Good news for Murderbot fans: All of the novellas in Martha Wells’ acclaimed, bestselling and Prometheus-nominated series about a self-aware robot have been bound together in paperback for the first time.
The three-volume set – accessibly but unimaginatively titled The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1, 2 and 3 – has been published by TOR Books, to capitalize on the Apple TV new TV series based on the stories.
The set includes all four Murderbot novellas that were combined into one 2019 Prometheus Best Novel nomination and went on to be selected among that year’s finalists: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy.
Network Effect, a full-length Murderbot novel, also was nominated for a Prometheus Award in 2021 in the Best Novel category.
Volume 1 includes All Systems Red, the story that sparked the Murderbot phenomenon, and Artificial Condition.
Vol use 2 includes Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, the third and fourth novellas in the series.
Volume 3 includes Fugitive Telemetry and System Collapse, the fifth and sixth novellas.
The novellas and novels center on a self-aware SecUnit or android that has hacked its own governor module to achieve greater self-awareness and independence.
Thinking of itself privately as “Murderbot,” because of its original programming to kill if necessary to carry out its missions, Murderbot is rather leery of humans and just wants “to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is (and to watch its favorite show in its downtime),” according to a book description in File 770’s news note about publication of the series.
That suggests the libertarian appeal of the series, with its focus on bodily autonomy, individual choice, self-determination and non-aggression.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:
* Prometheus winners: For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer and Sarah Hoyt), Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Facebook page for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.
* Join us! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.
