Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2018)
Intoxicating
Filled with personality
Book cover blurb
“AS A HEARTLESS KILLING MACHINE, IT WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE.”
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…
My Review
I was going to start this review with a rant about ignoring all those negative opinions saying "This book isn't as good as the first." But if you're the type to be influenced by other people's opinions, then you're going to be influenced by those opinions no matter how much I rant about the fact that you shouldn't be. I don't believe in better or worse, more often than not it's just different. Granted this second offering of Murderbot isn't as humorous as the first, although it does still have a fair smattering of smiles and giggles; this one is more of a personal story, rather than a personality story, as the last one was.
Martha has given us a new and unique character to be mesmerized by in this book, in the form of ART. So we again have an enthralling character to be surprised and wowed by, while we follow Murderbot on his journey of self-discovery. This time out we begin to get to know the real character, watch him/her develop more as a "person" and find real friendship. ART really does share the centre stage with Murderbot, and I for one would love to see it return.
Artificial Condition is a far more interesting and intriguing book than the fun and surprising All Systems Red. But both of these books are fantastic reads. I can't wait to see where things go from here. I've heard the rumours of a Murderbot novel, and you can sign me up right now, but I wonder how Martha will handle the pacing over three or four hundred pages. I imagine we'll be pretty exhausted by the time we get to the last page. But hey, more Murderbot can only be a good thing.
My copy of this novel
Tor hardback edition.
Published in 2018
158 pages
ISBN 9781250186928