Rogue Protocol

The Murderbot Diaries, #3

by Martha Wells

158 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2018

ISBN:: 978-1-250-19178-6
ISFDB ID:: 2391283
Goodreads:: 35519101

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(239 reviews)

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.

4 editions

Custard Rock reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Rogue Protocol: A Sci-Fi Delight with Heart and Humor

4 stars

"Rogue Protocol" is the third entry in Martha Wells's remarkable series, The Murderbot Diaries. It stars our beloved human-like android, Murderbot, who keeps getting sucked into one adventure after another, despite its desire to be left alone, far away from humanity and small talk.

This instalment sees Murderbot investigating the supposedly abandoned Milu project, which it suspects GrayCris might be using as a front for illicit recovery operations involving alien remnants. As usual, Murderbot plans to handle this mission solo, but a group of humans in desperate need of help derails those plans, compelling our deeply introverted SecUnit to intervene.

Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

I love the fast-paced plot, the endearing human side characters, and the sharp humour that permeates the series. There’s something especially entertaining about an AI making fun of how irritating humans can be. The more I read …

Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Murderbot’s interactions with the humans it encounters in this thrilling story prompt it to reevaluate its own relationships with people, especially Dr. Mensah, Murderbot’s legal owner. These introspective moments, combined with Wells’ masterful creation of a believable universe filled with advanced technology, compelling action, and Murderbot’s dryly humorous voice, make "Rogue Protocol" a science fiction novella that’s both fascinating and enjoyable.

This is a series worth diving into if you’re a fan of science fiction that blends action, humour, and thoughtful character development.

BoMay reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

More Murderbot

4 stars

Murderbot continues its pursuit of GrayCris as it explores its place in the universe. Fun, quick read.

THE SORCERER reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Person Made Of Weaponized Anxiety Observes Genuine Friendship, Suffers

4 stars

Third of the three Murderbot stories I've read so far - enjoyable, if a bit less compelling than the previous two. I've heard the series really kicks off with the full-length novel following this story, so I'm looking forward to that. Some of the beats landed a bit less flawlessly than the previous books, but it was still enough fun that I finished it in a short sitting, and I think some of the emotional beats are going to be necessary to set up future development.

laundry0099 reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

This was my favorite Murderbot book so far. The fact that so many robot characters in this series are incredibly wholesome reminds me a lot of the video game Stray. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the terrifying stories where robots turn on the human race.

I can’t wait to read the next one!

gregorgross reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Too short to really count as a book

4 stars

The 3rd book isn't as funny as the former ones, but still very good. I love SecUnit, or Rin, as it calls itself in this book, with all the cave-ats I noted before. It seems to focus alot on humans (as it was conditioned to do so), but the thing is, what I like here is it's focus on me, the human. So I like the bot because it tries to be human: this says more about me than about any possible bots. And really, all three books feel like chapters in a large novel. Anyway, I'll get myself the next, last part of this series for sure.

Woile reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Not as good as the previous 2, but I still enjoyed it. The plot thickens

Christian Leonard Quale reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Very good fun

4 stars

In Rouge Protocol we continue following our favourite Murderbot further into space, and on the way to a far out mining facility, our Bot encounters some people they may have to work with in order to further their own goals. Murderbot also has to confront the most confusing of concepts: friendship.

The Murderbot series so far has been a delight, and this book is not an exception. In this book we get a secondary bot character, a bit like a puppy, that confuses Murderbot with it's attitude of trust and kindness. Of course, there is a bunch of shooty shooty bang stuff as well to keep the space action side of the story alive.

This really is a very hard book, and series, to describe. It's not like anything else I've read, and it's so much fun to get to see the world through the eyes of a sentient bot …

This really is a very hard book, and series, to describe. It's not like anything else I've read, and it's so much fun to get to see the world through the eyes of a sentient bot who is, in theory, more or less stripped of emotion - but who has enough of a theoretical knowledge of it to recognise it. And... maybe to feel it as well? Maybe they will start feeling more and more as time goes by?

In any case, if you haven't, start at the start of the Murderbot Diaries and start reading them.

ridel reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Rogue Protocol is a more action-packed than the previous Murderbot Diaries and introduces quite an interesting secondary character. There is also an overall arc that is developing from short story to short story, which should make fans of the series quite happy.

I continue to believe that this series deserves a longer treatment, and that all these novella are fundamentally constrained by the length restrictions. It's a fine read, but it'll never excel.

The plot was a bit boring though, as it was obvious to me that the secondary bot would be sacrificed. Where previous novella leveraged world building to offset its length, this one is a straight action thriller and that's a fine trade-off. I continue to read these novella here and there, but don't understand the love for the series.

Stratski reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Pure crack, deze serie.

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

A story full of mayhem: but also full of friendship, which confuses Murderbot.

4 stars

An exciting episode in the Murderbot Diaries, it has the usual mayhem and humour, but also a look at re-evaluating the relationship between humans and artificial beings like him.

A comment from Murderbot's previous client leads Murderbot to a planet that was abandoned in the past by the corporation, GrayCris. The planet was apparently abandoned due to a failed terraforming attempt, but Murderbot suspects that it was a cover by the company to retrieve alien material (that was what led GrayCris to initially try to murder its clients in "All Systems Red"). Now, he needs to go to the planet to get evidence of this.

An exciting episode in the Murderbot Diaries, it has the usual mayhem and humour, but also a look at re-evaluating the relationship between humans and artificial beings like him.

But to do this, it will have to infiltrate the survey team sent to look at the station at the heart of the apparent failed terraforming attempt. In doing so, Murderbot gets acquainted with a bot who, to his horror and confusion, is being treated kindly and as a friend by the humans. To him, this does not compute, as he thinks all bots and constructs (like him) are less than human.

But that has to be put aside when the team is attacked by other bots keen to make sure they don't get off the station. Now he has to find the evidence, keep the team alive, and find a way to eliminate the bots who are better armed than him.

This, of course, he does, but in the process, an act of sacrifice makes him re-evaluate the relationship between humans and bots and artificial constructs, and leads him to conclude that he has to return to the clients, whom he left in the first story, to resolve matters.

_astronoMay reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Not as compelling as the first two books. I didn't understand Muderbot's motivation to go get data for Dr. Mensah instead of just going straight back to Murderbot's favorite human. This book just felt a bit more forced to me than the previous two.

Blind_Mapmaker reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

4.5

V171 reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I can't tell which characters I like more in these books. The humans or the bots. But they both get better and better with every book. I'm really interested in the overarching story that is starting to take form. Can't wait to continue!

Strakul reviewed Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

Review of 'Rogue Protocol' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The third of the Murderbot Diaries books. This was also quite interesting with some neat new characters, particularly Miki. Though it didnt feel as good as ART, it was still a curious bot that helped grow Murderbot. Overall the story was fun, but lacked some of the clarity and intrigue of Artificial Condition. However, it does set the stage for future novels.