With only the vaguest memories of its past, Murderbot departs from its former crew and teams up with a Research Transport vessel named ART to undercover its history of a former mining facility.
We return to our beloved SecUnit, now disguised as a security consultant, who embarks on a journey to remember its past, once swiped from its memory. How can it convince anyone it must make its way to a derelict facility that shouldn’t exist anymore? So, they hitch a ride with an empty cargo, trading its precious hours of media, and take a job as a security guard for a group of researchers planning to find their stolen work in the same area.
Wells excels in her portrayal of both complex and memorable characters. Artificial Conditions focuses mainly on Murderbot and their newest (and biggest headache) companion, ART. Murderbot is, as always, sarcastic and endearing. The dynamic between Murderbot and ART is surprisingly fascinating. While All Systems Red touches upon the existence of other bots, Artificial Conditions introduces them to the forefront. I enjoyed how Murderbot’s characterisation of their robot peers is extremely endearing and incredibly humanised.
Artificial Conditions is an exciting departure from the first story, as Murderbot hacks its way through systems to find out what caused its malfunction, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people. Wells expands her universe into a rich world with a brilliant blend of futuristic technology and complex, grounded characters. Continuing its witty quips with an even more engaging story, Artificial Conditions is an entertaining addition to the series.
as told by zaheerah 