Platform Decay: Murderbot Diaries #8    by Martha Wells Order:  USA  Can Tor, 2026 (2026) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries are such fun! Platform Decay is the eighth in this hilarious space opera series, following System Collapse. Though programmed for destruction, Murderbot (a sentient machine with organic neural tissue) has gone rogue. He protects humans but remains unimpressed by their weird antics! This time, Murderbot is clamped on the outside of a shuttle, heading to 'a gigantic space dock attached to an even more gigantic planetary torus.' He makes his way through it all, musing amusingly along the way) and finds the clients he has come for - Farai, juvenile Sofi, and elder Naja. They were rescued from a detention camp by corporate Leonide, who wants to make a deal. Leonide wants him to get five of her own family members out of there, along with his three clients. They evade security, steal a flyer, and make for the family's safehouse, where only two children have been left alive. Farai and Murderbot rescue them, the smaller one clinging to him 'like a tentacled parasite in a horror movie.' Murderbot does get them out of course, through many dangerous encounters, and sharing his running commentary on events - and emotions - with readers en route. I look forward to more of his entertaining adventures. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews