Like the show and are thinking about reading "The Murderbot Diaries"? Want to skip "All Systems Red" and go straight into book 2? Here's what you should know.
The PresAux crew was condensed from 8 members down to 6 in the show. Volescu and Overse were cut. Pin Lee filled both their roles.
Pin Lee took Volescu's place in the crater that was attacked by alien fauna in episode 1/opening scene of the novel.
Pin Lee takes Overse's place as Arada's marital partner in the show. In the books, Pin Lee appears to be single.
Speaking of Pin Lee, in the books she uses she/her pronouns. The decision to make them non-binary in the show is still a pretty cool one, as we do meet characters who use neo-pronouns and have different gender identities in later books.
Gurathin's backstory is a mystery in the books. In "All Systems Red" he's described as being a quiet, loner type, apart from the rest of the crew. However, he's still clearly liked by the PresAux group, just like in the show.
Gurathin and Murderbot have a much more hot/cold relationship in the show than in the books. Honestly, I always felt like MB was being a dick to Gurathin and hated him for no good reason in the books. The show on the other hand...
While polyamory is the norm in this series, Ratthi does not get involved with Overse and Arada in the books, temporarily or otherwise.
Because of MB's limited perspective in the books, we do not find out Mensah has an anxiety disorder until later books. MB's impression of her is that she's an intrepid galactic leader. Kudos to the show, though, for really showcasing Mensah as an intrepid galactic leader WITH an anxiety disorder.
Leebeebee is a show only addition. In the book, they do not save anyone at DeltFall.
Preservation is a communist freehold planet, but it is independently wealthy. PresAux is doing the survey because they are wealthy enough to afford more resources for their people. In the show, they make it seem like Preservation is desperate enough to send their planetary leader into hardship. In the books, it's because Preservation values all their civil servants still engaging in their profession part time, rather than having full time civil servants and leaders.
I think that's everything? Chime in if I forgot something! I'm glad you liked the show, and I hope reading the books helps you understand just how truly special they are
















