artificial condition the murderbot diaries

ART is smart, they need to be to do all the complex maths required to be a deep space research vessel, and this worries Murderbot, as AI don't usually play well together, if not under a command to do so. Murderbot needs answers about their past, and given that their memory was partly wiped by 'The company', it seems the only way to get them is to go back to where the trouble started, the mining facility where it all went wrong (or right depending on your view). Now they are in space, travelling on board an entirely crew-less research vessel piloted by an advanced AI who goes by the name of ART. In All Systems Red, they were helping humans stay alive on a distant, mostly uncharted planet.

Occasionally though, partly as they need to work, and partly as they need to disguise themselves as a real Security Unit / augmented human, they find themselves helping out humans with their problems and despite being an entirely independent (rogue) Murderbot, spend very little time with the wholesale killing and murder spree thing. They are a deeply introverted security unit with some organic parts to complement the mechanical, and who much prefer watching the fictional lives of soap opera characters than having to interact with real humans. To recap, the series is all about an AI named 'Murderbot', who has slipped free of their control chip and likes to spend free time watching soap operas. Artificial Condition picks up shortly after the events of the first book. It is highly recommended (but not imperative) you read All Systems Red first and it's kind of difficult to talk much about what happens without any spoilers whatsoever - I'll try my best though.

It won the 2019 Hugo and Locus awards for best novella, and like the others in the series, has received a great deal of praise. Artificial Condition is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries, and the follow up to All Systems Red.

Artificial condition the murderbot diaries