Rogue Protocol

Well I seem to be on a Murderbot Diaries binge but what can I say, these books have found a way into my heart and I don't wanna let go yet. So I started off this third installment as soon as I was done with Artificial Condition and I'm so happy I did.

I definitely found this book more interesting because there was an important plot, even though the tropes felt a bit similar to the previous novellas. I also enjoyed the way the author tied back the story in this one to the mystery of what happened in book one, and I'm very curious to know what more revelations are in store in the next one. I also found this to be more action packed and high stakes, making me quite worried about the consequences. The author managed to make this thrilling and mysterious while also not letting go of the sarcastic nature of Murderbot, and I thought that was seamless execution. There are also quite a few moments which tug at your heartstrings and I had tears in my eyes towards the end, and what more could I have wanted.

Murderbot has only grown on me over the course of these books and I'm enjoying its sarcasm which it basically uses to hide its underlying anxiety. It's almost become hard to remember now that it is actually a construct, and not human because it has started having more feelings, is forming connections with humans and is utterly incapable of acting selfish. We are also introduced to another pet bot called Miki this time and it was the most adorable ever. Miki loves the scientists to whom it belongs to and they love it in return, and their relationship was such a lovely thing to watch - I found it very sweet but it was also kinda sad to see Murderbot realize that it had never been treated like a friend before. Miki and Murderbot's interactions are very revealing in the sense that they starkly show us the difference between them, and I think that contributes a lot to how Murderbot is changing even more. We don't get to know any of the humans in detail except Abene, and she was a smart and kind scientist who just wanted to get to the truth and keep her people safe. I love that the author gives us a great group of humans in every novella who treat Murderbot kindly and change its perspective about humans.

In the end, this was as fun as the previous novellas but I thought it was a touch more emotional, which is all for the better. I'm delighted to be binge reading this series and I know I'm gonna start Exit Strategy right away because I don't wanna wait. And if you wanna have some sci-fi fun with supposedly killer bots who turn out to be not so murderous after all, what are you waiting for... just go ahead and pick up this series and get ready for a joyride.