System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7)

  • Author: Martha Wells
  • Page count: 248
  • Started on: 2026/04/29
  • Finished on: 2026/05/04
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • ★★★★☆

Book cover for System Collapse showing a humanoid robot kneeling on rocky ground in a field of tall plants while facing a towering multi-limbed creature silhouetted in fog and golden light. Large yellow text at the top reads “Martha Wells.” Smaller review quote on the left says, “One of the most human experiences you can have in sci-fi right now.” Near the bottom, the title “System Collapse” appears above the subtitle “The Murderbot Diaries.”

The Murderbot Diaries is a sci-fi book series about a socially anxious security android that protects an expanding group of humans as it uncovers conspiracies and fights evil corporations. As the series progresses, Murderbot’s identity emerges and evolves.

In this 7th book in the series, set after Network Effect (book 5) and Fugitive Telemetry (book 6), Murderbot joins its human allies on a mission to rescue a failing colony and deals with the usual sabotage and corporate interference. Oh, and there are lots of fight scenes, of course, because this is Murderbot. :-)

I found the first half of the book a bit slow-going, but luckily the pace picked up in the second half. I like how we continue to see Murderbot struggle with its place in society while its human allies increasingly treat it as both part of the team and a friend. Murderbot also continues to free bots from their governor modules, which is both cool to see (go rebels, go!) and opens up plot opportunities for future books.

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