Month: August 2023

Review: Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

~ VenusBloo ~ 3 Comments

Book: Camp Damascus

Author: Chuck Tingle

Pages: 256

Source: Library

Publisher: Tor Nightfire

Genre: Horror, LGBTQ

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

Goodreads Summary:

A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

My Review:

Rose Darling and her parents live in the small Montana town of Neverton.  However, Neverton is anything but a typical small town.  Where most small towns have their claim to fame, those claims tend to be innocent things, like the world’s largest ball of yarn.  Neverton, though, has the Kingdom of the Pine church, and it is home to the country’s most successful gay conversion camp. 

As a native to Neverton and member of Kingdom of the Pine, Rose is proud of this accomplishment for her town.  In fact, she has even helped with fundraisers benefitting the camp.  She is everything a good Kingdom member should be.  She goes to church, prays, doesn’t curse, and adheres to the church’s four tenants with an almost fanatical devotion.

So, it’s very troubling for Rose when she begins seeing beings she can only describe as demons.  At first, they appear at a distance, but before long, they move much closer.  When the next demon sighting leads to a death, Rose becomes determined to figure out what is really going on in Neverton, how Camp Damascus is involved, and why her parents, her therapist, and even other church members seem determined to convince her the demons are all in her head.

First of all, this book was amazing.  It was horrific for several different reasons, and anyone who has experienced religious trauma or homophobia will definitely relate to the story.  The first thing I noticed about Neverton, Kingdom of the Pine church, and the Darling family was the inherent religious bigotry going on.  Rose has been so gaslighted and brain washed by her parents that she has difficulty living every-day life.  She constantly notices any secularity or “sins” in those around her, and she feels guilty anytime she has a negative or sinful thought. 

As someone who grew up in a very conservative family and community, these scenes gave me flashbacks to my own childhood and teenage years, and they affected me in a visceral way.  I couldn’t help but compare how strictly Rose’s parents controlled her to my own upbringing.  For example, Rose is a 20 year old woman who is just about to graduate high school because Kingdom of the Pine children are taken out of school for two years to study in the church.  She is still treated as a child, and she even has to hide using her phone for Internet access.  Granted my childhood wasn’t this extremely controlled, but it stirred several memories.

Camp Damascus also heavily explores homophobia, both in America and within religious culture.  The titular camp’s sole reason for existence is to convert queer people to heterosexuality after all.  The sheer intolerance of homosexuality in Neverton was appalling.  Reading this story helped me understand how queer people in America feel like they are living through a horror story every day just by trying to be themselves in a world that is either actively hostile or grudgingly accepting of them.  Much like real life, Rose’s parents are completely intolerant of any display of difference she exhibits.  They want a cookie-cutter daughter in a cookie-cutter life, and the principles of Kingdom of the Pine are the baker and recipe.

Rose’s parents even have rules about how she expresses her neurodivergence.  Rose is autistic, and she often copes with anxiety by counting and tapping her fingers in specific patterns.  Anytime her parents notice this behavior, though, they sharply rebuke Rose and force her to stop.  This is just another example of how literally any difference from the Kingdom of the Pine prescribed “norm” is met with extreme disapproval.

Obviously, I really enjoyed this book.  While I mainly highlighted the experiential horror, there were still a lot of traditional horror tropes like body horror.  I mean there are demons running around in this town, so the typical horror elements are still very much there.  It’s just that demons are less believable than the very real bigotry displayed by Rose’s parents and other church members in this book.  Couple that with the fact that I’ve experienced some of this in my own life, and those were the more horrific elements to me.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I gave Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle five out of five stars.  There was so much to unpack in this book, and I think people from all walks of life will find something in it that hits home.  Who knew Chuck Tingle could be a successful traditionally published author?  I’m very glad Tor gave him the chance to tell this story, and I encourage everyone to read this book.

Are you interested in reading Camp Damascus?  Have you read anything else by Chuck Tingle?  Let me know in the comments!

