Artificial Condition is the second novella in the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells..
Finished on: 2.10.2025
[Here’s my review of the first novella.]

Plot:
Murderbot is trying to leave the transit ring. To do so, it hitches a ride with a Research Transport that is empty of humans and pretty bored. Murderbot’s destination: trying to find out what really happened in the mines, whether it deserves the name it has given itself. To get there, though, it has to pretend to be an augmented human instead of a bot, and it needs a reason to go to the planet’s surface.

After being positively surprised that the hype about the Murderbot Diaries was actually warranted, I was really looking forward to Artificial Condition – and I was not disappointed. It is really excellent, making me twice glad that I jumped at the chance to buy the Bundle when Wells offered it in a charity for Palestine.

Artificial Condition gives us so much character development in such few pages, it really is fantastic. Murderbot’s growth was impressive. And given that I already liked it before, it is pretty amazing that I like it even more now. I loved the matter of fact way it acknowledges its own mistakes (while remaining blind to so much else) and acknowledging when ART, as it nicknames the Research Transport, is just more capable than itself. (I generally loved the interaction between Murderbot and ART.)

I also really enjoyed the way Wells explores and expands her world. She gives us so many aspects and details that are entirely new to us, but also fit the world perfectly, and continuously give us a better understanding of everything that is going on. It is also pretty amazing how much she crams into the novella – and it never feels, well, crammed in the slightest.

She also manages to leave us in a place that is exciting and has very far-reaching implications, making me curious whether she will delve more into them in the next installment. At the same time, this particular story arc is well tied-up and has closure. A delicate balance that Wells keeps perfectly.

Summarizing: can’t wait to read more.