Artificial Condition

This is the second novella following the Security Unit that wryly calls itself Murderbot (it doesn't actually want to hurt humans - humans are useful, they make TV shows). I thought the character and the storytelling in the first story was really good, I just felt that the ending was poorly paced. In this second story the character and storytelling is even tighter, the jokes are funnier and the world building is really well done.

A really good short read.

This second installment in the Murderbot Diaries series picks up right where All Systems Red leaves off. Murderbot has set out on its own as it searches for clues from its past and as it seeks to understand its own identity. It meets another rogue-ish “construct”, nicknamed ART, who is a real standout addition. Wells imbues these non-human characters with so much humanity that they're incredibly engaging and fun to root for. This story was a worthy successor to the first novella, even if it didn't feel as complete or fully fleshed out as that tale. On to #3!

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and while I continue to love the protagonist and its development, I felt a bit let down by the book as a whole.
For such a short book, it took a while to get going, and overall, I just didn't care for the storyline much. The world building was also a bit confusing. I found it difficult to know what was and was not possible for characters to do. The ship's artificial intelligence (ART) was a fantastic character, but its abilities bordered on omniscient, and I couldn't really wrap my head around it. Murderbot could also instantly hack and alter pretty much everything she interacted with, and the playful way it's all explained doesn't actually clarify much.
The first book didn't do much explaining either, but the setting was much more controlled, so I didn't mind the lack of detail at all. Now though, Murderbot is traveling into new parts of a bigger world with more diverse tech, but can still somehow instantly hack everything. It just left me feeling a little adrift.
The strength of All Systems Red may get me to read the third book, but I'm less sure I want to continue the series now. I want to keep reading about Murderbot, but I'm just not sure one kick ass character can carry four novellas and a novel.

This was just as delightful as the first! Murderbot is very intelligent and a bit tough on himself at times. I love the introduction of another bot, ART. My favorite part of the book was Murderbot and ART watching their shows together, and how they talk about their humans. It was very endearing. I hope ART is in the next books, because he was a joy, and so clean! I wish the Comfortbot also got to stay. I felt sorry for them, and all of the Comfortbots really. I hope Murderbot can start to call them Comfortbots instead of sexbots in the next installments. The only reason the the half-point is because we should respect all peoples' professions, even those that work in the pleasure industry.

This is definitely character driven instead of plot-driven, but that's what makes me love it. I really love Murderbot! It's still packed with action & sarcasm. I'm very excited for the next adventure!

Dus, Murderbot noemt zichzelf Murderbot onder meer omdat weet dat hij ooit een hele hoop mensen dood heeft gemaakt die hij eigenlijk had moeten beschermen. Na die gebeurtenis is zijn geheugen gewist (maar niet helemaal, omdat een deel van zijn geheugen organisch is en niet echt wisbaar). Een tijd daarna heeft hij zijn governor module gehackt, waardoor hij niet meer gecontroleerd kan worden door het bedrijf dat zijn eigenaar is.

Op het einde van het vorige boek is hij eigendom geworden van het hoofd van een regering van een plaats waar intelligente andoïden zoals hij ook rechten hebben. Beperkte rechten, want ze hebben nog altijd een eigenaar, maar toch.

Murderbot kiest er meteen voor om niét mee te gaan met zijn nieuwe vrienden, maar terug te keren naar de plaats waar hij al die mensen had gedood, om er het fijne van te weten te komen.

Hij vraagt aan een leeg schip dat naar daar gaat of hij eventueel mee zou mogen gaan, en schets zijn verbazing als blijkt dat het een écht intelligent schip is. Gelijk, niet zomaar een schip met een bot aan het stuur, maar een serieus intelligent schip, grootteordes slimmer dan hem. Het schip, dat hij ART doopt (voor Asshole Research Transport), is een fijne mengeling van enorm intelligent maar ook nul ervaring in het echte leven, en het is serieus grappig en ontroerend hoe het schip leert omgaan met menselijke emoties door samen met Murderbot naar soaps te kijken.

Niet dat Murderbot zelf vreselijk goed is met menselijke emoties of zo, daar niet van.