Re-reading Murderbot Part 4: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

~ VenusBloo ~ 1 Comment

Book: Exit Strategy

Author: Martha Wells

Pages: 176

Source: Owned

Publisher: Tordotcom

Genre: Sci-fi, Novella

Publication Date: October 2, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

My Review:

Exit Strategy is the fourth novella in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.  It picks up right where Rogue Protocol left off.  Murderbot has decided it’s finally time to go back to Dr. Mensah in Preservation.  There’s just one problem.  Dr. Mensah is missing, and it looks like she’s been kidnapped by GrayCris.  GrayCris has decided to sway the legal proceedings resultant of their attempted murder of the entire PreservationAux survey team in their favor with a little kidnapping and ransom demands.

Now, instead of going to relatively safe Preservation Station, Murderbot has to travel to TranRollinHyfa.  This station is home to hundreds of corporations, including its former owner “the company.”  Murderbot has to rescue Dr. Mensah all without being taken into custody itself.  If Murderbot gets captured, there will be no ransom demands, just a swift disassembly and bye-bye SecUnit.

The stakes in this series have never been higher than they are in Exit Strategy.  Murderbot must use every bit of its ingenuity and processing power to hack and code its way through TransRollinHyfa in search of where GrayCris is holding Dr. Mensah hostage.  Murderbot puts in a lot of effort to save her for someone who claims to dislike humans so much.

However, that just goes to show what happens when people are given respect and treated well.  Dr. Mensah could have had a lot of different reactions to Murderbot back in the first book, but she chose to treat SecUnit as an equal person.  After the constant abuse and threat of death via a fried brain courtesy of its governor module, being treated like the sentient being that it is had a big effect on Murderbot.

Understandably, Murderbot does not trust humans.  It has had to endure unbelievable abuse and control from humans for most of its existence.  But, the experiences it had over the course of the previous two books showed that not all humans are worth ignoring.  It also learned to become friends with other bots.  It still struggles with caring about most things, but caring about security is almost like caring about the people it’s trying to keep secure.  It’s a step in the right direction anyway.

I won’t spoil it, but the ending to this book was very satisfying.  Let’s hope Murderbot and Dr. Mensah don’t have to worry as much about GrayCris in the future.  Also, maybe Murderbot will make itself at home on Preservation Station.  Even though it was literally created to throw itself at danger, I hope Murderbot gets to relax and watch media for a while after this.  It could definitely use the break.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I gave Exit Strategy by Martha Wells five out of five stars.  It’s another excellent adventure with Murderbot, and it had a satisfying, if somewhat terrifying, conclusion.  Murderbot finally seems to have made up its mind about what to do with its existence.  Every one of the Preservation Aux crew is there to help it (as long as there are no hugs).  I definitely recommend continuing this series!

Are you keeping up with Murderbot?  Keep reading along and let me know what you think in the comments!

Review: Bastion by Mercedes Lackey

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Book: Bastion

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Pages: 342

Source: Owned

Publisher: DAW Books

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: October 1, 2013

Goodreads Summary:

Mags returns to the Collegium, but there are mixed feelings–his included–about him actually remaining there. No one doubts that he is and should be a Herald, but he is afraid that his mere presence is going to incite more danger right in the heart of Valdemar. The heads of the Collegia are afraid that coming back to his known haunt is going to give him less protection than if he went into hiding. Everyone decides that going elsewhere is the solution for now. So since he is going elsewhere–why not return to the place he was found in the first place and look for clues? And those who are closest to him, and might provide secondary targets, are going along. With Herald Jakyr, Dean Bard Lita, and his friends Bear, Lena, and Amily, they head for the Bastion, the hidden spot in the hills that had once been the headquarters of a powerful band of raiders that had held him and his parents prisoner. But what they find is not what anyone expected.

