Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

4 reviews

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

On my journey to reread the series since I haven’t read the latest installments and wanted to refresh myself on everything.  This one was used to develop more background and history of Murderbot, as well as introducing a new bff, more friendly humans that produce emotions, and also some insight into different constructs.  It felt more like a bridge for what comes next since it was setting up quite a bit.  Still an enjoyable romp.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Medical content, Slavery, Self harm, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

emilywemily6's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Another cozy sci-fi novella! I enjoyed this one a lot but it didn’t have the same draw as the first one in the series. I’m so excited to start the next one!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Violence

Moderate: Death, Blood, Classism, Slavery, Gaslighting, and Medical content

Minor: Sexual content and Kidnapping

thereadinghammock's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ok, after putting off reading MurderBot for so long, I finally get what all the hype has been about! Short but still very impactful, Martha Wells manages to cram so much into these novellas. I did read them a bit out of order, book two then book one, but MurderBot is just as funny. And I loved ART! I have heard that we get more if ART in future books, and I look forward to revisiting MurderBot's favorite research vessel again.

There's also so much social commentary packed into a very contained story. The commoditization of people and places. The autonomy or lack thereof of the constructs, despite being fully sentient AI systems. The constructs being ACTUAL AI systems and not whatever knockoff theft software we're trying to pass off as AI these days. Exploring the concepts of morality and autonomy when free choice is a conceptual gray area. So, so, so much in such short, digestible, and delightfully sarcastic and relatable packages.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Violence

qrschulte's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

God I love ART. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gaslighting, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Medical content and Stalking