Title: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2)
Author: Martha Wells
Genre: Science fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Publication Date: May 2018
Format: Audiobook
Length: 3 hours

Read if you like: futuristic societies, questions of robots ethics, critiques of capitalism, witty humour, diverse cast, themes of identity and freedom

Rating: 

The Murderbot Diaries are quickly becoming a sci-fi favourite for me. I was so enamoured with the first book, All Systems Red, that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second, and I’m super pleased that it didn’t disappoint.

In Artificial Condition, Wells delivers another chapter in Murderbot’s quest to discover what happened in their past, how they feel about humans, and what they want with their future. It’s a beautiful mix of clever humour, introspective reflections, and a perfectly paced plot that all come together to create an engaging story that I couldn’t put down.

I have loved that both books so far have been in a novella format, so we get to slowly see Murderbot’s journey unfold. It feels like the perfect delivery for such a multifaceted world.

For me, this book was an easy 5-star read. I enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait to continue the series from here.

The Book: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells Synopsis

It has a dark past–one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot.” But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.

The Review

My goodness, I love these books. I think I liked Artificial Intelligence even more than the first.

In this installment, Murderbot is on the loose, attempting to find out the truth behind the attack they purportedly had against a group of humans, resulting in his memory being wiped. While his previous research group had attempted to purchase his contract to provide him with more freedom and autonomy in their environment, they eschewed this olive branch in favour of heading off on their own as a rogue SecUnit. 

The cast outside of Murderbot is completely new in this book, and possibly even more engaging than the last. Almost immediately, Murderbot hitches an illegal ride on a transport that he assumes will have limited sentient capacity, only to find that the ship is not only robust in intelligence, but it is also nosy and keen to intervene in Murderbot’s affairs. He aptly nicknames the ship Asshole Research Transport (ART) and their relationship becomes one of my favourite aspects of the book. ART, who is all logic and reasoning in trying to assist Murderbot, pushes the SecUnit outside of its comfort zone in an attempt to help them discover what the truth of their past may be. They too demonstrate a keen interest in the differences between humans and artificial intelligence, and it’s fascinating to see the way that ART and Murderbot respectively perceive the humans and their actions around them.

In terms of story, I loved that this arc took Murderbot to the site of their crimes and unravelled some of the mystery around why they would have done something so heinous as to murder all the humans in their company. It quickly becomes apparent that a much larger plot is afoot, which seems to lend some relief to Murderbot that they aren’t just a cold, ruthless, vindictive SecUnit designed to kill. Murderbot is still an anti-social, apathetic being who desires, above all else, to be left alone to watch their soap operas, but I’ve loved seeing them reluctantly come to terms with the more human aspects of their being, while also recognizing those traits in the AI around them as well.

I also appreciate the way that the humans in the Murderbot Diaries are always quick ins and outs, more or less there to demonstrate the inadequacies and intricacies (or often, weaknesses) of what it is to be a person. They’re sometimes cruel, often endearing and empathetic, and always a good contrast to Murderbot and his fellow AIs. They make the story richer for their interactions, but I love that the characters aren’t the focal point. 

The pacing of the story was perfect for me with a quick and succinct cadence. This series has yet to fail to make me laugh out loud while also pondering what it means to be free and to be human. I can’t wait to pick up the third book in this series to see where Murderbot goes from here.