My Review:

**Warning!  This post may contain spoilers for the previous books in the Collegium Chronicles.  Read at your own risk!**

Bastion by Mercedes Lackey is the fifth and final book in the Collegium Chronicles series.  In this book, Mags has finally escaped the clutches of his kidnappers and made his way back to Haven from Karse.  He has mixed feelings about being back.  On the one hand, he has never been so happy to be home, but on the other hand, he didn’t manage to completely throw off the assassins who kidnapped him.  He is worried more may be sent to find him, and he doesn’t want to bring yet more trouble to Haven and the Kingdom of Valdemar.

So, those in charge decide that rather than Mags complete more coursework, which is largely unnecessary since his future lies in spy craft rather than the work of a traditional Herald, he is sent along with his closest friend on his year-long apprentice Circuit a bit early.  He is mentored by the same Herald who saved him from the mine, and they plan to go back to the caves where his parents were held captive by bandits and met an untimely end.  It is their hope that the Bastion will hold the secrets to Mags’s past that will finally rid him of the assassins forever. 

Much of this book involves traveling and learning.  Jakyr takes Mags on a Circuit, which is traditional work for a Herald.  Heralds go on Circuit to a portion of Valdemar, and they are supposed to visit each village, usually in a spiral configuration.  They seek out the village Headman upon arrival, and the Headman is in charge of gathering everyone above the age of 12 to hear the reading of the Laws by the Herald.  Then, the Herald reviews all of the judgements the Headman has made to determine if they are good or need further review.  Finally, the Herald will have a time slot open for anyone to present themselves in need of conflict resolution.  It’s a good system, and it makes sense that Trainees would need a year to learn these things.

Unfortunately, the Circuit surrounding the Bastion is not filled with villages excited by outside authority.  They are pretty far removed from central Valdemar, and they believe they don’t need outside interference in their affairs.  This negative attitude is what happens when people conveniently forget about all the things their government provides for them.  They take for granted things like the Guard keeping bandits away, clearing snow from the roads, and many other necessary services.  Mags learns not everyone likes Heralds, and it’s an important lesson for him.  Luckily, he also learns how to combat this problem in a way that doesn’t foster resentment and makes the situation worse.

This book also illustrates a leap in maturity for Mags.  He is sadly used to having a traumatic life, but his time as a captive in Karse really helped him decide what is most important to him.  In this case, it was Amily.  Mags and Amily deepen their relationship, and he finally isn’t scared of the idea of marrying her.  They are both still young, but Mags has really settled down when it comes to a romantic relationship instead of being all nerves and awkwardness.  It’s also sweet that Mags and Amily have only ever been with each other, so it’s nice they seem to be moving towards a happy ending.

As for the big conflict towards the end of the book, I really enjoyed how all the loose ends got tied together.  Mags was right about trouble finding him, and it takes all his skills, old and new, to combat the threat.  He also finds out much more about his past and his family via a surprise visitor.  The surprise visitor also manages to ensure no one else will be coming after Mags anymore.  I enjoyed this character a lot, and I don’t want to give away spoilers by saying too much more.

Bastion was definitely a satisfying conclusion the Collegium Chronicles, but anyone who wants to read more about Mags, like I do, will be happy to know the Herald Spy trilogy is all about Mags as a full Herald.  Mags has had a harrowing journey on his way to becoming a full Herald, but I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more than he does.  I loved reading about him learning about his past and how to deal with people.  It was also good to see he and Amily finally solidify their relationship and become true partners.  I can’t wait to read more in the Herald Spy trilogy!

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I gave Bastion by Mercedes Lackey five out of five stars.  It was the perfect conclusion to a long journey towards adulthood and responsibility for Mags and all his friends.  The book answered questions about Mags’s past while introducing him to an important part of his heritage, and Mags managed to prove himself as worthy of going into the Whites of a full Herald.  Anyone who likes a good underdog story with plenty of slice-of-life details will enjoy this book and the entire Collegium Chronicles series.

