Novella Review: Platform Decay by Martha Wells

received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Book 8 of The Murderbot Diaries

Publisher: Tordotcom (May 5, 2026)

Length: 244 pages

Author Information: Website

A new Murderbot book is always cause for joy, and since it’s been a couple of years since the last one, you can imagine my excitement going into Platform Decay. But as we are eight books into the series, after so many adventures and turning points, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what works for me and what doesn’t. Ultimately, while the SecUnit remains one of my favorite protagonists in science fiction, this new installment simply landed closer to the middle of the pack. It’s still enjoyable, containing many of the things I love about The Murderbot Diaries, but comes across more like detour than a meaningful step forward.

The story picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, and once again Murderbot finds itself responsible for protecting a group of squishy, vulnerable humans from the usual combination of corporate greed, poor decision-making, and imminent danger, not always in that order. This time, the mission takes it to a massive orbital platform where a hostage situation has spiraled into a full-blown crisis. Among those trapped aboard are members of Dr. Mensah’s family, including children, immediately making the situation far more personal for Murderbot than it would probably like to admit.

What follows is essentially an extended rescue and escape operation. As conditions aboard the station continue to deteriorate, Murderbot must guide its charges through a series of increasingly dangerous situations while dealing with one of its least favorite complications: people. These are frightened civilians with conflicting agendas, messy emotions, and frequent bouts of mistrust. And in what might be the most terrifying aspect of this entire ordeal, the children won’t stop asking uncomfortable questions! Meanwhile, hostile forces are closing in, forcing Murderbot to stay constantly on the move and several steps ahead. Thankfully, our protagonist has had plenty of experience dealing with seemingly impossible situations, even if doing so now comes with a growing collection of inconvenient feelings it would much rather ignore.

Platform Decay was a lot of fun. That said, I couldn’t help but feel like we’ve been down this road before. The main challenge of any long-running series is finding fresh ways to engage both the protagonist and the reader, and this installment occasionally struggles with that. Essentially, Murderbot is tasked with saving innocent lives yet again, from yet another corporate disaster zone. Only the minor details are different, making this feel like a side quest between larger events rather than an impactful sequel with meaningful consequences. In fact, I was hoping for something with a bit more weight behind it, but outside of getting to finally meet some of Mensah’s family members, I didn’t see a whole lot of changes beyond continuing with the status quo.

But there are also plenty of positives. As ever, spending time in Murderbot’s head is an endless source of entertainment, and the narration has so much punch that you can’t forget it. I also like seeing how far the character has come since the beginning. And yet, while our protagonist has made great strides emotionally, that doesn’t mean it has suddenly become warm and cuddly. Murderbot’s deadpan cynicism is what makes this series, and Martha Wells remains incredibly good at making the SecUnit’s personality leap off the page even when the story itself feels smaller.

In the end, Platform Decay is a perfectly decent Murderbot novella, but it does pale in comparison to some of the series’ stronger entries. Nevertheless, it’s fast, entertaining, and easy to devour in a sitting. Bottom line, a middling Murderbot book is still a Murderbot book, and I’ll never not geek out over one even if it’s not a favorite. I’ll keep following The Murderbot Diaries, and here’s just hopnig the next volume will feel a little more substantial.