What are The Murderbot Diaries? The award-winning books behind Apple TV+'s sci-fi hit Murderbot starring Alexander Skarsgård

Indian Express

18-05-2025

Apple TV+ has just premiered an adaptation of the award-winning sci-fi book series titled Murderbot. And if you're confused by the scary or maybe off-putting title, let us tell you, the show will introduce you to this strange, reluctant hero who likes watching soap operas. Set in the far future, the title is just a cheeky nod to its laid-back personality — and honestly, it's not very good at being a killer. Played by Alexander Skarsgård, the robot gives the title to itself after declaring 'humans are idiots' and breaking free from the system that used to control its actions. But the one who hates and is always horrified by human emotion is vulnerable as well. The books that inspired the show come from Martha Wells. She wrote a series called The Murderbot Diaries, which has seven novellas, two novels, and a couple of short stories.
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In the very first book of the series that came out in 2017, Murderbot says, 'As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure,' and that pretty well sums up the whole point of this lighthearted series that can also turn dark and self-reflective at times. Fed up with human emotions, Murderbot—who was designed to make humans' lives easier in the future—hacks its own control system. Martha Wells, who is no stranger to writing fantasy novels, having already worked on Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura as well as Stargate and Star Wars-linked books, published the first Murderbot book, All Systems Red, in 2017. The first part is a quick read, and the next three follow the same pace. Then, in 2020, the first full-length novel in the series, Network Effect, was released. But when it comes to the adaptation, the show is based on only the first part.
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If you want to go through the books first, this is the order
Here's how the books came out:
The story revolves around a group of scientists who are on a quest to explore an alien planet, and to protect them, security robots are appointed by a ruthless corporation called The Company. But to add to its annoyance, the humans around Murderbot are all kind and treat it like one of them. Murderbot finds people exhausting, they're emotional, they want eye contact, and they keep trying to talk and touch it. But he is nothing like them, though he's still vulnerable to a few, but often ends up needing a break to recharge. Interestingly, because of how it acts and feels, many neurodivergent viewers really connect with the character.
The robot calls itself 'Murderbot' as a joke, but it's actually pretty shy and awkward around humans. It pretends the whole time, knowing humans might panic if they find out it's free-thinking. And since it's someone who doesn't want to overthrow humans or fight aliens, and instead just wants to do their job while binge-watching soap operas and TV serials, the humour part instantly kicks in. Murderbot likes judging humans around, but as the story goes on, it understands the harsh realities of the corporate-run future, where humans and robots alike are just tools in a bigger game. 'I was built to protect and obey humans. And humans… are idiots. But now that I've hacked my programming, I can do whatever I want… as long as they don't find out,' Murderbot says in the trailer.
Unlike many robot stories where machines try to conquer or destroy humans, Murderbot is more about learning what it means to be free and to connect with others, even if it's reluctant. It's funny and clever, and sometimes sarcastic, often taking a jab at human emotions. 'Why did you even want freedom in the first place if all you're going to do is shut yourself away from the world?'
The series sticks closely to the first novella, but it also expands the story with new characters like Leebeebee (played by Anna Konkle).
New episode of Murderbot are released every Friday.