The Murderbot Diaries reading order

A plan for the whole series

8 volumes, 1,551 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 7, “System Collapse” (by 26%).
• Readers scored volume 6, “Fugitive Telemetry”, below its predecessor (8.3 after 8.9). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2026. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 15, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 119 habout 4 weeksby November 24, 2026

   • 1. All Systems Red2017 · 168 pages · 3 h
   • 2. Artificial Condition2018 · 168 pages · 3 h
   • 3. Rogue Protocol2018 · 176 pages · 3 h
   • 4. Exit Strategy2018 · 192 pages · 4 h
   • 5. Network Effect2020 · 350 pages · 6 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 3, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 29 h12 daysby December 15, 2026

   • 6. Fugitive Telemetry2021 · 168 pages · 3 h
   • 7. System Collapse2023 · 189 pages · 3 h
   • 8. Platform Decay2026 · 140 pages · 3 h
4. The end of the series

   December 15, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: best at the start. Readers scored the first volumes (8.4) above the last ones (8.1).

Best volume: Network Effect (8.9, 1,585 ratings). Weakest: Platform Decay (8.0). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 6 and 7: 26%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2026. The last volume (8.0) is below the average (8.4); the best volumes come earlier.