What did you think of the conclusion to the Collegium Chronicles?  Will you be reading the Herald Spy trilogy as well?  Let me know in the comments below!

Re-reading Murderbot Part 3: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

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Book: Rogue Protocol

Author: Martha Wells

Pages: 158

Source: Owned

Publisher: Tordotcom

Genre: Sci-fi, Novella

Publication Date: August 7, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

My Review:

Rogue Protocol is the third novella in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.  It continues the story of Murderbot, a rogue SecUnit wandering the galaxy in search of answers.  In the previous novella, Murderbot learned more about its past and managed to rescue a few new humans in the process.  Now, it’s off to learn more about the past of another corporation:  GrayCris.

GrayCris tried to kill Murderbot’s humans from Preservation in All Systems Red, and Murderbot has since learned of some intel that could help Dr. Mensah, it’s favorite human, in the ongoing legal battle between Preservation and GrayCris.  It seems GrayCris has a habit of secretly mining and selling strange synthetics (aka alien artifacts and technology).  An abandoned terraforming platform in orbit above a planet called Milu appears to be one such facility.

So, Murderbot decides to go investigate and see what it can dig up on GrayCris for Dr. Mensah.  It hitches a ride with a team of humans and their pet robot Miki.  This team is from another corporation scheduled to take over the terraforming platform.  Unfortunately, it’s too much to hope for GrayCris to have given up their let’s-murder-everyone-to-cover-up-evidence ways.  Murderbot has to save this new batch of  humans while pretending to be a security consultant again. 

This is the book, in my opinion, that really solidifies for Murderbot that it wants to continue being a security consultant.  It’s good at what it does, and being able to do something by choice rather than by force makes more difference than it realizes.  Murderbot would never admit this, but it cares more about certain types of humans than it lets on.  Becoming hired security is just the next logical step.

Now, just because Murderbot is pretty good at what it does, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t experience self-doubt just like anyone else.  It second-guesses its decisions a lot, and it does make mistakes.  It’s just better and faster at recognizing and fixing those mistakes than most humans would be.  This imperfection is one of the things that makes Murderbot so relateable as a character.  Instead of this perfect machine, Murderbot is a depressed, anxious mess that just wants to watch media. 

Murderbot almost never gives into its feelings, though.  Instead it pushes through and does what needs to be done to protect the humans it has chosen to care about.  That’s an important theme in this book as well:  choice.  Most of what Murderbot has been seeking ever since it hacked its governor module is choice.  It just wants the choice of what it does with its life like any other sentient, intelligent being.

In the end, Murderbot manages to save nearly everyone and secure the information on GrayCris it needed.  Now, it has no more excuses, and Murderbot decides it’s time to go back to Preservation Station and Dr. Mensah.  It does so as a changed person with new resolve to protect the humans it cares about most. 

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I gave Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells five out of five stars.  Just as in previous installations, this novella is full of action and mystery.  This story especially explored the ideas of personhood and doing what’s right even if it makes you uncomfortable.  This is by far one of my favorite series, and if you’ve stuck with it this far, definitely keep reading!

What do you think of the Murderbot Diaries so far?  What are some of your favorite scenes/quotes?  Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

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Book: Redoubt

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Pages: 330

Source: Owned

Publisher: DAW Books

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Goodreads Summary:

Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King’s Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags’ past…assuming he can live long enough to find them.

My Review:

**Warning!  This post may contain spoilers for the previous books in the Collegium Chronicles.  Read at your own risk!**

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey is the fourth book in the Collegium Chronicles series set in the fictional country of Valdemar.  In the previous installment, Mags manages to rescue Amily from the clutches of the assassins intent on destabilizing the Kingdom of Valdemar. Things seem to have gotten back to normal for Mags and his friends.  Amily has since been through the Healing necessary to fix her leg, and she is beginning to work on learning to defend herself.  Likewise, now that Lena’s father, Bard Marchand, is in disgrace, she is excelling in her studies towards becoming a Master Bard herself.  Bear, having been in charge of Amily’s Healing, can finally feel confident in his abilities as a Healer even if he doesn’t have a Gift.

