{"id":9507,"date":"2025-07-11T20:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T01:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=9507"},"modified":"2025-07-11T22:29:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T03:29:34","slug":"rapport-a-new-martha-wells-murderbot-story-has-just-been-published-free-to-read-at-reactor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/rapport-a-new-martha-wells-murderbot-story-has-just-been-published-free-to-read-at-reactor\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRapport: – A new Martha Wells\u2019 Murderbot story has just been published, free to read at Reactor"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a Murderbot fan, here’s some good news.<\/p>\n

Reactor<\/i> has just published a Murderbot novelette by series author Martha Wells. And it\u2019s free to read.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Titled \u201cRapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy,\u201d Wells\u2019 new novelette can be read as a stand-alone but related story for those who have read Artificial Condition,<\/i> the second book in The Murderbot Diaries.<\/i><\/p>\n

Many Libertarian Futurist Society members have read Wells\u2019 Prometheus-nominated series about a rogue security robot who secretly gains free will – especially her first four books including Artificial Condition.<\/i><\/p>\n

So the new story should be of great interest, and also easy to read in context.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 acclaimed Murderbot series has received major recognition and awards, including a 2021 Hugo Award for Best series and the 2021 Nebula and Hugo awards for Best Novel for Network Effect, <\/i>the first self-contained Murderbot novel and Book 5 in her series.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wells was first recognized within the Prometheus Awards when The Murderbot Diaries were combined into one nomination from the four novellas All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol <\/i>and Exit Strategy <\/i>and became a 2019 Best Novel finalist. (That was allowed and approved under Prometheus Awards eligibility rules; Wells noted in 2017 that the four novellas have \u201can overarching story,\u201d with the fourth one bringing the arc to a conclusion.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reactor <\/i>posted \u201cRapport\u201d yesterday (July 10), timed in conjunction with the finale of the first season of Apple TV\u2019s series adaptation of Wells\u2019 stories about a rogue security robot who secretly gains free will.<\/p>\n

Reactor (formerly called TOR.com) is an online magazine that publishes original short speculative fiction along with daily essays, book reviews, media news, and more.<\/p>\n

According to Mike Glyer\u2019s File 770, Well\u2019s \u201cRapport\u201d story catches up with Peri (short for\u00a0Perihelion) as readers \u201clearn a bit more about what this galaxy does to people and the machine intelligences that have to deal with them\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perihelion, also known as ART (a nickname given by Murderbot), is a bot-piloted research and teaching vessel that often acts as a motherly caretaker and source of support for the crew.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the story, Perihelion and its crew embark on a dangerous new mission at a corporate-controlled station in the throes of a hostile takeover\u2026<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a brief excerpt, focusing on a conversation between Peri and Iris, that communicates Well\u2019s distinctive style blending a high degree of self-awareness and dark humor in Murderbot stories that focus mostly on interior stream of consciousness:<\/p>\n

\u201cIris absently started to pace. She was too tired and jumpy to play this game right now. Is it something you can tell me at some point? It\u2019s just that I\u2019m worried about you. And I think I\u2019m not the only one. Our dads have noticed, too. She hesitated, then tried to lighten the mood. You aren\u2019t evolving into a new being, or something, are you?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was an in-joke for their department, that there were always popular press articles about advanced MIs transcending their programming and becoming gods. Peri usually liked the joke, because it gave it a chance to be mean about stupid people. This time, it said, Iris, did you sustain damage to your neural tissue?<\/p>\n

She let out her breath. Come on, that\u2019s your favorite joke. You\u2019re really scaring me now. What\u2019s wrong? Did something happen?<\/p>\n

Peri was silent for six whole seconds. Then it said, Explaining would in effect be violating a confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By the way, Reactor magazine has enlisted Wells\u2019 cooperation before to post a fresh Murderbot story.<\/p>\n

\u201cHome: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory,\u201d<\/a> originally published in April 2021, is a Murderbot short story set after the events of Exit Strategy.<\/i><\/p>\n

Murderbot fans, check it out.<\/p>\n

* For further reading<\/strong> about Martha Wells\u2019 Murderbot series and its libertarian themes of free will, anti-slavery and bodily autonomy, check out several previous Prometheus blogs – including a review<\/a> of the Apple TV series, an essay<\/a> explaining in detail why the series appeals to libertarian sf fans, and a news update<\/a> about the publication of a three-volume set of Wells\u2019 Prometheus-nominated Murderbot novellas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS AND THE LFS<\/b><\/p>\n

*\u00a0Join us!<\/b> To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, \u00a0join<\/a> the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

Libertarian futurists understand that culture matters. We believe that literature and the arts can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future. In some ways, culture can be even more influential and powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other\u2019s rights, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.<\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/b>For a full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including in the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced \u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0on the LFS website. This page includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/a><\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/a> an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/i>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> for comments, updates and links to the latest Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a Murderbot fan, here’s some good news. Reactor has just published a Murderbot novelette by series author Martha Wells. And it\u2019s free to read. Titled \u201cRapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy,\u201d Wells\u2019 new novelette can be read as a stand-alone but related story for those who have read Artificial Condition, the second book in … Continue reading \u201cRapport: – A new Martha Wells\u2019 Murderbot story has just been published, free to read at Reactor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1585],"tags":[2680,2178,2653,2681,975,81,2174,1024,2267],"class_list":["post-9507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction-in-the-news","tag-rapport","tag-all-systems-red","tag-anti-slavery","tag-apple-tv-series","tag-free-will","tag-martha-wells","tag-murderbot","tag-network-effect","tag-reactor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-2tl","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9507"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9516,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9507\/revisions\/9516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}