Rogue Protocol is the third entry in Martha Wells's Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Murderbot Diaries.
Starring a human-like android who keeps getting sucked back into adventure after adventure, though it just wants to be left alone, away from humanity and small talk.
Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?
Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back 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.
"I love Murderbot!"--New York Times bestselling author Ann Leckie
The Murderbot Diaries
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
Exit Strategy
Network Effect
Fugitive Telemetry
System Collapse
Much like "Artificial Condition," if you enjoyed "All Systems Red," you'll likely have a good time with this quick, snappy adventure in the universe those first two books established. I was a little concerned going into this one that Murderbot's shtick might start to wear a bit thin but the author wisely and deftly continues to tweak and evolve the character throughout "Rogue Protocol" to keep things interesting, though some may not care for the almost Deadpool levels of snark and fourth-wall breaking that have become increasingly common by this point in the series.
There were a few little things here and there that I didn't love, or that felt a little too convenient and hand-wavy for my personal taste, but they admittedly do mesh with the generally lighthearted and whimsical tone of the overall tale. That said, as with the previous books, there are some nice occasional moments of depth and sophistication to balance out those questionable or rough spots, so the overall effect creates a similarly satisfying and dynamic read akin to its predecessors.
I particularly enjoyed the ending of "Rogue Protocol," which struck me as very well paced, timed, and executed, and provided perhaps the best "heavy" moment and sequel hook of the series so far. As a result, I'll definitely be continuing on to book four at some point and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the series to just about any science fiction reader but by all means, start from the beginning with "All Systems Red" as reading the books in sequence is an absolute must by book three for various reasons.