Martha Wells

Artificial Condition is the follow-up to Martha Wells's Nebula Award-winning, New York Times bestselling All Systems Red.
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 Murderbot Diaries

Artificial Condition

why am i getting sentimental about a SHIP watching tv help

anya

So we watched Worldhoppers. It didn't complain about the lack of realism. After three episodes, it got agitated whenever a minor charac- ter was killed. When a major character died in the twentieth episode I had to pause seven minutes while it sat there in the feed doing the bot equivalent of staring at a wall, pretending that it had to run diagnostics. Then four episodes later the character came back to life and it was so relieved we had to watch that episode three times before it would go on.

i keep forgetting these are like novellas and i’m like wtf why do i read them so fast well cause they’re good for starters

Kiran Aftab

i think i liked this one more than the first honestly

the author has to stop introducing characters i get attached to and then moving on like please let murderbot have friends that stick around!!!!

anyways onto the next

Michael Knepprath

The Murderbot Diaries is the only series I can think of that makes me want to literally laugh out loud. Snarky bots are such a delight.

Katy Watkins

Vicky  Nuñez 

Murderbot makes more friends, and is still the shyest murderebot to ever exist.

Funnier than the 1st book, loved the sidekick. 

Jenny Engel

Bethany s. 

This was even better than the first! I love ART 🥹

Laura Wilson

Denaiir

3.5 stars

The Murderbot Diaries are quickly becoming a go-to quick SF fix for me. I enjoy following Murderbot and now ART too, the pair is pretty awesome!

I love the drama binge-watching, I love the catastrophic situations the bot gets into, I love ART's quips, I love the world-building. 

I'm really flying through these, and even though this one was not as gripping I'm still very much looking forward to the 3rd.

I love this series so much. I like that this novella picked up right after the first one, and it still has everything I’d come to expect from Murderbot - funny asides, heartfelt ideals, and refreshingly honest anxiety. Low-stakes sci-fi is definitely my thing. The addition of ART was also welcome. I like that the world is growing and introducing some new characters, even if they only last for the book. Another fun and compelling story! 

Katie Allard

The second of the Murderbot Diaries, I really cannot get enough of this character and this world. 

Krys C

I had fun with this one. I am glad there is also an overarching plot but mostly I can tell Martha Wells was having a great time and that really makes all the more enjoyable. Otherwise it is not too dissimilar from the first one.

Joy Bush

More Murderbot! These novella series books are great!

A USA Today bestseller The "I love Murderbot!" —Ann Leckie Artificial Condition is the follow-up to Martha Wells's Nebula Award-winning, New York Times bestselling All Systems Red 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...

In the first book, I criticised the author’s way to characterise an AI character and said it was hard to believe for me how the Murderbot felt too much like a human more than a AI. I guess I focused too much on the technical nature of it.

Now with this second I understand where the author wants to go, and why he feels so human. As we follow it, we see it learning its emotions and it’s definitely voluntary and it made me remember a short story from Exhalation by Ted Chiang. I feel like Murderbot is always learning and it’s interesting to follow. 

The intrigues are okay but like book 1 it feels like an accessory to follow Murderbot as a character.

Amira BEN

In the first book, I criticised the author’s way to characterise an AI character and said it was hard to believe for me how the Murderbot felt too much like a human more than a AI. I guess I focused too much on the technical nature of it.

Now with this second I understand where the author wants to go, and why he feels so human. As we follow it, we see it learning its emotions and it’s definitely voluntary and it made me remember a short story from Exhalation by Ted Chiang. I feel like Murderbot is always learning and it’s interesting to follow. 

The intrigues are okay but like book 1 it feels like an accessory to follow Murderbot as a character.

Up to the next 😂😭

Matthew Royal

This book flew by! Must have liked it more than I thought.

A USA Today bestseller The "I love Murderbot!" —Ann Leckie Artificial Condition is the follow-up to Martha Wells's Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times bestselling All Systems Red 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... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Gillian Rose

Another fun adventure with my new best friend Murderbot! I also very much enjoyed the introduction of ART and the two of them bonding over television. Seriously, why am I relating to these characters so much???

Midori Kobayashi

i liked this better than the first one????