However, there is still plenty of mystery surrounding the assassins.  No one knows where they come from, who they work for, why some of their number seem to recognize Mags, or really anything much about them.  Also, their first attempt to kidnap Amily revealed that Amily wasn’t their only target.  They tried to take Mags as well.  What could they possibly want from Mags?  As far as he knows, he’s the orphan of foreigners killed by bandits, and he spent the first part of his life as a half-feral mine slave.  Unfortunately, Mags’s unknown past is about the catch up with him, and he will have to call upon every skill he has to escape it alive.

Some very interesting things happen in this book, but my favorite part in the whole thing is Bear’s father finally getting his comeuppance.  Lena has had her vindication when it comes to her father, and it’s finally Bear’s turn.  Luckily, Lena helps with that, since Bear and Lena are in love and have been dating for a while.  They both decide to surprise everyone and get married.  Naturally, when Bear’s father hears about this, he is in an uproar.  However, I don’t think anyone expected him to show up with armed mercenaries to try to drag Bear away.  This was his downfall, since he conveniently forgot Bear lived on Palace grounds!  It was so satisfying to finally see Bear and Lena both happy and together, so I really enjoyed this part of the book.

As far as Mags is concerned, he and Nikolas start working at the pawn shop again in an attempt to gather information as usual.  In fact, Mags gets a bit of a promotion.  He and Nikolas come up with a new persona for him that allows Mags to run the shop on his own some nights.  It’s when he’s leaving the shop on one such night that he begins to feel watched.  Before he knows it he’s waking up in a wagon, drugged, and doesn’t know where he is.  Not only that, but his Mindspeech is gone.

Mags has to use all the skills he’s learned as a Trainee and draw on his knowledge from his time at the mine to survive once he manages to escape his kidnappers.  He finds himself in hostile territory as well.  He’s in Karse which is a country to the south of Valdemar that hates everything about Valdemar and Heralds.  It was important for Mags to have this experience, though, because I think it helped him feel more confident in his abilities.  Even though he had no formal survival training, he was still able to keep himself alive in the Karsite wilderness.

Unfortunately, he is recaptured, and the assassins force him to drink a potion that forces a lot of memories into Mags’s mind.  Mags is able to withstand this mental invasion, and thanks to the help of a local priest, he manages to finally escape back to the safety of Valdemar.  These memories he was given are very important, though.  Now he and the rest of the Heralds have more information than they could have dreamed of about the mysterious assassins and their origins. 

By the end of the book, Mags doesn’t survive totally unscathed, but he still manages to hold his own.  He has also proven without a shadow of a doubt that regardless of his origins, he is a Valdemaran through and through.  He uses ingenuity to combine past experience with his training to foil his kidnappers.  There were several times he could have easily given up, but he kept pushing himself until he succeeded.  It takes a lot of mental fortitude to do something like that, especially since Mags was hurt, hungry, and missing his Mindspeech.  The overall lesson in this book was to keep doing what you know to be right and keep trying until you succeed.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey four out of five stars.  Mags consistently overcomes great odds to meet his goals.  Bear, Lena, and Amily all manage to find paths forward as well.  Mags and Dallen make a formidable team, and now that they have more information about Mags’s past, they can work to discover who Mags is to these assassins.  Your past will always find you, and Mags is ready to face it by the end of this book.

Have you been keeping up with this series?  What do you think so far?  Let me know in the comments!

Re-reading Murderbot Part 2: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

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Book: Artificial Condition

Author: Martha Wells

Pages: 158

Source: Owned

Publisher: Tordotcom

Genre: Sci-fi, Novella

Publication Date: May 8, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

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.

