Novella Review – Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries, Book 2) by Martha Wells (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 160 pages
Publisher: Tor.com
Release Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1250186928
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in Murderbot Diaries
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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…”

This is the second book in the Murderbot Diaries series and I continue to enjoy this series. Right now there are four novellas in this series with a fifth full length book planned to release in 2020. This book was less action-packed than the first one but still entertaining.

The first half of the book is about Murderbot journeying back to the planet where his “incident” occurred. Things pick up pace quite a bit when he gets there and joins up with some miners to help them retrieve their data files.

I really loved the addition of ART, a very sarcastic bot that pilots a ship Murderbot rides on. It was also intriguing to watch Murderbot try to find his way through human society.

Overall this was a quick and entertaining read and I plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy sci-fi reads about AI and robot sentience. The novellas pack a lot of story for a minimal investment in time.