Shona Tiger

Another wonderful read. Pacing was just slightly slower than the first book in the series but there was more character development. There were some times when the plot was a little confusing since there were multiple goals going on at once, but overall it was a really interesting read. 

Paige Carter 

Ryan LaFerney

Artificial Condition is the second novella in The Murderbot Diaries, a series which chronicles the evolving adventures of Murderbot which is a Secunit (security unit) androids as it grows more and more emphatic and human. After Dr. Mensah buys out the android’s contract, letting Murderbot choose to stay with Dr. Mensah or go its own way. Murderbot promptly boards a ship headed somewhere else .In Artificial Condition, Murderbot returns to a site where it went rogue and killed a bunch of people, teams up with a research transport named ART, and falls in with a trio of researchers who are trying to negotiate a deal with their terrible employer. SecUnits aren’t supposed to be on their own, and Murderbot’s subterfuge prompts it to think deeply about how to pass as human.

This is a great series. And I encourage everyone to read this. Murderbot might just make you a better human.

The follow-up to the hugely popular All Systems Red 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...

I love Martha Wells' Murderbot series. Artificial Condition is the second of Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries, after last year’s All Systems Red, which was spectacular. In the Murderbot Diaries, Wells’ displays her enormous talent for voice and atmosphere in a space opera setting. Its amazing. Her characterization of Murderbot itself is a humane portrait. Murderbot is self-conscious, awkward, and excitable (about its particular fandom: soap operas). Murderbot, for all its apprehensions about people, sure does act like one. Murderbot is a delightful character (and a more likable Marvin): as murderbot is a killing machine who chooses to be a good person, even if it goes against what it really desires. 

The second installment in Wells' Murderbot Diaries picks up where All Systems Red (2017) left off. Murderbot has left its former clients in the PreservationAux crew in order to figure out what it wants from life. And what Murderbot really wants is to seek answers to its origin by traveling back to where it first went rogue to learn what really happened. Along the way, it makes friends with an intelligent research transport ship (ART) who encourages Murderbot to undergo medical procedures that will help Murderbot pass as an augmented human (so as to not be noticed as a rogue SecUnit) and agrees to protect a group of naive researchers whose naive discoveries make them a target for murder. In between protecting them from the consequences of their naivety, Murderbot returns to the site of the massacre. It finds no great revelation there, but evidence suggests that it was not inexplicably murderous.... 

 The relationship between Murderbot and ART (the intelligent ship) adds an entertaining element of two bickering AIs. It's pretty funny I must say. However, I really enjoyed the deep characterization of Murderbot, in particular, how Murderbot, has to act more like humans and pass for (at least an augmented) human, as Murderbot accompanies the researchers, posing as a human security consultant. Murderbot has many hesitations about the company of humans. This really makes for an entertaining and intriguing read. And as a reader, and non robot, I can relate to Murderbots hesitations about revealing its feelings or hugging another person. I too have often exercised caution in regard to my interactions with the human race. I don't blame Murderbot one bit. But, I do commend Murderbot for its uncomfortable commitment to providing security for the humans as well.

Janice Hopper

Reread in April 2020, in prep for the novel coming out soon.

The Murderbot novellas are really pretty enjoyable to read, largely because the Murderbot is an interesting character. 

In this one, it goes back to the place where it supposedly Did A Bad Thing to try to find out the truth of the situation. It doesn't remember, because its memory was partially wiped. (You can wipe the computer parts, but the organic bits can't be wiped as cleanly.) On the way it meets and befriends a highly competent but sensitive bot that controls a ship, some ladies that need some security, and some murderous folks on the stations it's going to.

I found the plot in this novella a little less interesting than the first one, but I still enjoyed the Murderbot and its interactions with others, human or inorganic.

High Fidelity

I was right, it gets better. Considering I wasn't pleased with Murderbot but in the first part, I must say this was quite a development in terms of Murderbot himself and other technology aspects. This part reads like a cozy murder mystery and is really fun to read. The aspect I didn't like in this one was humans I don't feel they are well presented in comparison to the first part. 
I was there for bots, comedy, and occasional existential crises. 
I will pick up the next book for sure because I feel that even though I'm not super in love with it, my feelings might change when I complete the whole thing, and then I can actually make up my mind whether I like it or not. 
3.9⭐

Artificial Condition The Murderbot Diaries

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