Book Review: Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)

This is a review for a sequel. To avoid the mildest of spoilers, check out All Systems Red first.

What do you do when you get what you want? I don’t mean on the immeditate timeline – you want a bagel, you buy a bagel, you eat a bagel. I mean on the scale of life. We all expect disappointments from time to time, and are prepared for the associated challenges… but I think it’s easy to overlook the challenge of arriving exactly where you want to be, yet finding to not be all that you expected.

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately about how easy it is for people – ok, easy for me, I suppose I won’t speak for everyone – about the temptation to always look forward in life. Dreaming of or worrying about or planning for the next, the next, the next, without appreciating the now. This unnoticed ‘now’ is the very ‘next’ I was just looking forward to. Will it every be exactly what I dreamed of? No. Of course not. That’s not how life works. But that’s the beautiful thing, isn’t it? If life were always exactly what we expected it to be, what a dull world that would be.

One thing I find interesting about Artificial Condition, the second installment in the delightful Murderbot Diaries series, is the opportunity to follow along with SecUnit’s struggle to define their life now that they have received the freedom they longed for in the first book. What will they do, now that their life is theirs?

The Basics:

Title: Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2)
Author: Martha Wells
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Action
Published: Tordotcom, 2018

Spoiler-Free Summary:

SecUnit escapes the mission from book 1 with their freedom. Their last handlers reported them lost, they have a new identity and no ties to The Unnamed Company. The galaxy is theirs. What will they do with this newfound freedom? How will they integrate with human society as a decided, glaringly, non-human? Last but far from least, “SecUnit” is a terrible name. What will they call themselves in their new life? Spoilers, friends. Read to find out.

SecUnit falls in with a powerful transport artificial intelligence with a personality both charmingly awkward and terrifying. The ship and SecUnit set out to solve the mystery of the bot’s second-to-last mission, which was wiped from their memory but news reports claim resulted in the death of a mining base full of humans at the hand of a rogue security unit. What went wrong? Was our protagonist the monster behind this massacre?

Meanwhile, bills must be paid. SecUnit accepts a private security contract from a group of researchers in far over their heads with a dangerous mess of corporate espionage. The muderbot’s interaction with their suidically naive adopted humans is a true delight.

Why This Book is For You:

There is no series quite like Murderbot Diaries. Living in the head of the snarky, jaded, killing machine with a heart of gold is one of my favorite literary experiences. It’s a perfect blend of action, mystery, and dry humor.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed lately, but artifical intelligence has been in the news a bit lately. I found this novella’s treatment of the challenges of a world where super artifial intelligences are so common they are taken for granted intriguing.

Where Can You Find More?

You can always get the latest directly from Martha Well’s web site. If you’re like me and you would love to support your local booksellers but still enjoy the convenience of online shopping, consider checking out bookshop.org.

Happy Reading, folks.