Murderbot DiariesMartha Wells
Murderbot Diaries
by Martha Wells · first published 2023
53mentions
42recommended by
50HN commenters
2017–2026first – last mentioned
84% recommend16% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, snappy, funny sci-fi novellas narrated by a self-aware security android who just wants to do its job; gripping and easy to binge, with an engaging non-human point of view for fans of fun, fast reads.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells are fun, most are short novellas
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗Martha Wells' The Murderbot Diaries (a series of four novellas) was completed this year. It's about an AI which figures out how to break out of it's control module, and decides to not go on a stereotypical murderous rampage, and instead…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Fiction Books of 2018?” ↗…I've read a few Ursula K. Le Guin books and they were decent. All I knew about Left Hand of Darkeness was the stuff about sex and the midevil-ish setting surprised me. I read a couple entries in The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and I might go back to read more. I really liked Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. The two sequels were good but less thought provoking than the first one. I think there is another story…
Martha Wells does this with her Murderbot Diaries books [1]. The series is fantastic and the latest book was great, but £8 for something that I finished in less than an hour felt a bit steep. Especially for an ebook with literally 0 marginal cost. [1]…
on “Writing books is not really a good idea” ↗…Series by John Scalzi SciFi + Comedy Expeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson Military SciFi The Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell The Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos A bit of all of the above Murderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells SciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy Magic 2.0 by Scott Mayer
on “Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?” ↗…would be better. So, not a bad list at all. I suspect the broadest popularity among HN readers would be: - Ted Chiang's short story collection - Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time - Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries All three of them feature really good non-human perspectives .
on “The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of the Past Decade” ↗That would be either 'Red Rising' by Pierce Brown, or 'All Systems Red' by Martha Wells. Though I have to add a cautionary remark: I found the books in Wells' "Murderbot Diaries" to be short enough and gripping enough that it is very hard not to trade a night of sleep for finishing them in one setting.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Best scifi I've read in awhile; a really nice one in the first-person-nonhuman genre.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…for $1 and blu rays for $3. Or, perhaps even better, stop watching mass media lowest common denominator crap and read a good novel. Strongly recommend Paulo Baucalupi's Windup Girl, or Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries. Or for something political and uplifting, Meachem's "The Soul of America".
on “Disney's writer wage theft, a year on” ↗* Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space Series * Dan Simmons - Hyperion Cantos Series * Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries * Peter F. Hamilton - Void Trilogy * Liu Cixin - The Three Body Problem (Starts on Earth but goes Interstellar) * Frank Herbert - Dune * Joe Haldeman - The Forever War (Earth-based dystopia)
on “Ask HN: Science Fiction Starter List” ↗I have thoroughly enjoyed The Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells also very good, except the price for book 2+ are ripoffs at $12 for only 150-170 pages.
on “Ask HN: Favorite fiction books of 2018?” ↗…story. Looking over https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/hopepunk there's a lot I'm not familiar with, but can attest to the fundamentally optimistic takes in Andy Weir's The Martian and Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries.
on “It's time to build: a New World's Fair” ↗I read the first of "The Murderbot Diaries" series by Martha Wells after seeing it recommended several times. Short, snappy and very modern, I intend to continue reading the series to see where it goes.
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗A few I really enjoyed in the last few months: - The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells) - Dune (Frank Herbert) - The Shadow of the Torturer (Gene Wolfe) - Old Man's War series (John Scalzi) - Bobiverse Series (Dennis E. Taylor)
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi Book Recommendations” ↗Bobiverse series (Dennis E. Taylor) Old Man's War series (John Scalzi) The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