Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

 Martha Wells first introduced Murderbot in All Systems Red. The Security Unit (SecUnit) just wants to do its job, but mostly just wants to watch its thousands of hours of downloaded television shows. That story earned Wells a Hugo Award nomination. Artificial Condition is the next chapter in Murderbot’s story, and it’s even better.

“Murderbot” is self-christened because of an incident in which several humans were killed and which it believes itself responsible for, even though its memories of the event are mostly non-existent. Since this is the opposite of the purpose of a SecUnit, the event weighs heavily on the pysche of Murderbot, making it question who and what it is. In Artificial Condition Murderbot ventures back to the scene of the massacre to try to find answers. The answers lead to more questions, and also profoundly changes the way Murderbot views events.

Murderbot travels mainly by trading its vast stores of entertainment programming with the AI of transport vessels. Here, Murderbot teams up with ART, the AI of a research vessel. The pair of them make up two of the most interesting, well-matched and likable non-human characters in SF. Wells constructs an intense plot, but it is the characters in this story that really shine. They examine not only the universe around them, but look deep inside themselves as well. Wells also makes good use of the human characters in this story, particularly the young researchers who hire Murderbot. They serve as a foil that truly helps Murderbot discover its own nature.

These stories are quick reads, running about 150 pages each, but Wells packs a lot in each one. The Murderbot Diaries is one of the best series out there and Martha Wells has knocked another one out of the park. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book from the publisher.

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