Rogue Protocol
Ratings882
Average rating4.2
A far stronger opening than the previous book in the series, as Rogue Protocol's opening chapter alone is much more entertaining than the entirety of Artificial Intelligence. Whether it be Murderbot's continued reviews of the various shows he's downloaded to his memory unit, his gradually growing liking to human showers now, or his general antisocial tendencies, that missing charm of the first book has finally returned.
I'm really loving murderbot, it's small and digestible entertainment. The running commentary is amazing.
I didn't think this one was quite as good as the first two, but also it ended on an intriguing, not-quite-a-cliffhanger note...
Rogue Protocol didn't have nearly as much humor as the previous installments, and the action started to feel a little repetitive. I suppose you could argue that it's because I've powered through these basically one after another, but that's for memory's sake more than anything else. I did enjoy the Pet Bot Miki, especially since Murderbot got so annoyed with it over its general personality.
I think the shortness of these novellas and the similarity with the previous one is kind of rubbing the shine off of them. I still really like Murderbot themselves, and the adventure was fine this time around.
But while it's well written it is very samey to the previous novella. I'm hoping to see something new from Murderbot next time around.
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While I thoroughly enjoy Murderbot, this particular entry into the series didn't really stand out in anyway. Miki the companion robot was an interesting look into how Murderbot views other constructs. Seeing them realize that not all humans are awful to robotic beings definitely brought more detail into the overall story. However, other than that, there was really nothing particularly memorable in this novella. Definitely will keep reading, though, because Murderbot's sarcasm is fantastic.
Pages ‘n Pines Grading Scale:
5 - Amazing
4 - Really liked it
3 - Liked it
2 - Okay
1 - Didn't like
Miki owns my heart I would die for Miki. I don't wanna talk about Miki anymore it makes me sad.
The thing about this series is that I wasn't really into the story—that's why I avoid scifi—but the books always managed to make me feel things in the last moment!
A quick, quick read. Murderbot is running out of steam a little bit it seems. This one did not grab me nowhere near as much as the first two. Not much more to say really. I wish these were longer.
With this story, we leave introductions behind and make a start on some serious business; although this story can still be seen as a preparation for the next one.
Murderbot goes on a mission on its own initiative to gather evidence against GrayCris. During the mission, it gets involved with another group of vulnerable humans whom it feels obliged to protect.
I've come to the conclusion that this is the Murderbot story that I like least. The quality of writing is up to the usual standard, and the action is quite exciting, but the underlying plot is not very interesting, the human characters are just names, or little more than names, and there's less humour than usual.
I reread it only because it's part of the series, and another chunk of Murderbot's life. It's not a story that I actively enjoy.
Good story
This was another fun read. Seeing our murder bot protagonist learning all about feelings was really interesting. I'm excited to see what the next book brings.
Murderbot hops on another transport and lands itself in trouble again. On this third outing, Murderbot's patience is tested by more humans and one with a “pet” robot that really just needs a friend. Fun, fast, and exciting, just like the other ones. And many humorous asides too, just as I've learned to expect. Love this series.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Rogue Protocol
When we first met Murderbot the GrayCis Corporation attempted to kill Mensha and her crew. And once again the company is trying to cover up shady business deals. With the news of Murderbot's disappearance reaching a wider audience, it makes the decision to help Mensha and her public battle against GrayCis. After all, if the news explodes with the truth about the corporation, they'll forget all about a rogue murderbot, right?
Sometimes you don't realize what you're missing until you witness someone else experience it. The introduction of Miki as a character was the reality check Murderbot needed. Miki brought to the pages a life Murderbot never imagined a bot being able to live. As Murderbot tried to identify and process newfound emotions, you couldn't help but feel for it as a new realization began to take place. And while the new feelings put them in multiple uncomfortable situations, it also paves the way for further character development. Not to mention Miki's personality was adorable and the perfect counterbalance to Murderbot.
