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katebella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
pacifickat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This series is delightful. Buddying Murderbot up with a sassy and sarcastic transport ship was brilliant. I enjoyed how their interactions contrasted how two non-human beings might relate, as opposed to how humans relate to robots, AI, constructs, and each other. Clever and humorous, an excellent second installment to the Muderbot Diaries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Medical content, and Violence
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping
Control, denying bodily autonomy, forced violencedemented_delights9448's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The second installment of the Murderbot Diaries is just as wonderful as the first. The mystery surrounding how our "Murderbot" came to be named that (mentioned in the first book) continues and reaches a very poignant stage (I was rendered to tears—it was very emotional). Much like the TV show Monk's overarching theme of trying to solve his wife's murder, Murderbot's overarching theme is discovering why it became Murderbot.
Mixed in with the continuation of the key mystery is another client job, murder, murder attempts, ART (you figure out what the A stands for pretty quickly),sexbots ComfortBots, & more episodic adventures of Sanctuary Moon. Murderbot is still the ever-lovable introvert and there is a delightful exchange between Murderbot & ART regarding a new series called Worldhoppers on page 29n that had me laughing myself into stitches.
Martha Wells never lets up on the witticisms, the thrill, the mystery, or the analysis of human frailties, stupidities, and intricacies as experienced by an introverted yet "terrifying Murderbot" (Murderbot's description, not mine).
I still recommend this series to pretty much everyone. Every book is a novella and can be read to completion in one to two sittings, so it's great when you need a break between studying or working or heavier reads. Even if science fiction isn't your thing, you'll probably enjoy this because it's just so human and relatable. I hate scifi and I ADORE Murderbot.
Mixed in with the continuation of the key mystery is another client job, murder, murder attempts, ART (you figure out what the A stands for pretty quickly),
Martha Wells never lets up on the witticisms, the thrill, the mystery, or the analysis of human frailties, stupidities, and intricacies as experienced by an introverted yet "terrifying Murderbot" (Murderbot's description, not mine).
I still recommend this series to pretty much everyone. Every book is a novella and can be read to completion in one to two sittings, so it's great when you need a break between studying or working or heavier reads. Even if science fiction isn't your thing, you'll probably enjoy this because it's just so human and relatable. I hate scifi and I ADORE Murderbot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Cursing
Moderate: Medical content and Murder
syinhui's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The systems of constructs are inherently inferior to advanced bots, but you aren’t stupid.
Yeah, well, fuck you, too, I thought, and initiated a shutdown sequence.
I enjoyed this second novella for the most part. Murderbot and ART's interactions are fascinating and honestly super adorable.
Murderbot calls it 'asshole' because, aside from being extremely introverted and painfully awkward, they can be surprisingly petty and ill-tempered too. Thus, the occasional f-bombs and voiced-out sarcasm. Hooray for free will!
I particularly liked the first half, but then again when the humans got involved, it all fell a bit flat for me. The conclusion was a tad underwhelming, though dear Murderbot managed to kick some ass, which was pretty cool of them.
It's a little disappointing that the human characters seem to take a step back, allowing Murderbot's endearing personality to shine even more. I'm not sure if that's intentional, but this could've been a lot better were the human characters not as averagely written and portrayed as stupid (suicidal and irrational) as Murderbot often thinks they are. Still, I'm following. It's short and fun, a sci-fi series easy enough to digest in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Kidnapping
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
All Systems Red, the first Murderbot book, was a five-star read for me. This one, the second installment, while enjoyable, wasn't quite as good for me as the first one. It was still good, though, and I definitely plan on continuing the series, as well as checking out some of Martha Wells's other work.
In Artificial Condition, Murderbot, who went AWOL at the end of book one, is trying to figure out how to get to RaviHyral, which is the "scene of the crime" that resulted in Murderbot's governor module being hacked. Allegedly, Murderbot sort of lost its mind and killed a bunch of people in the mine. Murderbot wants to go back there to try to find out what really happened.
It manages to convince a bot to let it on a transport ship, where it plans to watch hundreds of hours of its favorite serial media programs. But the bot that is piloting that ship turns out to be more than expected. At the beginning, Murderbot is threatened by the transport bot, but they wind up watching the shows together. The bot winds up being referred to as ART (Asshole Research Transport), and Murderbot and ART develop quite the relationship as the story progresses.
If you aren't familiar with the series, Murderbot is an extreme introvert and doesn't enjoy contact with other beings, especially humans. It gets quite upset when it makes eye contact with people, and simply doesn't enjoy being around them. It's not a hostility at all. Murderbot simply doesn't like it.