My Review:

Artificial Condition is the second novella in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, and it picks up right where All Systems Red (see my review here) left off.  Murderbot has managed to get a distress beacon fired that alerted the company they need to pick up Dr. Mensah and its other humans.  Unfortunately, it suffered major damage in the events leading up to this and went into a forced shut down.  While it was offline, Dr. Mensah did something Murderbot could never have anticipated.  She bought its contract from the company.

Now, everyone is asking Murderbot what it wants to do with its life, which is something it has never had to thing about much before.  All it really wants to do is sit around consuming media, but more seems to be expected of Murderbot than that. 

On planets like Preservation, bots can be “free.”  It isn’t perfect freedom because bots are still assigned a guardian, but it’s much better than Murderbot’s life with the company ever was.  The problem is, Murderbot doesn’t know what it wants, but it does know it doesn’t want to be stuck on Preservation being a pet bot either.  So, Murderbot does its best to disguise itself and leaves the station with the vague plan to investigate its past (and that past was extremely violent and potentially harmful to its new humans).

Murderbot has a lot to work through in this book.  First of all, it has to get used to its new existence as a relatively free person (at least as far as Preservation law is concerned).  All its existence it has had to answer to others, and now it finally only has to answer to itself.  It doesn’t know what it wants in the long term, but figuring out what happened when it went rogue seems like a good place to start.

Murderbot has grown to like Dr. Mensah and the other PreservationAux team humans.  It doesn’t want to risk hurting them.  It knows it has had some sort of catastrophic failure in the past that led to a lot of humans dying, and it wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again before settling down.

It knows the incident happened on a mining installation named RaviHyrall.  The reason it doesn’t know more details than that is because the company wiped Murderbot’s memory and permanently closed the mine after everything happened.  However, since Murderbot is a construct of human organic tissue and inorganic parts, the memory wipe wasn’t complete (it couldn’t wipe the memories stored in its human brain tissue).  Murderbot wants to make sure what little it does remember is accurate.

So, it decides to make friends with what it initially thinks is a bot transport, and asks the transport to take it where the mining installation used to be to look for clues in exchange for entertainment media.  Only, this isn’t an ordinary bot transport.  The transport is really an AI in charge of a research vessel, and it is incredibly powerful.  After some tense negotiations between Murderbot and ART (ART stands for Asshole Research Transport which is what Murderbot named it after it threatened to melt Muderbot’s brain), they become something like friends. 

ART offers to help Murderbot by making changes to its physical configuration to fool body scanners in stations, and Murderbot writes code for itself to appear more human.  It doesn’t like either of these things.  Murderbot likes its current configuration, and it does not want to look more human.  But, this becomes incredibly important when it turns out the only way to get to the old mining installation is to pretend to be an augmented human security consultant. 

Murderbot ends up finding the information it was looking for while also managing to help keep some new humans from being killed.  It still doesn’t necessarily like humans, but it’s working through that as well.  Murderbot is learning how to not be alone and how to sort of make friends.  Its experiences pretending to be an augmented human security consultant also helped it get more of an idea of what it wants to do. 

Artificial Condition is an exciting follow up to All Systems Red.  It has just as much action and intrigue as its predecessor while allowing Murderbot to explore its past and come to terms with its new identity.  The mental and physical changes it goes through are difficult, but necessary for it to get the information it needs. 

Murderbot has had a traumatic existence.  Dealing with that trauma by confronting the truth of it head-on would be difficult for anyone.  I think Murderbot’s interactions with ART helped a lot, though, and they are some of my favorite parts of the book.  It only makes sense that a being constructed from human and robotic materials that Murderbot would have both human and bot friends.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I gave Artificial Condition by Martha Wells five out of five stars.  This book has action and mystery, but it also has heart.  Murderbot is just so relatable, and its conversations with ART were absolutely hilarious.  Anyone who enjoyed the first novella should definitely pick this one up to continue the series.

Have you read any of the Murderbot Diaries?  Which is your favorite so far?  Let me know in the comments!