Ook dit boek was eigenlijk maar een degelijke tv-aflevering lang, ook dit verhaal was uitstekend.
De auteur doet ook helemaal niet alsof het een alleenstaand boek is: het begint meteen na het einde van het eerste boek, en het eindigt met het derde boek helemaal in het vizier.

Wells has depth. This was not as shockingly good as the first – it felt a little contrived and was way over the top in the unlikely-coincidence department – but it was still damn good, and I've started right up on #3. I'm really enjoying Wells's characters, their dilemmas and moral reasoning and kindness and awareness. It's just so refreshing right now.

My guess is that this book was a stepping-stone: Wells has an idea of where she wants to take the saga but it wouldn't all fit with the background-establishing here, so we got an action story tossed in and a few loose threads that I'm sure we'll be seeing more of. I'm totally Ok with that.

Working my way through this series on audiobook is definitely a fun way to commute to and from work.

A standout for me from this novella was ART! I loved Murderbot's perception and comments about ART. They were a great addition of a character.

I can't tell if there is something about the writing style that feels off or maybe it is the narrator but something keeps me from absolutely loving the series as much as I thought I would.

This was everything you loved about the first Murderbot Diary, but moreso. Murderbot explores the meaning of its newfound freedom, while still speaking with the sardonic wit that is quickly becoming its trademark. Along the way it interacts with other AI, which allows Wells to do some interesting worldbuilding, and provides more human fodder for Murderbot to dunk on.

The dark humour of Murderbot is the sort of thing that wouldn't be for everybody, but in a genre that often takes itself Very Seriously, it feels like a breath of fresh air, and the novella length of the story prevents it from becoming overly grim or the humour stale.

Well Murderbot continues on their adventure/quest, I don't know what to call this thing because those both sound too lighthearted for these novellas but odyssey seems a bit too portentous for the media consuming, human love-hating, and well, maybe not as smart as they think Murderbot. Anyway, this installment is a logical progression of the series and Martha Wells adds some great new characters, keeps the world suitably grim, and adds a bit more humor to an already darkly funny mix. Also I think the reader (sames as #1) did a better job at the humor. Good stuff. Onto #3.

Ik ben echt fan van dit verhaalidee en de karakterisering van Murderbot (en ART), maar ik ben niet helemaal verkocht aan de schrijfstijl, die soms vreemd, onhandig en verwarrend aanvoelde. Ik weet niet of dit een bewuste keuze was, misschien om de sociale onhandigheid van ons hoofpersonage extra in de verf te zetten, maar het voorkomt wel dat ik kan wegzinken in het verhaal.
Dat gezegd hebbende, ik ben geïntrigeerd genoeg om deze serie verder te willen blijven lezen.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Artificial Condition

Murderbot is determined to find out the truth about its past. It's heard about the horrific tales of a mining massacre but thanks to the company wiping its memory, can't remember what happened that day. Was the mining incident an accident, or did it want to kill all those humans? Posing as an augmented human, Murderbot takes on a security job for a group of researchers in order to reach the mines. But helping them claim their stolen research isn't going to be easy. And as Murderbot searches for answers in the mines, it will discover a lot more than it's past.

Artificial Condition picks up right where the previous novel left off. Murderbot is trying to pass for an augmented human while it plans a route to the mines. Along the way, it encounters a sentient transport bot that it deems ART. If you thought All Systems Red was hilarious, wait until you read about ART and Murderbot trying to figure out humans. Between Murderbot's knowledge from watching TV and ART's ability to run searches and compound data quickly, they help each other understand human social cues and body language.

The evolution of Murderbot as a character is so clever. Bit by bit Murderbot's outlook of the world and those within it is expanding. And it's not only humans it's learning about, but other AI as well. Murderbot is guilty of putting AIs into categories based on type, even though it's a unique individual. Of course, that is until ART comes along and rewrites how Murderbot views its own kind.

An introvert after my own heart, Murderbot is a character I cannot get enough of. I am eager to see how else Murderbot will evolve as the series progresses. If you haven't tried the Murderbot Diaries yet give them a try. They are fast-paced sci-fi reads that are filled with action, sarcastic humor, and great storylines.