In Part Three, The Final Protocol, Luke and his team battle a technology so advanced they are unable to grasp even the reason for the sentinel’s visit. Everything they have been led to believe by its pilot is wrong. But humans are the only contact the pilot has ever had with living beings, and the pilot, if it can be trusted, seems to have sided with humanity. As the world comes apart under the onslaught of the advanced technology wielded by the landing craft, the small crew fights on, looking for any weakness in the alien defenses. But there seem to be none. And for reasons no one understands, the earth’s climate is being changed as its creatures are altered and its oxygen removed. And the Were’s, those strange manifestations of humanity unalterably changed by rampant biological attacks from the scourge pods, attempt during their transition, to kill off the remainder of mankind. But in the end, Luke discovers the real reason the sentinel has been sent, and it is nothing anyone could have foreseen.
What a great read! Very difficult to put down, I thought parts one and two were great , but I have to say part three was spellbinding. Don't want to spoil the story for anyone, but the mutants and other creatures that inhabitant the book struck a real note of terror that even Stephen King couldn't touch. The virtual reality lifestyle of some of the visitors smacks pretty close to home and our modern day and near future lives, something to think about as our population is mesmerized by video games and avatars. The time travel issues which were a difficult concept to explain were handled in an easy and plausible way with a nice round-up of the principle characters. I loved the ending with a nice surprise! Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did. Can't wait for Mr. Merritt's new book!