Books Received in November 2025

Many thanks to Tor.com for letting me read advance copies of these books. Both of them are later additions to series, and they're both really good.

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire - This takes place a few months after the events of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, and it's worth revisiting that book to remind yourself of what's been happening. There's another quest and more explanation of the Halls of the Dead, which have only been briefly explored in previous books. Out January 6, 2026.

A fan-favorite character returns in this action-packed installment of the Hugo Award-winning Wayward Children series.

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?

Platform Decay by Martha Wells - This is book 8 in the Murderbot Diaries series. It helps to have read the rest of the books as there's little character introduction in this one. It's an extraction story, so it's slower paced than some of the others. The book has the same dry wit and humour as the rest, enhanced by Murderbot's new 'emotion check' program. Out May 25, 2026.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for... eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

Book Review: System Collapse by Martha Wells

Book 7 of the Murderbot Diaries

Pros: character development, some interesting fight scenes

Cons: some of the quieter sections dragged a bit

System Collapse picks up a short time after Network Effect. Perihelion’s crew is trying to help the colonists on the colony planet reject the claim over them by the Barish-Estranza corporation. They learn of a group that split off and is living in a blackout zone, so Murderbot and a small group go to warn them of what’s going on.

A redacted traumatic event has reduced Murderbot’s operating capacity and lowered its self-confidence. Murderbot’s avoidance of emotion hampers its recovery, even as it makes the SecUnit less able to do its job. Murderbot feels the most human in this book. I thought their resolution to the separated group was brilliant. There are a few honest laughs and more snarky humour.

There are a few fight scenes, but not as many as the previous book.

I did find some of the exploration scenes tense, but they got a bit boring as they stretched on. Though I felt that more my second time reading it than the first.

On the whole it’s an interesting story with Murderbot having to face its trauma, despite its attempts not to.

=> The next book is Platform Decay, coming out in May 2026.

Book Review: Network Effect by Martha Wells

Book 5 of the Murderbot Diaries, but chronologically comes after book 6, Fugitive Telemetry

Pros: lots of character development, fight scenes, exciting twists

Cons:

Network Effect starts with the survey mission mentioned in Fugitive Telemetry. The survey team returns to Preservation space and is immediately attacked by a transport. Murderbot is horrified to learn it’s ART/Perihelion. It needs to learn what happened to its friend while keeping Mensah’s daughter alive.

The story is novel (rather than novella) length, and it needs the space. It’s a fast paced story with a lot of exciting twists. There are some nice flashback scenes on Preservation planet that help develop Murderbot more as a complex entity. This novel also brings up trauma more and how individuals (human, bot, and construct) deal with it. There are some great fight scenes and banter among the characters. Murderbot’s narrative is sarcastic at all the right times.

There’s so much going on and such fun conversations that this is probably my favourite book in the series.

=> The next book to read is System Collapse.

Book Review: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries, but chronologically comes between books 4 and 5

Pros: several plot twists,

Cons: not much action

Fugitive Telemetry takes place on Preservation Station where Murderbot is acting as Mensah’s security. A murder has just been uncovered, and Mensah suggests station security and Murderbot work together to solve it.

This is basically a murder mystery novella, so there isn’t as much action as the other books in the series have had. The characters are mostly new, though Gurathin and Ratthi show up for a bit. The mystery is good, with some interesting twists.

It’s entertaining, but not my favourite.

=> The next book Chronologically is Network Effect.