Artificial Condition

The Murderbot Diaries, #2

by Martha Wells

158 pages

English language

Published Nov. 11, 2018

ISBN:: 978-1-250-18692-8
OCLC Number:: 1033693095
ISFDB ID:: 2344581

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(190 reviews)

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 vessal 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...

5 editions

Custard Rock reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Murderbot's Next Adventure: A Review of 'Artificial Condition

5 stars

"Artificial Condition" by Martha Wells is the second instalment in The Murderbot Diaries series, building on the thrilling foundation laid by "All Systems Red." Having eagerly picked up this sequel, I was curious to see what our beloved SecUnit, known as Murderbot, would do with its newfound freedom. I found "Artificial Condition" to be even more engaging and entertaining than its predecessor, with a compelling mix of mystery, character development, and humour.

In this novella, Murderbot continues to evolve, showing increased depth as a character. Its witty commentary on the absurdities of human behaviour adds a delightful layer of humour to the narrative. The story explores Murderbot’s journey toward self-awareness, especially through its interactions with other AI entities.

One standout interaction is with a ComfortUnit—a euphemism for a sexbot—through which Murderbot gains a deeper appreciation for the freedoms it has and the significance of using that freedom to assist others. …

Another highlight of "Artificial Condition" is the introduction of ART, a rather bossy transport AI. Despite Murderbot's initial reluctance, ART’s determined involvement in Murderbot’s life adds both humor and depth to the story. The dynamic between Murderbot and ART is particularly entertaining, as ART's persistent intrusion forces Murderbot to confront its own vulnerabilities and desires.

Overall, "Artificial Condition" is a smart, funny, and thought-provoking continuation of The Murderbot Diaries. It delves into deeper themes while maintaining the series’ characteristic wit and charm. I am eagerly looking forward to following Murderbot’s next awkward yet endearing adventures.

In summary, "Artificial Condition" is a fantastic sequel that surpasses its predecessor in many ways. It’s a must-read for fans of the series and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted, humorous sci-fi adventure.

John Lusk reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

I estimate 97% probability I will read this entire series

5 stars

This one was also awesome. Murderbot, for some reason, feels responsible for some humans and a smaller number of other bots. This is an interesting plot device.

Also, it feels to me like there's this sort of "escaped slave at risk of being recaptured" thing, along with "other humans feel guilty about that and want to treat it kindly but murderbot finds that extremely awkward and tiresome" thing, and I think those two things could definitely be (de?)coded differently, if you have a mind to, and that feels different (and I like it).

Alsø alsø, there's that whole "cold, heartless sole wanderer always moving like a rolling stone" thing that's appealing.

BoMay reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Murderbot explores its past

4 stars

Another enjoyable episode in the series. A bit better than the first.

aura@books.theunseen.city reviewed Schémas Artificiels by Martha Wells (Journal d'un Assassynth, #2)

Et soudainement, le robot assassin devint queer

4 stars

J'avais apprécié le tome 1 de l'Assassynth comme un bon page turner et une personnalité atypique pour une IA rogue dans la SF. Le tome 2 offre l'opportunité d'étendre un peu plus l'univers dans lequel Assassynth évolue, et de lae voir relationner avec des humains et d'autres machines. Et c'est à la fois très drôle et relatable. On ne s'imagine pas un assassin avoir de l'anxiété sociale, et pourtant! Et il y a de la queerness à laquelle je ne m'attendais pas du tout, c'est validé! Côtés points négatifs, certains concepts et noms mériteraient d'être explicités (c'est quoi un MedSys, la différence entre synthétique, bot, augmenté, humain, et pourquoi un killware ça fonctionne sur l'un et pas sur l'autre???); et il ne se passe finalement pas énormément de choses. Ce tome a ravivé mon intérêt pour la série en tout cas.

Michael Shotter reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial condition' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

If you enjoyed "All Systems Red," you'll almost certainly enjoy this as it's a direct follow-up to that story, expanding on the Murderbot character and the surrounding universe in a nicely-executed, quick, and satisfying manner.

Murderbot is a bit sassier and more overtly brash in this one, which at times during the read felt a little forced to me but I ultimately adjusted to the new tone and ended up chalking the change up to a plausible evolution of the character given the events of the first book.

The story is fairly simple and straightforward, which leaves plenty of room for the additional world building and character development that I'd say are the bread and butter of the experience. I particularly enjoyed Murderbot's interactions with ART as they did a lot to check both of those boxes in a fun and novel way.

