"The TV show did them justice": Apple TV's Murderbot rendition receives high praise from George R.R. Martin

Apple TV+'s sci-fi adaptation Murderbot has already been getting attention, and now it's been endorsed by one of the biggest names in genre fiction. In a recent blog entry, Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin gave public approval to the adaptation of Martha Wells' The Murderbot Diaries. According to ScreenRant, he said:

"The Murderbot stories are always a lot of fun, and the TV show did them justice. I look forward to another series. It’s nice to see someone doing science fiction right."

This has engendered widespread discussion from fans and the media at large. Martin does not hand out heartfelt endorsements frequently, but certainly not for adaptations. His endorsement provides additional momentum for a production that already had the advantage of a built-in viewership owing to Wells' award-winning sci-fi novellas.

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What George R.R. Martin said

George R.R. Martin made his statement about the show on his blog in the course of summing up books, shows, and stories he had most recently read. The sentence describing Murderbot was short but clear: he said that the TV adaptation "did them justice" of Martha Wells' original novella series.

This quote is now widely cited in media coverage, such as in Screen Rant, CBR, and Collider, and has gone viral among genre fans online. Although Martin didn't elaborate, the quote indicates that the adaptation hit the core strengths of the books, something that fans were desperately hoping for.

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What is Murderbot, and why does it matter?

Murderbot is a spin on The Murderbot Diaries, a series by Martha Wells where a self-aware security android hacks its own controlling module. Rather than turning rogue in the more traditional sci-fi way, it chiefly wants to be left alone, streaming soap operas, and not have emotional closeness with humans. The books address identity, autonomy, emotional detachment, and corporate excess, and they do it through sarcasm, wit, and introspection.

The novels have won a few Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards, and are some of the most unique voices in 21st-century science fiction. Bringing the show to the screen is a huge challenge: preserving its dark humor and extremely internal narration while producing a visually stunning world.

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Why Martin's endorsement matters

Martin's seal of approval for Murderbot matters for a few different reasons. First, he has a long history of writing extensively about how intensely critical he is of those adaptations that don't do justice to their source material, especially in terms of character work and emotional resonance. If he calls a show "doing them justice," his word carries a little more weight than any individual press quote might.

Secondly, Martin's fan base is enormous, and his utterances create broad interest in works that are not even on the general excitement horizon yet.

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The future of the show on screen

Given the self-contained nature of Martha Wells' early novellas, each with tightly coherent arcs, the TV series would fit quite handily into a serialized, season-per-season presentation. Martin's assertion that he "looks [s] forward to another series" may imply that there are several seasons planned or at least being considered.

The backing of heavy hitters like Martin suggests that the creative folks think there is a long-term value to the material. Whether it materializes will be determined by viewership acceptance and streaming trends.

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Therefore, George R.R. Martin's recent claim has put the show's adaptation on the map. His brief blog post assured that the adaptation has succeeded in maintaining the essence of Martha Wells' work, at least in his opinion.

Now, viewers can cautiously take comfort in the fact that one of the strongest names of the genre fiction world of today has discovered something to love.

Also read: Murderbot Episode 10: Release date news, streaming details and more