Review: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Title: Rogue Protocol 
Series: Murderbot Diaries #3
Author: Martha Wells
Source/Format: Tor Ebook Club; Ebook
More Details: Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Tor.com; August 7, 2018

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

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.

Rogue Protocol was the first book I picked up in 2021, and it was a fantastic read and the perfect way to start the New Year. There is always something so fun and satisfying about the Murderbot Diaries series, which keeps me coming back again and again for another adventure. Rogue Protocol was no different, and once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down—I ended up staying up past midnight to finish it.

Rogue Protocol picks up sometime after Artificial Condition, and it put a spotlight on some of the lingering questions pertaining to the consequences resulting from the ending of All Systems Red. I liked how the events of the first book directly impacted Rogue Protocol, with the semi-return of GrayCris Corporation. If you’ve read the first book, you already know about some of the crimes the company was responsible for. Rogue Protocol expanded on that, and took a deeper look at other parts of the corporate based world Wells has created—as well as GrayCris Corporation’s shadowy influence (and that laundry list of underhanded actions just keeps getting longer).

At times, Rogue Protocol almost felt like it could have been a ghost story set in space. The setting certainly qualified for it, with it being as abandoned and eerie as it was.

By now SecUnit’s media consumption habit is an endearing character quirk I look forward to. It had been previously shown on numerous occasions that it also doesn’t enjoy interacting with people and does so begrudgingly to meet its goals. However, its character underwent some gradual development throughout Rogue Protocol, and with the introduction of new key characters, it was put in a situation that forced it to acknowledge the emotions it was feeling. I found that side of the story to be one of my favorite parts, and Wells excelled at creating quick emotional bonds between the characters. So as the story unfolded, the delivery of the twists and the revelations about the characters stuck the landing and then some.

Rogue Protocol ended in a good place, and I’m exceedingly excited about the implications for what’s going to go on in the next book in the series, Exit Strategy.