The plot moves on as Murderbot hooks up with a group of people who are also going to RaviHyral. It becomes their "security consultant," which gives it an excuse to be there. And that's as far as I will go in revealing plot.
I still enjoyed Ms. Wells's writing style in this book. It seems to move along pretty quickly and doesn't get boring, and I'm not sure I can quite identify why I didn't enjoy this one as much. I think it may have to do with the story, itself, more than the writing. Once everyone gets to RaviHyral, though, and we get into the real essence of the plot, it's much better. So the second half of the book was as enjoyable as the first book. And, since it is a very short book, just over 150 pages, that doesn't seem that long.
There is plenty of the sarcastic/sardonic humor that I love in this series, with giggles and chuckles on almost every page. There is plenty of action, as well, as the story progresses. And I really love Murderbot's mental struggles, as the story is written in first person, from the perspective of Murderbot, so we get a first-hand glimpse of everything it is feeling. We also get introduced to one of the "Comfort Units" (aka SexBot) in this story. But there is no sexual content at all, as this particular Comfort Unit has a different purpose in the plot.
I look forward to reading more Murderbot stories.
In Artificial Condition, Murderbot, who went AWOL at the end of book one, is trying to figure out how to get to RaviHyral, which is the "scene of the crime" that resulted in Murderbot's governor module being hacked. Allegedly, Murderbot sort of lost its mind and killed a bunch of people in the mine. Murderbot wants to go back there to try to find out what really happened.
It manages to convince a bot to let it on a transport ship, where it plans to watch hundreds of hours of its favorite serial media programs. But the bot that is piloting that ship turns out to be more than expected. At the beginning, Murderbot is threatened by the transport bot, but they wind up watching the shows together. The bot winds up being referred to as ART (Asshole Research Transport), and Murderbot and ART develop quite the relationship as the story progresses.
If you aren't familiar with the series, Murderbot is an extreme introvert and doesn't enjoy contact with other beings, especially humans. It gets quite upset when it makes eye contact with people, and simply doesn't enjoy being around them. It's not a hostility at all. Murderbot simply doesn't like it.
The plot moves on as Murderbot hooks up with a group of people who are also going to RaviHyral. It becomes their "security consultant," which gives it an excuse to be there. And that's as far as I will go in revealing plot.
I still enjoyed Ms. Wells's writing style in this book. It seems to move along pretty quickly and doesn't get boring, and I'm not sure I can quite identify why I didn't enjoy this one as much. I think it may have to do with the story, itself, more than the writing. Once everyone gets to RaviHyral, though, and we get into the real essence of the plot, it's much better. So the second half of the book was as enjoyable as the first book. And, since it is a very short book, just over 150 pages, that doesn't seem that long.
There is plenty of the sarcastic/sardonic humor that I love in this series, with giggles and chuckles on almost every page. There is plenty of action, as well, as the story progresses. And I really love Murderbot's mental struggles, as the story is written in first person, from the perspective of Murderbot, so we get a first-hand glimpse of everything it is feeling. We also get introduced to one of the "Comfort Units" (aka SexBot) in this story. But there is no sexual content at all, as this particular Comfort Unit has a different purpose in the plot.
I look forward to reading more Murderbot stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Cursing
ekcd_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love ART, it reminds me of another ship bound AI character I love. I think Murderbot calling it an asshole is in character, but probably not an accurate assessment. I'm not convinced we've seen the last of ART. I enjoyed seeing Murderbot realize it still enjoys helping clients, I wonder if we'll see more conflict over what it thinks it wants versus what it thinks its been trained for. Is it what it *really* wants?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Cursing, Death, Violence, Gore, and Gun violence
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Stalking, Slavery, Medical content, Gun violence, and Cursing
Moderate: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Excrement and Grief
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i cannot describe how obsessed i am with these books.
... such a good sequel... what the fuck.
this was everything from funny to brutal to adventurous to comforting. this was a portrait of the most human parts of human behavior painted by a very much not-human being.
feels like a warm hug that one can melt into. brilliant.
re-read: 26.02.24
ART and murderbot are my favorite duo. this series to me is the equivalent of what "the rise and fall of sanctuary moon" is to murderbot: pure comfort.
... such a good sequel... what the fuck.
this was everything from funny to brutal to adventurous to comforting. this was a portrait of the most human parts of human behavior painted by a very much not-human being.
feels like a warm hug that one can melt into. brilliant.
re-read: 26.02.24
ART and murderbot are my favorite duo. this series to me is the equivalent of what "the rise and fall of sanctuary moon" is to murderbot: pure comfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Blood
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Rape, Stalking, Sexual violence, Cursing, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Torture, and Sexual violence