If you got your fill of Murderbot …

Catship reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

:)

No rating

I'm not enjoying this as deeply as the first time and I'm getting distracted a lot, but it's rly nice still. I love ART.

Flauschbuch reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

fun but also thought-provoking

4 stars

Just like in the first book it's entertaining to read Murderbot's perspective on humans and the world in general. I also really liked the transport ship. We learn more about bots and why they help humans even if they don't have to. It's also about freedom and what to with it, consent, trust and responsibility.

laundry0099 reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial Condition' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Murderbot is such a fun character. Never thought a construct could be so relatable but it’s just the cutest. I love when it gets bewildered by humans.

Mickey reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial condition' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

4/5

Love this next book of the Murderbot series. The pace and length is just perfect as a light novel between other ones. The world is rich and interesting and I love following the evolution of Murderbot seemingly becoming more and more ‘human’.

ART really was a great addition as well and I hope to see them again in the future novels. Overall just a great quick read!

Woile reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial Condition' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Really entertaining, I would love to see a TV show about murderbot

gregorgross reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Reading the Murderbot diaries

4 stars

I was reading parts 1 (All Systems Red) and 2 (Artificial condition) of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Here is what I wrote about it: denkpass.de/2023/04/05/Reading-Murderbot-diaries-by-Martha-Wells.html

Two passages:

What’s funny is that these AIs are supposedly superintelligent, yet they behave like small kids. This is what makes them also human or relatable in my eyes. But would artificial intelligences even pay attention to humans? We’ll see why the murderbot (and the ship AI) do, but this is almost all that makes me read these books (or Iain Banks’ Culture series, which is also heavy on AI, or Anne Leckies Radj series): because the AIs want to understand humans, they observe them so much. And find out something that we humans don’t observe consciously (but most of the time subconsciously).

Martha Wells was aware of this human centred storytelling with often the only reason being that we human readers are …

Two passages:

What’s funny is that these AIs are supposedly superintelligent, yet they behave like small kids. This is what makes them also human or relatable in my eyes. But would artificial intelligences even pay attention to humans? We’ll see why the murderbot (and the ship AI) do, but this is almost all that makes me read these books (or Iain Banks’ Culture series, which is also heavy on AI, or Anne Leckies Radj series): because the AIs want to understand humans, they observe them so much. And find out something that we humans don’t observe consciously (but most of the time subconsciously).

Martha Wells was aware of this human centred storytelling with often the only reason being that we human readers are so much interested in ourselves, not actually in any artifical intelligences. We want the AIs to focus on us, because we only focus on us as well.

ridel reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial condition' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Murderbot 2 is a nice, short story but is constrained by its length. Our main character is joined by a decent secondary, with enough story development time for us to invest in the character. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast are barely more than names and the overall plot is ultimately shallow. I continue to appreciate the thoroughness to the setting and relationships between constructs, bots, and humans. You can tell there's a lot of left unwritten, and that the world building is deeper than what Murderbot is able to explore. I appreciate this, but am also cognizant that if the setting was also shallow, I would give up on these short stories.

Readers that enjoy short stories will not have these complaints. For the rest, it's short enough that you might as well give it a try.

I'm slightly annoyed that ART will not be present in the future …

Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Review of 'Artificial Condition' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Same interesting narrative voice but nothing interesting was done with it in this second volume. The first book was novel enough to impress me but the second entry revealed an author with interests very different from mine. I might go back to this series of I'm in the mood for some fluff but probably not.

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

Murderbot digs into its past

3 stars

The second 'Murderbot' story, this one has it going back to where it all began, a mine where it went 'rogue' and killed its clients, forcing it to disable its governor, so it wouldn't happen again. But memory, especially mostly erased memory, is a tricky thing. It isn't sure if it was the governor that made it go rogue, or it disabled its governor to go rogue. Either way, it has to know.

But getting to the mine on a distant planet won't be easy. On the journey, it finds an uneasy ally in the transport ship which happens to be an on-loan research vessel with a hugely powerful bot in charge of it, but is rather emotional over entertainment shows (provided by Murderbot) featuring research vessels whose crew dies from misadventures and needs some 'hand holding'.

On the planet itself, it hires itself off to a small team going …

On the planet itself, it hires itself off to a small team going to the planet to meet a company person holding the team's data hostage. An attempted sabotage raises the stakes as Murderbot now has to protect his clients and get them safely off the planet again before going off to find the mine. When he does this, the truth he discovers is not what he remembers. But he now has to go save his clients again before deciding what to do now he knows just what happened at the mine.