Rogue Protocol shows how hard it is to break free of the cycle you've been living almost your entire life. Murderbot was fit into a box. Everyone around it believed it was only good for one thing. Follow orders and kill when necessary. This novel is a pivotal turning point for Murderbot. And as it forges a new path, Martha Wells shows the growing pains and self-doubt that Murderbot's previous life has inflicted on it. Whether it's through a split-second reaction or the fear of being touched by a human, Murderbot has been subconsciously scarred.
Martha Wells continues to impress me with the way Murderbot is portrayed. And as much as I love the characterization that takes place, the plot is just as good. No time is wasted introducing a new cast of characters with each novella. And there is plenty of action and suspense to go around. I cannot get enough Murderbot!
For me this novella was not on the same level as the first and second of the series.
Teil 3 ist im Endeffekt die gleiche Geschichte von 1 und 2, bloss mit weniger Spannung und wenig Intentionen die große Story Arc weiterzuführen, kurz, kaum was beigetragen, etwas überflüssig und leicht skipbar.
Schade, hoffentlich wird Teil 4 besser.
Op het einde van het vorige boek weet Murderbot wat er gebeurd is toen hij een hele stapel mensen heeft vermoord die hij eigenlijk had moeten beschermen. Het heeft te maken met wat een bedrijf daar op die plaats aan het doen was, en dat bedrijf deed misschien ook iets verdachts op een andere plaats, en dus besluit hij naar die andere plaats te gaan.
(Het wordt alsmaar moeilijker om iets te schrijven zonder spoilers, want het voelt opnieuw maar aan als hoofdstuk drie in een boek dat eigenlijk vier keer langer had kunnen zijn en alle vier de eerste boeken van de reeks had kunnen bevatten.
Het is alsof Wells alle verschillende archetypes van robots achtereenvolgend aan het woord laat: dickiaanse twijfelende androïde (Murderbot), banksiaans Mind (ART), sexbot (hier en daar, terloops), en hier dan een aandoenlijke asimoviaanse robot die door zijn eigenaar behandeld wordt als iets tussen geliefd intelligent huisdier en vriend (Miki).
Dit boek was, in tegenstelling met het vorige, véél meer actie. En nog meer dan het vorige boek, waar Murderbot zijn intellectuele meerdere tegenkwam, heeft hij hier niet meer automatisch overal en altijd de bovenhand.
Murderbot zelf blijft groeien, in al zijn contacten met mensen en niet-mensen. En blijft sarcastisch, en droog, en grappig, en onzeker, en complex.
En op het einde van het boek, jawel: meteen verder naar het volgende.
Graphic Audio thoughts: Why does Murderbot always sound so upbeat or blasé?? I was pretty shocked to hear the “I was having an emotion” lines said so normally– no emphasis at all to truly give Murderbot's frustration, anguish, overwhelming emotions. It sounds like the narrator is reading the book to us instead of trying to bring the book to life. A bummer. I already have the next GA version borrowed from the library, so I will be listening to it– because I have it out and having a full cast for all the characters will be nice– but probably won't listen to any of the others that come out. I'll go back to the regular audio.
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I adore this series so much.
Ah, murderbot, the most human of literary AI's. Our favourite introverted AI continues its quest to find out what led to its current situation. Again our AI has adopted some humans that find themselves out of their depth, this time whilst investigating a terraforming station that has been abandoned. Finding it less abandoned than initially thought leads to a nice level of tension and danger. This is probably the tightest plotted of the Murderbot stories I have read so far.
Ultimately, it is the extremely sympathetic portrayal of our protagonist that wins through. Our murderbot really would rather nothing else than sitting on their own watching dodgy TV serials, but events keep on causing them to be the hero. A supremely human portrayal of AI
I think I may have skipped a book in the series by accident. Some things were a bit confusing. I want to go back and find out what I missed. I enjoy the character but it seems like the action doesn't start until the last 3rd of the books each time.
The Murderbot is a bit lugubrious, and it doesn't really like people very much. The Murderbot is lonely but doesn't know it. The Murderbot is also is very dangerous, and it has found a mission.
Another good entry in the Murderbot series. Thank you Martha Wells.