefer Fugitive Telemetry before Network Effect because the timeline flows more naturally that way.
Do You Need to Read the Murderbot Short Stories?
No.
You can read the eight main Murderbot books without reading any of the short fiction.
But if Murderbot becomes one of your favorite characters, the additional stories are worth reading because they add new perspectives and fill in small parts of the timeline.
I would consider Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory especially worthwhile because seeing Murderbot through Dr. Mensah’s eyes adds another layer to their relationship.
Is the Murderbot TV Series Based on the Books?
Yes.
Apple’s Murderbot adaptation stars Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot and began streaming in May 2025. The first season adapts All Systems Red, the first Murderbot novella.
Apple also officially renewed Murderbot for Season 2 in July 2025.
That makes this a great time for new readers to discover the books, especially anyone who watched the television series first and wants to know where Murderbot’s story goes next.
Is The Murderbot Diaries Worth Reading?
You absolutely should.
What makes The Murderbot Diaries special isn’t just the science-fiction setting or action. It is Murderbot itself.
Murderbot may technically be an incredibly dangerous security construct, but it spends much of the series worrying about conversations, avoiding eye contact, watching entertainment, and pretending it doesn’t care about people that it obviously cares about.
That contradiction makes the character hilarious and surprisingly relatable.
Martha Wells also knows exactly how long these stories need to be. The early novellas move incredibly quickly, making them ideal for readers who want science fiction without committing to a massive 700-page space opera.
At the same time, there is a larger story developing in the background involving artificial intelligence, corporate control, autonomy, personhood, trauma, friendship, and what it actually means to be free.
Final Thoughts on The Murderbot Diaries Books in Order
If you’re trying to figure out how to read The Murderbot Diaries in order, the simplest answer is to start with All Systems Red and continue through the main books in publication order.
The complete main series currently runs:
All Systems Red → Artificial Condition → Rogue Protocol → Exit Strategy → Network Effect → Fugitive Telemetry → System Collapse → Platform Decay.
Readers who prefer chronological order can move Fugitive Telemetry ahead of Network Effect and add the short stories along the way.
Whichever approach you choose, The Murderbot Diaries is one of the easiest modern science-fiction series to recommend. Wells combines great world-building, fast-paced storytelling, sharp humor, and one of the genre’s most memorable protagonists.
And if Murderbot had its way, it would probably prefer that we stop analyzing its character development and let it get back to watching media.
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