Space Opera Fans discussion

The Feb 2023 Reader Pick is Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description:
It has a dark past--one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot." But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.

I have started my re-read. The book is even better the second time. I noticed a comment in the story that constructs were originally planned to have low intelligence, but that wasn't sufficient for the jobs they were doing. So they were designed with high intelligence, but got anxiety and depression as side effects. I am at a scene right now where Murderbot is sharing entertainment shows with another construct, who is having problems dealing with fictional characters being killed in some episodes.

When I started this book I was a little afraid I was going to get tired of his constant whining. But I didn't. He's just such a wuss. He says he doesn't like humans, but his favorite activity is watching TV shows about them. And he keeps letting himself get involved with them, especially groups that really need him. Sure, he can kill humans with little to no regret, but he's also very protective of them.

Betsy wrote: "When I started this book I was a little afraid I was going to get tired of his constant whining. But I didn't. He's just such a wuss. He says he doesn't like humans, but his favorite activity is wa..."

That’s interesting you call Murderbot “he”. I got a very androgynous vibe from the character, with a sort of female-leaning energy. Like 51-49% female.

Trike wrote: "BThat’s interesting you call Murderbot “he”. I got a very androgynous vibe from the character, with a sort of female-leaning energy. Like 51-49% female."

Interesting. I definitely get a masculine vibe, though I know it's meaningless for a construct.

I think it's written well enough that any projections of gender on Murderbot is entirely the reader's fault. Murderbot is an "it", or, if you think its close enough to human, as I do, then perhaps "they" or "xe".

I was reading in a female, too, even though I know there is no gender for the construct. I had thought about this previously and decided that there were two reasons, I am female and so is the author.

Audrey wrote: "I was reading in a female, too, even though I know there is no gender for the construct. I had thought about this previously and decided that there were two reasons, I am female and so is the author."

Well I’m a tricycle, so…


😂

Trike wrote: "Well I’m a tricycle, so..."

Reminds me of this story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Sexua...

It's not a story I personally recommend, but many have enjoyed it much more than I.

Ryan wrote: "Trike wrote: "Well I’m a tricycle, so..."

Reminds me of this story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Sexua...

It's not a story I personally recommend, but many hav..."

Thanks for ruining the fun.

Ryan wrote: "I think it's written well enough that any projections of gender on Murderbot is entirely the reader's fault. Murderbot is an "it", or, if you think its close enough to human, as I do, then perhaps ..."

Yes. It's probably a result of unconscious bias. I'm old enough to remember the days when there were no women soldiers or policemen or other conflict professions. Nowadays, I love me a book about a kick-ass heroine in one of those professions. But, in the absence of specific clues otherwise, I probably just revert to those childhood stereotypes.

Ryan wrote: "Trike wrote: "Well I’m a tricycle, so..."

Reminds me of this story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Sexua...

It's not a story I personally recommend, but many hav..."

Thanks for sharing. i had not heard of this controversy.

oh that is a sad story. not the short story Isabel Fall wrote that reminds me very much of murderbot. can read it here (url with spaces. https: // archive. is/ oXDEt)

folks LOVE jumping on the hate train on twitter. not at all surprised most of the folks only read the title and associated it with the reddit meme and did not actually read the story.

Betsy wrote: "Trike wrote: "BThat’s interesting you call Murderbot “he”. I got a very androgynous vibe from the character, with a sort of female-leaning energy. Like 51-49% female."

Interesting. I definitely ge..."

in most of the early murderbot stories i thought he. then in later stories murderbot reminded me of a female.

but murderbot is definitely an it.

it thinks sex and human genitalia are messy and gross and is VERY glad it does not have to deal with it.

I hadn't thought about Murderbot being male or female. I guess this could be due to decades reading SciFi with self aware robots who only presented as male or female because they or their designers chose that. In most cases they were not male or female but it was how they wanted others to perceive them.

Non-gendered robots and androids like Murderbot really do bring our subconscious biases to the fore, don’t they?

For instance, I have no idea why, but I think of R2D2 as male. Which makes no sense whatsoever, but marginally more so than my friend who thinks C-3PO is gay. That one is a head-scratcher.

Then there are robots like AMEE (Autonomous Mapping Exploration and Evasion) from Red Planet whose acronymic name is female and is talked to by Val Kilmer as if it were a she, but my brain refuses to categorize “her” as either gender. I accept that the character thinks of AMEE as female, but if I owned one it would never occur to me to do likewise. That would be like assigning a sex to a printer.

I'm still reading this. I had a death in the family last week and am dealing with all that goes with that. I am behind on all reading. I hope to finish this weekend. I'm about 1/3 of the way in, still loving this series, and I plan to continue with this series and also look at the works byMartha Wells.

Nick wrote: "I'm still reading this. I had a death in the family last week and am dealing with all that goes with that. I am behind on all reading. I hope to finish this weekend. I'm about 1/3 of the way in, st..."

Very sorry for your loss. My dad died last February and it just takes all the impetus to do anything else and tosses it out the window.

I think the Murderbot-ART arc is one of the most complex treatments of friendship (or not-friendship, as Murderbot would insist) that I have read in fiction in a while.

NewHampsterCommuter wrote: "I think the Murderbot-ART arc is one of the most complex treatments of friendship (or not-friendship, as Murderbot would insist) that I have read in fiction in a while."

i agree. i would say more but i have read them all and ART in book 4 is welll... hmmm

I thoroughly enjoyed Artifical Condition.

Excerpt from my review;

It's exhausting being a Murderbot! This is a concept I can relate to as a human!

The rest of my review can be found here on GoodReads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Enjoy! I look very much forward to Rogue Protocol next!

Given what I have read so far I am committed to the rest of the Murderbot Diaries and also exploring other works by Martha Wells